It was in 2002 that we received an RFQ for a sludge incinerator from Biocon’s main unit on Hosur Road in Bengaluru, for disposal of their ETP filter press cakes.  The waste was in semi-solid sludge form and the waste water was composed of various organic materials that were used by the company to produce enzymes, vitamins, etc.  The shape, size and quantity of the waste required customization of a very high order in not only feeding the waste to the chamber but also in burning it efficiently because it was all lumpy and in sludge form.

Haat’s modified BP model incinerator was chosen for this because of the high moisture content in the waste.  The BP is of a retort type squarish design with three chambers.  Where the primary chamber accepts waste, the secondary chamber burns the products of combustion and the tertiary creates considerable turbulence for good emission values.  However, we suggested an additional venturi scrubber and related air pollution equipment to cater to lower emissions.

Waste feeding had to be done with a conveyor and a hydraulic pusher arrangement. Pre-determined quantities were to be taken to the conveyor at regular intervals and discharged into the chamber without any manual intervention.  The conveyor had a very steep angle and it took quite a bit of engineering to get the right design

The client  accepted our offer not only because of the considerable pre-engineering work done by us and the efforts we put in, but also due to his belief in our quality and the fact that we were just a stone’s throw away from Biocon to attend to any service calls. We went about making the machine and other ancillary equipment, had them tested in our Works and sent the inspection call notice.  The client visited our Works and cleared the equipment in the first shot after test runs.  Subsequently the equipment was despatched and delivered to the site in the year 2003.  

Supervision of installation and commissioning was subsequently carried out after overcoming initial minor teething problems. The system stabilized in a very short time and produced results to the expectation and satisfaction of the client.

The client nominated operators who were trained for operating and maintaining the system which had automatic PLC control.

This turned out to be a fully automatic incinerator system with nobody handling waste at any stage; only de-ashing had to be done at predetermined intervals. It produced not only good combustion efficiency, but also met all other parameters including capacity requirement, emissions, etc. despite using heavy furnace oil as fuel (which also required a special preparation and feeding system).

The client, more than us, is happy that the system is still alive and functional after more than 15 years of service!