When N15 Technology Co. Ltd. built its refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant in Sarabui, the company pioneered the waste-to-energy industry in Thailand. N15 was the first company in Thailand to venture into waste management with the objective of shredding and sorting household waste and turning it into fuel for cement companies and waste-to-energy power plants in their area. Initially, they used local waste shredders to process the many tonnes of waste that arrived at the plant daily. However, in 2015 they realized that they needed to replace them with shredders that could manage a higher capacity. So, they set out to research the market and chose three European brands to look into, one of them being M&J Recycling. In their research, they looked at the shredders’ power and durability, but also the grain size was particularly important: “We compared output size for the three brands, and M&J was the only one that offered a guarantee: that 85% of the processed material would have an output size of 10 cm”, says Somboon Kittianong, General Manager at N15. The grain size is of utmost importance to N15’s customers, for them to ensure stable production and consistent, high quality. In addition to the grain size, the personal experience of Somboon played an important role in the decision to use M&J: “For me, the choice was not a difficult one. I already had experience with M&J shredders from a previous job, so I knew that they are reliable, and therefore my vote was on M&J”, says Somboon. The proven track record of M&J became one of the deciding factors for N15, who chose an M&J PreShred 4000S and an M&J F210 fine-shredder. (The story continues below the photo).

Above you can see Somboon Kittianong (shown right) at N15’s Sarabui offices with Luise Madsen, Theerawat Manavanich, and Thunyaluck Wattanachartkanun from M&J Recycling.

 

Service specialists offered first-time fix

Both waste shredders were installed, with the help of M&J’s trained service specialists. Upon arrival a minor error was discovered on one machine, causing the start to suffer a short delay: “As soon as we found out, M&J sent a specialist to fix the error, so we were quickly up and running. They responded promptly and replaced a part without any questions. That just confirmed that we had made the right choice, and I was glad M&J could offer a first-time fix”, says Somboon. Once the machines were up and running, truckload after truckload of municipal waste started to be processed. First, the pre-shredder turned the material into smaller pieces and then the fine-shredder took over and ensured that the now confetti-size materials were ready to be fed to cement kilns of nearby companies and waste-to-energy power plants in the area. Reducing the materials to small, homogenous fractions not only makes it perfect as a substitution for fossil fuels in cement production, thus lowering the carbon footprint of the cement plant, while also reducing the cost of operations. The shredded material also requires less space during transport, thus reducing the number of truckloads driven to nearby customers, and in turn reducing the need for fuel and lowering the CO2 emissions related to transport.

Powerful knives shaped for household waste

Since the implementation of the first M&J shredders, another set of shredders has been set up in 2021 in an identical waste treatment line, so the factory can process 400 tonnes of municipal waste pr. day. Furthermore, N15 has bought an M&J 4000 mobile shredder for use at another plant, so the company now owns a total of 5 machines, that turn waste to value and contribute to RDF production every day: “I like using M&J shredders and I am happy with their output. They meet the capacity promised and the shape of the knives is suitable for the waste in Thailand. In my experience, M&J’s knives are a much better match for our waste than those of other brands,” Somboon says and finishes: “And if I need help, we have an authorized M&J service partner a two hour’s drive from the plant”.

About the company

N15 Technology is a leader in the Thai waste management industry, and the company has a clear objective to support environmental sustainability. In addition to producing RDF from household waste at their Sarabui plant, they produce RDF from both municipal waste and non-hazardous industrial waste at their Chonburi plant. Last, but not least, N15 promotes proper waste management through an orphan waste project, where orphaned waste is collected and disposed of properly, in order to improve the environmental sustainability in the area.