CVS Bio-Dry - Short Generic User Notes - v1.0

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes
(Non-Plant Specific)
CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH

Sales & Services GmbH
Landshuter Straße 29
D - 85435, Erding
Germany
Telephone: +49 - (0)8122 - 96168 0

Fax: +49 - (0)8122 - 96168 19
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.convaero.com
This Operation Manual has been created by CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH (CVS)
V1.0, 20 April 2015
CVS Bio-Dry_Short Generic User Notes_v1.0.docx
Information about this These Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes are intended
CONVAERO Training Manual as an introduction to Bio-Dry™ for persons not already familiar with
this waste treatment technology. They are intended as much as is
practical to be generic and non-plant specific, but not to in any way
replace the fuller CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Operation Manual
Handbook and its supplementary and other site specific information
and training.
As these Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes are not site
specific, not all of the facilities and features mentioned herein are
present in all Bio-Dry™ sites.
Prior to operating any Bio-Dry™ plant, personnel must read carefully
and understand the relevant CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Operation
Manual Handbook and related training and operating instructions
carefully and thoroughly before attempting to start to operation
that particular plant.
Furthermore, installing components without the requisite
permission, training, expertise and care can damage the
components themselves, endanger safety and/or cause injury to
persons in the vicinity.
Copyright The contents of this manual are protected by copyright. Their use is
allowed only by persons or companies to whom it has been issued
by CONVAERO. Any other use is not permitted without the written
permission of CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH.
Customer service CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH

Telephone: +49 - (0)8122 - 96168 0
Fax: +49 - (0)8122 - 96168 19
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.convaero.com
Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 2 of 34

# CONTENTS Page
Definitions & Abbreviations 4
1. Introduction to and Purpose of Bio-Dry™ 9
2. Main Components and Features of Bio-Dry™ Plants 10
3. Waste Reception 19
4. Preliminary Treatment 21
5. Bio-Dry™ Heap Building 22
6. Operating a Bio-Dry™ Heap During a Drying Phase 26
7. Methods of Turning Batches/Heaps 29
8. Emptying of Bays 31
9. CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Software 32
10. Sampling/Moisture Content Monitoring 33
11. Further Information 34
Note on the use of numeric values within this manual.

To assist the reader herein, values amounting to thousands or larger shall adopt the “,” symbol convention.
Thus, the value seventeen thousand five hundred is written as 17,500 and not as 17.500 or 17 500).
Similarly, the “.” symbol is used for decimal values of numbers, and so the value seventeen point five 17.5 is
written herein as 17.5 and not as 17,5. (This shall not preclude the use of 17½ where this is felt approprate.)

Definitions and Abbreviations of Technical Terms, Capitalised Words and Acronyms Used in this Manual.
Term or Definition or Explanation

Abbreviation
Aeration Pipe The Aeration Pipes are provided by CVS and are the pipes and their Nozzles that are
permanently installed into (and laid at the same slope as) the concrete floor of the Bay.
They are directly connected to the Blowers to allow air to be blown up through the Heap,
but they also have a second important feature and that is to facilitate the downward
vertical drainage of Leachate (or press water) out of the Heap.
Due to this dual functionality, they are often referred to as Aeration/Drainage Pipes.
ASP An Aerated Static Pile is a term sometimes used to describe an aerated waste Heap or
windrow.
Batch Defines a discrete or single volume of material undergoing its various treatment steps
simultaneously on the same aeration Bay or on the same series of aeration Bays.
A Batch can be named to identify relevant characteristics such as its commencement
date and/or treatment location(s) and/or the input waste characteristics. All relevant
Batch data is saved automatically as CSV data in the software and can be found again
anytime by the Batch name.
Bay The Bio-Dry™ Bay is the hard engineered rectangular, permanently installed zone or
location where the bio-drying process takes place. It includes the aeration pipes
permanently cast into the floor, the aeration floor itself, the Side Walls, and the
permanently fixed wall hooks onto which the cover can be fixed. The Bay is considered
to exclude the Aeration Fans, the Water Lock Pits, and the Covers, and the drainage
pipes.
Bio-Dry™ An aerobic drying process using no external thermal energy but instead utilizing
exceptionally low energy aeration to dry MSW in Heaps covered with CONVAERO
technical textile covers.
Bio-Dry™ is the most cost effective fully proven MSW drying method for guaranteed
throughput and SRF/RDF moisture content performances as it utilises only the
indigenous organic content as its main energy source for drying.
Bio-Dry™ Cover Strong, flexible, semi-permeable sheeting or covering material made specifically by
(or Cover) CONVAERO for the purposes of optimizing the processes of drying organic wastes under
IVC conditions. Bio-Dry™ Covers are impermeable to liquid phase water, but are specially
designed to allow the release of copious amounts of moisture, CO2 and air, while keeping
odorous compounds and germs inside the contained Heap. Thus, they can perform at
least as well as a biofilter in terms of controlling any local environmental nuisance due
to odours. An important additional factor about Bio-Dry™ Covers is that they are
impermeable to liquid phase water, thus they will keep waste below the Cover dry
against any rain falling onto covered Heaps.
Blower (or Fan) The Blowers/Fans are directly connected to the Aeration Pipes to supply the Bay with
fresh air so as to oxygenate the waste and to promote an upward flow of air through the
Heap. Each Bio-Dry™ Bay is normally provided with two Blowers.


