WASTE DISPOSAL & RECYCLING
FIRE PREVENTION
Robert Alvarez, Commercial Sales Director at De Boer, looks at how the design of semi-permanent buildings can help reduce fire hazards at waste management facilities.
A FIRE EVERY DAY… The annual ‘Fire Statistics Report’ from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service suggests that the waste management industry suffers a fire at least once every day of the year. Additionally, recent statistics from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show that blazes at waste facilities increased by 5% from 276 incidents in 2013 to 311 in 2014.
Semi-permanent structures can be designed with specialist preventative measures, such as avoiding dust traps, improved ventilation, sprinkler systems and fire resistant doors, which can reduce the risk of fires at waste sites.
INCREASING VENTILATION Increasing ventilation can have dramatic effect on the risk of waste fires. A simple roof canopy shields recyclate and waste materials, which often include highly combustible materials, from wet weather preventing the absorption of moisture. Green waste stored in piles is more likely to self-ignite if it soaks up moisture, which causes oxidation releasing energy and generating heat. Often the heat trapped in waste material heaps is unable to escape, raising the core temperature, thereby causing spontaneous combustion.
Open-sided roof canopies allow increased air movement through the storage facility, helping any moisture that might be present within the stored material to evaporate, further reducing the risk of spontaneous combustion within the pile. De Boer worked with Dudley Council to design a green waste storage facility that provided ventilation within the gable- end elevation, increasing the amount air movement within the structure.
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PREVENTING DUST TRAPS A dust explosion can cause serious damage; in 1981 an explosion at a plant in Banbury which manufactured custard powder injured nine men and caused substantial damage to an external wall of the building.
The Liverpool Bulk Terminal (LBT) is one of the largest biomass stores in Western Europe and can accommodate 65,000 tonnes of wood pellet. A critical concern when storing biomass pellets ‘on the flat’ relates to amount of dust created during the handling process and the potential explosion risks from static build up or fire hazards from settled dust on hot parts of equipment.
Working with the LBT team, De Boer modified its All Weather Hall to include specialist Circular Hollow Section (CHS) steel tubes within the frame and connecting details to eliminate dust traps. Using rounded profiles over square section steel, helps to eliminate areas for dust to settle. The client was also offered the option of an internal liner membrane fastened to the structure to limit the risk of dust collecting – this may be added at a later date.
The Liverpool Bulk Terminal was also fitted with fire proof ATEX- compliant roller shutter doors which are specifically designed for explosive atmospheres such as combustible dusts. Door motors are shielded, eliminating fires caused by sparks setting dust particles alight.
AVOIDING AIRBORNE IGNITION When dealing with flammable materials, such as wood waste, a roof canopy can be an effective way demonstrating compliance with the Environmental Agency’s latest guidance towards reducing risk. Simply covering waste materials gives some protection
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