MRF Shredder

An MRF (Material Recovery Facility) shredder often referred to as a recycling shredder, is a piece of equipment employed in waste management and recycling operations within material recovery facilities. Its primary role is to downsize various types of waste materials into smaller pieces or particles, facilitating subsequent processing (e.g. baling and briquetting) and transportation.

An MRF can sort out valuable and recyclable materials such as,

• Plastics
• Old corrugateed cardboard (OCC)
• Paper including newspapers, magazines, office paper, mixed paper, etc.
• Glass bottles and jars
• Metal containers, including aluminum and steel cans

Among all waste, paper, plastic and textile contain a high calorific value, which make them an ingredient of making RDF flakes.

An industrial shredder acts as MRF Shredder

Benefits of Having a MRF Shredder

Shredding can bring down the volume of the waste, and a skip bin can load more materials; thus reduces the waste disposal fee.

MRF shredder can break down bulky waste, making MRF easier to extract valuable products. For example, MRF shredder can shred a sofa and obtain scrap metals and foam out of it.

The overall process is smoother. In some cases, a baler or pellet mill or briquetting machine can operate easier because materials are in pieces.

RDF fine shredder, as illustrated below, is a good example of MRF shredder. More than 3 ton/h of sorted plastics and paper pour into the machine, and the final products are qualified as refused derived fuels.

1. Size: RDF flakes can vary in size but are typically small, often ranging from a 20mm to 80 millimeters in diameter. The size is designed to facilitate efficient combustion or incineration.
2. Consistency: RDF flakes are processed to have a relatively uniform composition, which ensures a consistent energy output when they are burned.
3. Calorific Value: The calorific value of RDF flakes depends on the composition of the original waste materials. It represents the amount of energy that can be released when the RDF is burned.

Types of Shredders in an MRF

Regarding the most widely used shredders in Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), several notable options prevail in the industry. Here are some examples:

1. Single Shaft Shredders: MRFs frequently employ single shaft shredders, like the single shaft fine shredders. These shredders feature a single rotating shaft equipped with sharp blades, which effectively tear and shred various types of waste materials into finer particles. This is effective only when materials are clean and homogeneous.
2. Dual Shaft Shredders: Dual shaft shredders incorporate two counter-rotating shafts with interlocking blades, ensuring efficient and thorough shredding of a broad spectrum of soft and hard materials. This is more effective when materials are mixed, especially when the waste composition is uncertain.
3.  Four Shaft Shredders: Another commonly utilized type of shredding machine in various applications, including MRFs, is the quad shaft shredder. These machines are renowned for adopting the advantages of single/double shaft shredder. They can handle waste materials with varying levels of toughness and ductility, consistently producing materials of the desired shape and size. Similar to single shaft shredder, it requires the waste stream to be clean (sorted).

Double Shaft Shredder DS280