Abbreviation
BMW Biodegradable Municipal Waste
BU Business Unit (eg LE’s internal Business Units, such as their Treasury Department)
CEE Socket A European standard (Conformité de l'équipement électrique / Certification of

Electrotechnical Equipment) for push-fit electrical power cable connectors.
Collection Sometimes refers to a Water Lock Pit (see below) or to another drainage chamber.
chamber
Construction A discrete phase or stage of the construction/development of the treatment plant

Phase
Cover A shortened name for the Bio-Dry™ Cover.
Cover Winding A purpose built, self-driven machine to help Bio-Dry™ operators to remove and place the
Device Bio-Dry™ covers from Heaps (eg prior to either turning or emptying the Heap).
CSV Comma Separated Values as used to discipline or parse electronic data; the Bio-Dry
software stores and saves all relevant process parameter data as CSV data.
CV Calorific Value
CVS CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH
Desludging The removal of sludges, leachate and/or solids from tanks, pipes or other vessels.
DM/DMC Dry Matter Content (normally expressed as a percentage weight by weight)
Drying Phase Usually Drying Phases,1, 2, 3 and 4 are used on Bio-Dry™ plants.
ECOCEM Iraq The owner of the plant to be provided at Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Ecocem Environmental
Solutions Ltd (ie ECOCEM) Iraq are also the party with whom CVS have contracted to
provide certain Works and Services.
ECI Ecocem Environmental Solutions Ltd (ie ECOCEM) Iraq
EfW Energy from Waste
EMM Enhanced Materials Movement machine, a machine to aid turning of batches from bay
to bay
Fan (or Blower) See above Blower/Fan definition.
Gully A drainage Gully (or surface mounted entry point for surface water) installed to help to
drain a floor or road etc. Bio-Dry gullies should be protecte with mud / sludge basket.


Abbreviation
H&S Health and Safety
Heap The Heap is a windrow shaped mound or pile into which a Batch of waste is built within
a Bay so it can be dried. There a number of shapes a Heap can be built into eg
‘trapezoidal’, ‘camel-backed’, or Heaps without side-walls.
In-vessel/ Treatment system in which the treated material is enclosed in a drum, silo, bin, tunnel,
Enclosed reactor, or other container, maintained under uniform conditions of temperature and
system moisture where air-borne emissions are controlled. Bio-Dry™ is such an enclosed system.
Leachate Leachate is the heavily contaminated water that either drains from the waste by gravity
during the drying process
LEC Lafarge Engineering Centre. LEC are the Consultant named in the Contract between the
Owner, ECOCEM Iraq, and the Contractor, CVS, to provide certain Works and Services for
the plant at Sulayamaniyah. However, LEC are not a party to that Contract.
Manhole A drainage (or other) chamber large enough for a man to enter. However, the term is
now discouraged as modern practice tends to avoid the need for man entry chambers.
MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment
MC Moisture Content
MCC Motor Control Centre
MCCB Molded Case Circuit Breaker
MS Micro Soft Corporation
MSW Municipal Solid Waste, ie the every day garbage or trash disposed of by the public and
communities (as distinct from the waste streams of specific industrial sectors).
MSW fraction Any one of the various fractions of MSW.
Nozzle The short plastic upstand pipe connecting the Aeration Pipe to the Bio-Dry™ Aeration
Floor; the nozzle has a small hole inside it to allow air to flow out of the Aeration Pipe
and it also allows leachate water to drain back in.
O&M Operation and Maintenance (usually used as O&M Manuals)
Organic Fines MSW fraction/input to the Bio-Dry™ (usually ≤80 mm separated from MSW Residual
Waste streams by sieving).
P&ID Process and Instrumentation Diagram (but occasionally “Piping and Instrumentation
Diagram”)


