Plant Operations

The Thermal Energy Plant was built in 2009 and converts waste from the production processes into valuable energy. The waste input is mainly derived from the onsite Water Treatment Plant, the process of treating the factory liquors yields sludge materials and these are recycled through the thermal process. In the Thermal Energy Plant, the sludge is initially dried before being burned in a gasifier. The resultant gas is subsequently burned to generate heat which is used to make steam. Finally, the steam is routed back to the factories to be used in the manufacture of leather. This completes the cycle as the factories generate effluent in the manufacturing processes which is routed to the effluent plant and the cycle is repeated. Prior to the thermal plant, the sludge material would have been transported to landfill.

Also housed within the Thermal Energy Plant is equipment known as the Fat Plant. The input material for this process is the 'fleshings' which result when the hides are cut to thickness. This material is routed via a machine which separates out the input material into three different phases. The first phase is known as tallow oil and is sold as a valuable commodity, the second phase is the solids which arise from the process and these are used in composting. The third and final phase is a liquid emulsion which is treated in an energy raising anaerobic digestion plant. This is another example of how the company recycles every possible waste stream.

The Water Treatment and Recycling Plant is designed to treat all the liquors which arise from the leather manufacturing process. The plant has received significant investment in the past few years to enable the business to increase production volumes whilst meeting the ever tightening consent limits. An important role for the plant today is in supply of sludge material used in the Thermal Energy Plant as part of the energy recycling process. The mission of the plant is to treat all arising liquors within the operating licence and to never cause an interruption to production.