Nittedal, Norway
Feiring AS is one of Norway’s leading aggregate producers. The company started in 1962 and has since grown to 15 departments divided into 6 different business areas around Norway.
The new facility delivered to Feiring AS dept. Bjønndalen/Nittedal
The Challenge
Natural sand is the most consumed natural resource after water, and in some places the non-renewable resource is already in short supply. At the same time, crushing plants generally have a challenge in that around 20% of the production consists of low-value “surplus mass” for which it is difficult to find a use.
Feiring wanted to be able to use the surplus masses from its production at the plant in Nittedal. Without a washing facility, there has until now been no solution that has made it possible to create a new product out of the surplus masses and it has taken up space.
Thus, the surplus masses have only been a cost. With the new washing plant in Nittedal, Feiring has set itself the goal of maximizing resource utilization from its production.
The reality is now that surplus masses from production can be processed in the washing plant and converted into high-quality industrial sand. This will enable Feiring to achieve close to 100 percent resource utilization at the plant, which is not only good for the economy but also the environment by improving resource utilization from production. The new facility will thus not only meet the requirements for production capacity and quality, but also promote sustainable resource utilisation and a focus on the environment that reflects the company’s values.
Extensive experience in washing facilities
International cooperation
Nordic Bulk and CDE have since 2018 worked together to deliver solutions for washing and sorting masses to their customers.
Peder Egeland from Nordic Bulk says: “The partnership with CDE is good both for us partners, and for the customer. Our collaboration gives us the opportunity to offer world-leading solutions in this type of technology and deeper expertise in the washing of masses. We see that the market is increasingly interested in sustainable solutions in addition to the fact that they want to achieve optimal economy in their production.”
Furthermore, Peder says: “For us, such projects are about finding the solutions that are absolutely best and most economically beneficial for the customer in the long term. In this case, washing systems are an excellent and future-oriented solution that enables the use of all the material produced, including the fines. That is good for the economics of the business.”
Tormod Wæhle, Technical Manager at Feiring, says: “It has been a great journey from planning to realization of the project, where we, together with Nordic Bulk and CDE, have found the best solutions to achieve a desired product in the end.”
Furthermore, Tormod says: “Our main goal was to process a primary crushed 0-22 that is produced in the stationary plant and turn this into a full-fledged aggregate with a high-quality industrial sand for use in concrete. With the new washing facility, we have been able to realise this and are very pleased with the end product.”
The solution of Nordic Bulk
Increased value from production
The plant produces aggregates with fractions 0-2, 2-4, 4-8, 8-11, 8-16 and 16-22. The industrial sand produced in the new washing plant is run through a cubizer and has been tested to ensure that it is well suited as a substitute for natural sand in concrete products.
Complete washing plant
The plant produces accurate fractions and has a total capacity of 300 tons per hour, as well as a capacity of 150 tons of industrial sand per hour. This plant includes EvoWash cyclone technology, the final product has 10-15% moisture content.
After the masses have been washed and classified, the waste is sent to the AquaCycle tank. Here, the water Polymer is added, which increases the precipitation. The clean water is recycled in the plant. The result is a highly efficient water recycling system that only requires 10% of the amount of water used to be resupplied for washing.
The results
Production sold before start-up
There has been a lot of interest in the new industrial sand, and 50% of the production capacity has already been sold. This shows that the market is demanding sustainable solutions, and Feiring is well positioned to meet this demand.
By using surplus masses to produce high-quality industrial sand, Feiring shows that it is possible to balance economy and environmental responsibility.
Significant increase in resource utilization
By running the surplus masses through the new washing plant, Feiring has reduced surplus masses from 20% to 3-4% with a goal of achieving 100% resource utilization.
“It costs money to do the right thing. But for those of us who live to improve resource utilisation, we could no longer see these surplus masses lying unused. A surplus product, often considered waste, has turned to gold,” says Fredrik Brubakken, department manager at Bjønndalen Bruk.
The difference between natural and industrial sand
Sand that goes through a natural grinding process over thousands of years is called natural sand.
To produce good concrete, it is important to use sand with the right properties. The biggest challenges with industrial sands are the grain shape and the amount of fines. Natural sand develops the right properties through natural processes, while industrial sand needs treatment to achieve the same quality. These challenges can be solved by treating the industrial sand in a processing plant that corrects both the cubicity and the fines by crushing, sieving and washing or air separation.
Why industrial sand?
Natural sand is a limited resource, which makes crushed stone from quarries a good alternative. Crushing plants often have a surplus of masses 0-8 mm or 0-6 mm, which can be used for concrete production. This assumes that the mass is geologically suitable.