Abbreviation
PC Personal computer
Phase A phase, or a drying phase, is the drying period that ends with either a turning or when
the Bay is emptied. Thus, if a Batch is turned n times, then it will have had n+1 drying
phases. A phase will normally contain several ‘stages’ which are combined by operator
(or pre-set from a recipe) to compile a complete phase. Within a phase, each stage has
a defined treatment goal (indicated by the phase name within the visualisation, eg warm-
up, drying, cooling etc).
The most common phase names are: Drying 1, Drying 2, Drying 3, Drying 4, etc.
Power Outage The interruption of the electrical power supply to either all of the plant or to a part of it
(regardless of its cause or duration cause or duration). It can regard a single Bay, the hole
plant or just the Bio-Dry Computer.
PPE Any personal protective equipment (eg clothing, goggles, gloves, boots, other garments
or equipment) intended to be worn or used by workers to protect them from injuries or
infections etc during work tasks. The serious limitation of PPE is that it does not eliminate
hazards at source and so employees may become exposed to the hazard if the equipment
fails.
Process Day A full 24 hour day of Bio-Dry™ processing that ignores the start-up or commencement
day (during which Heap building occurs) and also ignores the final partial treatment day
(during which Heap dismantling occurs).
RDF Refuse Derived Fuel made from MSW and intended for use in energy recovery facilities
(similar to a Solid Recovered Fuel “SRF” but not necessarily refined to meet a particular
specification or standard)
Recipe A previously prepared or standard set of treatment instructions saved to the Bio-Dry™
visualisation / control software to help the Operator to more quickly develop a treatment
plan ed.
RTU The Remote Terminal Unit ie the radio control interface of the SCADA system that is installed
locally at each ASP Bay and to which the Temperature Probes are connected. The RTU in turn
communicates with the TRM that is connected to the computer hosting the Bio-Dry™ Control
Software in the Plant or Control Room.
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
SRF Solid Recovered Fuel is a fuel made from MSW fractions and intended for use in energy
recovery facilities; it is similar to a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) but has been refined to meet a
particular specification or standard.
SRF/RDF Used in this document as Bio-Dry™ can be used in making either SRF or RDF.


Abbreviation
Stage Each treatment or process phase can have one or more of several potential treatment
stages. Within a phase, each stage has a defined treatment or process goal as suggested
or indicated by its name within the CONVAERO visualisation software, eg Stacking,
Levelling, Warm Up, Drying, Sanitation, Cooling, Shifting or Cleaning). Of these, Drying is
the most important stage and is the one that is the most used.
tpa Tonnes (or Metric Tons) per annum
TRM The master base station unit in the Plant or Control Room of the SCADA system / radio control
interface that communicates with the RTU via a TETRA radio network. The TRM
communicates directly with the computer hosting the Bio-Dry™ Control Software, and the
signals it receives from the computer are sent to a radio antena and broadcast by radio to the
RTU. The TRM also receives radio signals back from the RTU (via the antenna) and converts
these into data signals acceptable to the computer.
Turning The important process of turning the waste to re-invigorate the Heap. Turning marks the
end of one treatment stage and the next treatment stage will commence as soon as
practical after turning is completed.
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply.
W2E Waste to Energy
W2P Waste-to-Product
Water Lock Pit Water Lock Pits are drainage manholes or chambers widely used in composting and IVC
processes for floor pipes intended for the dual purposes of under-floor Heap aeration
and drainage. They can allow each in-floor pipe to act either as any aeration pipe and a
drainage pipe by retaining a minimum level of press water or leachate sealed off by
inverted ‘dip pipes’ (whose outlet is below their minimum retained water level). Thus,
they can effect an air seal against a given head of water. Their primary purpose is to
create an equal back pressure across the aeration floor whist allowing the aeration pipes
to drain freely by gravity.

1). - INTRODUCTION TO AND PURPOSE OF BIO-DRY™

1.1 – About These Short Generic Bio-Dry™ User Notes
These CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes give a short introduction to Bio-Dry™. As there can be a number of
different layout and operational variants for Bio-Dry™ plants, the notes are somewhat generic and non-plant
specific and not all of the facilities and features mentioned herein exist in all Bio-Dry™ sites. Some specialist
or new Bio-Dry™ options or supply items may also be omitted herein.
While it is not practical herein to summarise all of the information necessary for an operator to learn how to
manage and run a Bio-Dry™ plant, nevertheless this document aims to cover the main topics so that readers
may at least run understand how the process works and how Bio-Dry™ can be used flexibly in their own
operational circumstances to dry typical MSW or other wet but organic rich wastes.
1.2 - Summary of the Convaero Bio-Dry™ Technology

The CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ technology utilizes Aerated Static Piles (ASP) deploying a specialized high-
performance semi-permeable technical textile cover to biologically dry MSW or other wastes containing
significant organic fractions within an enclosed ‘In-Vessel’ climate controlled zone under the cover. Waste
materials to be dried are placed in windrows style Heaps on virtually flat, hard, impermeable concrete (or
sometimes asphalt) floors. The floors are laid to slight lateral and longitudinal drainage cross-falls, and are
provided with in-floor aeration and drainage pipes used to both aerate the waste within the ASP and also to
collect and drain away any leachate emanating from the waste during the Bio-Dry™ cycles.
In general terms, Bio-Dry™ works by biologically drying the waste via a natural composting or stabilization
process emanating only from the natural indigenous bacteria within the organic fractions of the waste. When
drying has advanced sufficiently, further post-drying MBT processes segregate and prepare the waste into
separate recyclate, SRF/RDF and reject fuel fractions.
Bio-Dry™ ASP’s are regarded as being In-Vessel treatment technologies, whereas traditional open windrows
composting does not constitute In-Vessel conditions as it does not offer climate control or odour abatement.
Importantly, the specialised CONVAERO semi-permeable Bio-Dry™ covers not only help to control and
maintain Heap climates as they dry, but they also control both bio-aerosol and odour emissions from the
Heaps, thereby minimizing the effect of the operations on the local environment and workers.
The main features of the CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ technology making it stand out from other bio-drying systems
are that it:-
 offers an exceptionally low CAPEX compared to other systems treating similar tonnages
 offers an exceptionally low OPEX performance due to the very low amounts of energy consumed during
the drying process
 is fully proven across various organic waste streams and countries as the most successful MSW drying
technology for either MBT processing or for SRF/RDF in Waste-to-Product (W2P)/Waste to Energy (W2E)
solutions.
The main features and use of typical Bio-Dry™ installations are described and illustrated in more detail below.
Note:- Prior to operating any Bio-Dry™ plant, personnel must read carefully and understand the site
specific Training Manual and all operating instructions / manuals relevant to that particular plant.
Installing components without the requisite permission, training, expertise and care can damage
the components, endanger safety and cause injury to persons in the vicinity.

2). - MAIN COMPONENTS AND FEATURES OF BIO-DRY™ PLANTS

A Bio-Dry™ plant combines a number of key components, and for ease of understandng, these are described
herein under the following features. They are also illustrated visually in the sketch diagram below.
- 2.1 Bay
- 2.2 Water Lock Pit
- 2.3 Airation Fans/Blowers
- 2.4 Control System
- 2.5 Heap and Batch
- 2.6 Covers
- 2.7 Cover Handling (or Winding) Device
- 2.8 Turning Device (optional)
- 2.9 Weather Station
Sketch Illustrating the Main Components and Features of a Bio-Dry™ Bay NB: above image to be improved
2.1 - Bay
The Bio-Dry™ Aeration Bay is the hard engineered, rectangular, permanently installed, aerated floor area
between two Side Walls. It includes the Bay aeration/drainage pipes, the floor nozzles, the normally sloping
reinforced concrete (or sometimes asphalt) floor, and the two reinforced concrete Side Walls (and their
permanently fixed wall hooks onto which the cover can be fixed). In some Bio-Dry™ layouts, End Walls are

used in addition to the Side Walls, and while this feature can reduce operational flexibility, it can either
increase treatment capacity slightly or it can better suit the available space for certain plant layouts.
Aeration/Drainage Pipes are permanently installed in the sloping floor of the Bay. CONVAERO supply these
to a specialist design developed to facilitate both the aeration necessary for a Bio-Dry™ Heap to work but
also the downward vertical drainage of Leachate (or press water) out of the Heap. As they are laid to the
same slope as the floor of the Bay, the Aeration/Drainage Pipes drain the Leachate out of the Bay by gravity
to the Water Lock Pits. Fixed to the Aeration/Drainage Pipes are short plastic upstand pipes or Nozzles with
small diameter drill holes that allow air to flow up through the Heap at the same time as they can allow
Leachate to flow out of the Heap by gravity. The Aeration Fans or Blowers act in combination against the
retained water level within the Water Lock Pits to ensure an even air flow distribution right across the
aeration floor.
After the waste has been built into a Heap within the Bay and when a Drying Phase is ready to commence,
the a Bio-Dry™ Covers are placed over the Heap and the Cover can then be fixed to the side wall hooks and
closed off (or held down) across the Bay ends. Any of the Covers can be placed over any one of the Bays, and
similarly any of the Temperature Probes can be used at any Bay (unless they are hard-wired to a specific Bay).
As drying progresses, Leachate will drain by gravity from the Heap and onto the floor of the Bay. Most of this
Leachate will drain into the Aeration/Drainage Pipes via the in-floor Nozzles, but some will drain to the side
gulley at the end of the Bay. From either of these locations, the Leachate will drain by gravity to the Water
Lock Pit.
During successful Bio-Dry™ operations, the dominant drying mechanism is not drainage of liquid phase
Leachate, but water vapour evaporating through the covers. This drying mechanism is encouraged and
maintained by the flow of fresh air blown by the Fans to the underside of the Bay via the Aeration Pipes and
up through the in-floor Nozzles.
In summary, the Bay is designed to store and aerate the waste during the Bio-Dry™ process. It keeps the
waste in an optimal Heap profile shape, collects the Leachate, and distributes the air flow evenly across the
bottom of the Heap from where it moves up through the waste matrix. The airflow is provided by the Fans
mounted nearby. Ancillary to and connected to each Bay is its own Water Lock Pit, Blowers (or Fans),
Temperature Probes, and Control Cabinets.
2.2 - Water Lock Pit

