Sustainable recycling

Production rejects are being processed to produce a valuable resource: At the Spanish recycling company OLUCHA HERMANOS in Valencia, a MOBIREX MR 110 EVO2 impact crusher is being used for the sustainable recycling of rejects from the production of ceramic tiles. Even though the material is extremely abrasive, the process is efficient and impressively cost-effective.

Recycling company OLUCHA HERMANOS is turning rejects from Spanish tile factories into a valuable resource. The family-run company, founded over 40 years ago, has developed a business model specializing in the recycling of rejects from the production of ceramic tiles. ‘In the past, these valuable materials were simply dumped on landfill sites’, explains CEO Ramón Olucha. ‘Today, we manage to return 100 per cent of the material to the production cycle.’ The processed material is then used in the manufacturing of new tiles. Even the dust produced in the recycling process is reused. This is a perfect example of a functioning circular economy – even under the most challenging conditions encountered here. At the heart of the process is a plant train consisting of a MOBIREX MR 110 EVO2 impact crusher and a MOBISCREEN MSC 953 EVO classifying screen.

The feed material consists of pure-grade ceramic tile rejects with grain sizes of up to 300 mm. The aim is the production of a final product with grain sizes of 0 to 6 mm, which is then mixed with clay and returned to the tile manufacturing process. In a closed cycle, the oversize material is returned to the crusher via the post screen and the oversize return conveyor. The process is profitable: the rejects are bought in and can be sold after processing for approximately 2 to 2.5 times their purchase price per tonne.

As abrasive as sandpaper

The challenging aspect of the application is that the tile rejects are made of an extremely hard, sharp-edged ceramic that acts like sandpaper on all wearing components. ‘Our blow bars last for around 140 operating hours. That’s an excellent performance in this context,’ explains Ramón Olucha.

Close coordination with the Kleemann application engineering team and the carefully considered plant configuration were decisive factors behind this success. ‘We worked hand-in-hand with the Kleemann specialists to find the ideal equipment for the task. It was a long journey to get us to where we are today, but taking it was well worth the effort,’ reports the company CEO. The team initially experimented with cone crushers. But it was only when they switched to an impact crusher that they were able to achieve resounding success. Now it was time to fine-tune the system: Which blow bars would be up to the challenge? How could the post screen be aided by adding a supplementary screening plant?

The current configuration with the downstream MOBISCREEN MSC 953 EVO classifying screen ensures that the final product precisely fulfils the required specifications. This enables OLUCHA HERMANOS to guarantee that the processed ceramic tile rejects can be seamlessly integrated into the tile production process.

Custom option: an extended grinding path

The plant configuration now features an extended grinding path as a custom option. This increases the reduction ratio and thus produces as much fine material as possible. It was implemented on the MR 110 EVO2 for the first time in this configuration for the Valencian company and has proven to be extremely successful. Production has increased by 25–30 per cent with the same costs – from the previous 90 tonnes to 120–125 tonnes per hour – without increased fuel consumption. ‘Thanks to this option, we have seen an enormous improvement in our output that completely exceeded our expectations,’ explains Ramón Olucha.