Lol Summers Joinery says it is saving money on fuel bills and waste disposal following installation of an extraction system from Dust Control Systems (DCS).
The Coventry architectural joinery specialist operates a dozen wood processing machines at its 25,000ft² plant and previously used two “paddle fans” for extracting woodwaste, which subsequently went to landfill.
Last year the company decided to investigate the feasibility of installing a complete woodwaste to energy system and began discussions with DCS at the W10 wood technology show.
DCS subsequently undertook an on site survey and recommended one of its extraction systems featuring its patented Ecogate energy-saving technology, plus a briquetting plant to produce wood fuel from the waste. A few weeks later DCS engineers were installing the equipment.
The technology comprises a Schuko EcoVar Series 2030 dust extractor unit which has a filter surface area of 188m² and an 18.5kW fanset with a capacity of 21,000m³/hr. Alongside the filter is a Schuko Compacto 800 briquetting press which can process up to 45kg of chips and dust per hour into 60mm diameter briquettes. The latter are taken automatically to a bagging area next to Lol Summers’ wood burning heater.
The Ecogate technology in the dust extraction system comprises a motorised gate and sensor at the ducting junction to each machine. These are linked to a controller which closes off one or more gates when particular machines are not in use, saving on power.
The combination of this system and the briquetter and burner, said managing director Lee Summers meant that Lol Summers no longer needed to buy oil or pay for landfill and had lower gas and electricity bills. The company also secured an interest-free loan from the Carbon Trust for the installation.