Ther primary purpose of Water Lock Pits is to create an equal back pressure across the aeration floor whist
allowing the Aeration/Drainage pipes to drain freely by gravity. The Water Lock Pits are drainage manholes
or chambers containing a water trap (often about c1.5 m deep) created simply by their outlet levels being
c1.5 m above the bottom of the chamber. The water or Leachate flowing along the Aeration/Drainage pipes
and into the Water Lock Pit fills up to the outlet level c1.5 m above the chamber invert. The in-coming
Aeration/Drainage pipes bend through 90 degrees and dip down inside the Water Lock Pit chamber to
perhaps about 1.2 m below the outlet level. As the Water Lock Pits and the Aeration/Drainage pipes are all
air tight/water tight, the drowned outlet level of the Aeration/Drainage pipes creates a c1.2 m water head
seal that allows each of the in-floor Aeration/Drainage pipes to act simulatneously either as an aeration pipe
or as a drainage pipe. The c1.2 m water head is the same pressure head for all of the Aeration Pipes draining
to any individual Water Pit, and so the pressure head and consquently air flow rates are evenly distributed
across the entire Bay.
The Water Lock Pits must at all times stay full of water to ensure an adequate air seal on their inlet side, thus
they themselves need to be constructed in a water tight and air-tight manner.

Cross-Section - Water Lock Pit and Aeration/Drainage Pipe In-Coming from the Aeration Bay
In operation, the Water Lock Pits can eventually fill with some of the fine silty, sandy waste materials, bio-
sludge and depositions that may pass through the c5mm holes in the Aeration Nozzles. After a time or after
an amount of usage, how effectively a Water Lock Pit can create and maintain its air seal to the Dip Pipes at
the end of the Aeration/Drainage Pipes needs to be checked. Essentially, this simply means emptying and de-
sludging the Water Lock Pit from time to time (and re-filling it with fresh water or leachate before putting
the Bay back into operation). The contents should be treated as a Leachate or sludge as the Water Lock Pit
also acts as a ‘Silt Trap’ retaining silt before it enters the main Leachate Tanks or Leachate Treatment areas
on site, and of course all such sludge and silt is likely to be contaminated.
2.3 - Aeration Fans/Blowers

As Bio-Dry™ is an aerobic decomposition process, the Blowers or Fans are critical to its successful operation.
CONVAERO provide and install single speed fan units, and these need to be installed in a location where they
are safe against possible mechanical damage by moving plant. Therefore, they are usually installed either on
purpose built Fan Walls or often inside Aeration Tunnels built below the circulation area of the Bio-Dry Bays.
Blower Settings: The Blower Setting describes, in effect, the Blower on and off cycle in minutes. For example
a Blower setting of “7:5” means that the Blower is set to come on for 7 minutes and then to be turned off for
5 minutes before continuously repeating that same on/off cycle until stopped (eg at the end of the Drying
Phase or when the Blower Settings are next re-adjusted).
The maximum cycle times that the Bio-Dry™ software will permit is 15 minutes for either the ‘on’ or the ‘off’
cycle, and the Blower settings can be selected in 1 minute intervals anywhere from 1:1 to 15:15 (ie including
anywhere from 1:1 to 1:15 and from 1:1 to 15:1). The setting 1:0 (often called ‘Permanent On’) can also be
selected, as can a separate ‘Permanent Off’ setting.
Aeration Rate: The CONVAERO process software can monitor (or actually calculate) the flow rate of air
through the Heap from the electrical power demand of the Blower. This flow rate, or Aeration Rate, is
expressed as m³/h of air displaced per unit of time by the Fans.
Both of the above parameters (Blower Settings and Aeration Rate) are important as Bio-Dry™ is essentially a
natural process entailing the decomposition or digestion of the organic waste matter by aerobic bacteria,
and the growth of these bacteria and consequential release of energy (in the form of heat) can be either
optimised by a correct aeration regime or inhibited by too much or too little air.
2.4 - Bio-Dry™ Control System

The Bio-Dry™ Control System controls and records treatment operations of the Bio-Dry™ plant. Via the
computer software and the radio communications links, it monitors and records the Temperature Probe
output readings, controls and records the on-off cycles of the Fans, records the various treatment Phases,
and (if connected) records the data from the Weather Station.
The Bio-Dry™ Control System includes:
- The CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software
- The computer terminal or PC (which is normally linked to the internet for the option of full remote
operational control and data transfer, as well as for diagnostics and remote assistance purposes)
- Temperature Probes (linked to a local RTU and Control Box or signal receiver/transmitter)
- TRM Wireless controller unit at the Bio-Dry™ Operator’s computer (which sends and receives signals
to and from the RTU control unit)
- RTU at the Fan Electrical Control Box (to send and receive signals to and from the fans for each Bay)
- The Electrical Box itself (for the electrical power supply to each Bay)
- Antenna and radio up-link system to convey the signals between the Computer Terminal, and the
fans and Temperature Probes.
Below is a diagram showing schematically a typical Bio-Dry™ Control System.
General/Typical Bio-Dry™ Process Control Equipment NB: above image to be improved
CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software

The Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software allows the monitoring and management of the drying
process, thereby aiding process optimisation. This allows the Bio-Dry™ Operator to determine matters such
as when best to turn (or mix) the waste or when to alter the aeration regime. It provides a continuous full
record of all key process activities, treatment Phases and Heap temperature observations. The Operator uses

the software to change the aeration regime, decides when Heap Turning (or mixing) is done, and the software
then automatically displays and records all relevant treatment process data. This full process control is
available for the Operator to either use on site at the Bio-Dry™ Computer Terminal or via any remote terminal
linked by internet to that Computer Terminal.
The CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Contro-l and Visualisation Software allows each Heap to be separately controlled
through the wireless data transmission module. The temperature of each Heap can be monitored at three
representative level locations within the Heap by a single Temperature Probe. These three representative
level locations for temperature observations are termed:-
 T-Surface - measured at approximately 0.15 m below the top of the Temperature Probe
 T-Mid - measured at approximately 0.55 m below the top of the Temperature Probe, and
 T-Core - temperature measured at approximately 1.2m below the top of the Temperature Probe.
The radio module wirelessly transmits the Temperature Probe observations to the TRM wireless controller
module. At the same time, the Operator can see displays of the Aeration Blower on-off cycles for each Bio-
Dry™ Bay (either in real-time live or historically), and the on-going Aeration Blower on-off cycles can be
adjusted remotely via radio signals transmitted between the TRM and the RTU for the particular Bay. The
Operator can also see the air volume in m3/h delivered to the heap by each blower during the operation of
the blower.
Each Control Cabinet is provided with a site wide colour coded scheme for both indicator/warning lights and
for push buttons. While these colours are usually agreed with the client, a typical colour scheme could be:-
 GREEN - illuminated when power is on and the relevant Blower is RUNNING
 BLUE constant on - illuminated when POWER IS ON (ie present) and the system is READY FOR OPERATION
 BLUE flashing - when the connection to the Master Process Control is interrupted and the bay is operating
in EMERGENCY MODE
 RED - illuminated to indicate a TRIP-OUT of the relevant blower
If the wireless transmission to the TRM controller module is interrupted the RTU controller continues with
the last setting of “on/off interval”. After a power cut and no connection for more than 30 minutes to the
TRM controller module, the RTU module automatically starts and continues the aeration regime in a pre-set
emergency venting cycle of 5:5. (However, this 5:5 emergency venting setting is in itself adjustable within
the available software settings.)
To protect against arbitrary changes by unauthorised persons, the Bio-Dry™ aeration rates selected by the
Operator at his computer can only be adjusted using the password protected Bio-Dry™ Control software.
When doing this, the aeration rate can be controlled in one of two different ways, ie by selecting either:-
 Interval (or Manual) Mode wherein the Aeration Fans are turned on or off in a manner selected by the
Operator based on his prior experience, knowledge and observations or from ‘recipe’ settings, or
 Temperature (or Automatic) Mode wherein target temperatures (or time limits) are pre-defined by the
Operator in the control settings to allow the Blower aeration interval to be changed automatically by
the software according to the selected/pre-set temperature and/or time limit targets. The T-surface
value is used for the target temperature.
Once the mode of operation is chosen, various types of alarms and alerts can be set within the software in
order to monitor and control the process and so the Operator can be alerted to any parameters drifting
outside of desired limits. Such alarms and notifications can even be set via email to the Operator’s mobile
phone or computer. Alarms are grouped according to importance. Dedicated recipients can be chosen
according to alarm group; time delays in sending Alarm Messages can be incorporated to allow problem
solving on site before off- site or higher ranking personnel are notified.
Further details of these issues are set out in the Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software Manual.
Computer Terminal
The computer hardware consists of a very standard PC with a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
To protect against Power Outages, the power should be provided via a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).
Temperature Probes
As higher Heap temperatures tend to liberate more water vapour, one of the most important process
parameters is the actual Heap temperature. Heap temperatures are monitored by the Temperature Probe
measuring the temperature of the zone immediately around its own insertion location within the Heap. By
continuously monitoring Heap temperatures, indicative historic and current information can be gained about
process performance.
The Temperature Probe contains thermometers placed at three depth locations, called T-Surface, T-Mid and
T-Core temperatures, located at approximately 0.15 m, 0.55 m and 1.2m respectively below the top of the
Temperature Probe. These three temperatures are displayed simultaneously by the Bio-Dry™ Control system
for each active operational Batch being dried.
A Temperature Probe must be inserted into every active Bio-Dry™ Heap to enable the Operator to monitor
its temperature. The Temperature Probe is connected to the RTU so that it can communicate with the Bio-
Dry™ Control system via radio signals set out by the TRM. By looking at Heap temperature data, the Operator
using the Manual Mode of control can chose how and when to adjust the aeration regime with the aim of
further controlling the temperature, scheduling mixings/turnings and/or detecting anomalies or problems;
alternatively, the software can perform this function in the Automatic Mode of operation. The software also
records the progress of each Batch at each Heap in case this needs to be analysed at a future time.
The Temperature Probe is directly connected to the RTU control cabinet via a plug socket. The cable is hard
wired and permanently sealed to the probe to reduce any risk of moisture ingress at the connections. To
change probes, the probe includes a 25m trailing probe cable to allow the Temperature Probe to be removed
and replaced.
Some Advice in Use of Temperature Probes
1. Care should always be taken when handling Temperature Probes and their cables both due to reduce
any risk of injury from the Probe itself, but also because they themselves can be easily damaged.
2. For optimal performance and to reduce the risk of false readings caused by localised settling of the waste
matrix as it dries out, CONVAERO recommend that the Temperature Probe should be inserted at about
70-80° (ie about 10-20° off vertical).
3. The Operator should have or chose a safe place to store any Temperature Probes not in use eg in the
Control Room or in a dry Store Room (useful if any Temperature Probe needs to be dried out).
4. The Operator should always take care to ensure the trailing cable of the Temperature Probe does get
damaged by heavy plant, become a pedestrian trip hazard, nor become snagged on anything etc.
5. It is recommended to always adopt a consistent site wide practice concerning the location in which to
insert the Temperature Probe into each Heap after Bay Covering. This way, anyone walking on or working
near the covers will always be aware of where the Temperature Probes and their training cable are. A
lesser alternative may be to mark on site the location where the Temperature Probe was last inserted.
6. Have and always implement a plan to remove the Temperature Probe completely from the Bays during
Loading and Turning otherwise there is a clear risk of their cables getting damaged by the scale, power
and physically proximity of the Loading Shovel or other heavy plant operations. Thus, the operatives
should always use whatever facility has been provided during the construction of the Bays Side Walls to
protect the Temperature Probe and its trailing cable.

7. If the placement zone is suspected of perhaps being unrepresentative of average Heap temperatures,
move the Temperature Probe perhaps about 2-5 m (but clearly this will not remedy any false readings
from faulty Temperature Probes).
Wireless Controller Module TRM and RTU

The TRM wireless controller module (at the Control Cabinet adjacent to the control computer) transfers and
receives data to and from the RTU wireless module for each Bay. It is connected via a lightning arrestor to
the antenna using a cable up to 10m in long. The Terminal Box/ Control Terminal is installed on a wall close
to the PC via a cable connection 2 m RS232 cable to the PC port.
NB - The antenna should be fastened to a mast immediately outside or above the Control Room/office as any
antenna cable longer than 10m impairs and reduces the signal transmitting/receiving capacity.
2.5 - Heap and Batch

As noted in the definitions, the Heap is a windrow shaped mound or pile into which a Batch of waste is built
within a Bay so that it can be dried. There are several optimal shapes into which Heaps can be built eg
‘trapezoidal’, ‘camel-backed’, or even traditional windrows shaped Heaps for simple Bays without side-walls.
The name of a single volume of waste all being treated together in a single Heap is a Batch. Typically, each
Batch is treated within a particular Bay and then the Heap is moved from that Bay to another Bay at each
turning (or alternatively it may stay in its original starting Bay if a Windrows Turner is deployed).
In the Bio-Dry™ Control Software, each Batch should be given its own individual name. An ideal name style,
or nomenclature, offers as much information as possible within a short but easy to understand naming
convention. A CVS suggested Batch name nomenclature is:
 Batch name format: Material-Batch Number-Date
 Usage example: Mix-01-ddmmyy
 Nomenclature meaning:
o Mix = mixed MSW waste. Other short names could be used, eg to designate particular waste
types or waste sources etc
o 01 = first Batch started. Other numbering systems could be used, eg number entailing 3 or 4
characters or a combination of characters and numbers, etc.
o ddmmyy = Batch started on dd Mmm yyyy
2.6 –Covers
The Bio-Dry™ Covers that cover the Heaps consist of semipermeable textile layers or membranes specially
designed to allow the release of copious amounts of moisture, CO2 and air, while keeping odorous
compounds, germs and dust inside the system. Thus, the BioDry™ Covers can perform at least as well as a
biofilter in terms of controlling any local environmental nuisance due to odours. An important additional
factor about Bio-Dry™ Covers is that they are impermeable to liquid phase water, thus they will keep waste
below the Cover dry against any rain falling onto covered Heaps.
The perimeter of the Bio-Dry™ cover has a PVC rim (or skirt) installed for protection and to allow the Cover
to be securely fixed onto the Side Wall of each Bay using a quick release carabiners to fix the Cover to a steel

rope permanently attached to the Bay Side Wall. This PVC rim is also equipped with attachment and handling
straps to help operatives to move Covers either manually or mechanically using the Cover Winding Device.
Some Advice in the Use of Covers:
1. If it is not tied down, Covers could easily blow off in medium to high speed winds.
2. Take care when placing Covers over the waste Heaps, looking out for any protruding, strong or sharp
items that might tear the Covers. (This problem is very much lessened by Pre-Shredding to a suitable
particle size and by the use of a Cover Winding Device.)
3. Certain Cover specifications are not suitable for people to walk on without the risk of the Cover itself
tearing. CVS still recommend extreme caution to those climbing onto or walking on Covers in case:-
 walking on high, smooth, sloping covers presents an obvious significant risk of falling to ground or
onto sharp or otherwise dangerous debris below.
 the pedestrian could be injured by anything sharp below their route, or sharp or protruding objects
might tear the Cover. Clearly the better the waste is shredded, the lesser this risk tends to be.
 Walking on covers while the Temperature Probe is in place always risks someone stepping on and
damaging the Temperature Probe.
4. CVS always recommended that after their removal, Covers must be placed in a secure location during
Filling and Turning to ensure no damage by Loading Shovels or other heavy plant. (This is not as significant
a problem for sites using a Cover Winding Device as it can store one Cover while still handling another.)
2.7 –Weather Station

An accurate Weather Station can give information about the current weather data. CVS can supply a small
Weather Station that can be realily connected to the Bio-Dry™ Control Software so that the software can
record and display the Weather Station observations of ambient weather conditions. The weather records
can be used for future performance reviews, which can be particularly useful if the Operator is seeking to
analyse past performances with a view to seeking future improved performances.
2.8 - Cover Handling (or Winding) Device

A Cover Winding Device is used to cover and uncover the Heaps with the Bio-Dry™ covers, as well as for
transporting the Covers. Their overall purpose is to allow Covers to be placed safely and efficiently while also
reducing the risk of wear and tear abrasion to the Covers.
All but the simplest Cover Winding Devices are self-driven machines controlled from a driving position located
on the bridge structure clear above the Heaps or elevated on the side of the machine to allow a good view
of the area below.
The use of Cover Winding Devices should be avoided in days with high winds or if adequate precautions
against the effect of high winds has not been taken.

General View of a PWG Cover Winding Device (empty)
2.9 - Turning Device

The optimal (or shortest) processing times can be achieved by turning the material within the Heap to loosen
and reinvigorate it. This helps to homogeneous the waste within the Heap, improve Heap porosity, create
and expose multiple surfaces within the Heap to fresh air, and distribute zones of active organic activity
throughout the Heap. The process also gives experienced operators to opportunity to see how drying of the
heap is progressing and perhaps even allows the operator to carry out interim sampling to measure
parameters such as the Moisture Content of representative samples of the Heap.
A wide range of machines can be used to efficiently turn and mix the waste on ASP Bays without actually
moving the waste from one Bay to another. When selecting such a machine, intending purchasers should
carefully check the specifications and the available alternative options.
The exact process day (or timing) for turning and mixing the material is determined according to a number
of factors such as the nature of the input material, how the waste is performing, and the desired
characteristics of the final SRF.

3). - WASTE RECEPTION

This Waste Reception topic discusses the issue of the actual ‘in-put’ material or raw waste that arrives at the
Bio-Dry™ site to be dried. It is important for the Operator to establish or profile the amount/weight and nature
of the input material or raw waste, otherwise he may have great difficulty in establishing the true performance
of the plant (in terms of the actual tonnage of moisture driven off the input waste by the time it becomes the
output waste of the Bio-Dry™ plant).
There are several main issues for a Bio-Dry™ plant operator to consider concerning Waste Reception, namely:
1. The suitability of the waste for Bio-Dry™ treatment. There are a number of ways that waste streams can
be evaluated or profiled to determine their suitability, including:-
i) The Operator’s familiarity with similar waste streams
ii) Analysis of samples of the materials (either prior to or upon arrival at the plant). Such analysis may
well include assessments of its Moisture Content (MC) or its Respiratory Index. As a general guideline,
CVS recommend that typical MSW streams with an initial threshold organic content of ≥120 mgO2/g
dm AT4 Respiratory Index tend to be suitable for the Bio-Dry™ process. Furthermore, waste streams
with an initial Moisture Content of significantly in excess of 60% by mass tend to be too wet for the
Bio-Dry™ process. However, neither of these are absolute threshold nor ceiling values.
iii) A description of the waste stream by its originator (often defining it against recognized standards, such
as EWC codes entered into Waste Consignment Notes or other documents).
iv) Visual inspections at the time of unloading of the waste.
v) A combination of these waste profiling methods.
Sometimes, even the above methods do not always give absolutely reliable profiles of the input waste
stream, and in some cases the Operator may opt to use a degree of trial and error to see how well a
particular waste stream will perform.
2. The commercial issues concerning the waste stream being made available ie its gate price or how much
the Operator is being paid to accept and treat the waste stream in question.
3. The location within the plant where incoming waste will be received. For modern plants, incoming waste
is normally received in a Reception Area or Building offering:-
i) A safe means for the road going vehicles (eg HGV wagons or Rear End Loading (REL) Bin Lorries etc) to
approach the Reception Area
ii) A covered or weather proof building with sealed (usually RC) floors
iii) On-site weighing facilities using a calibrated Weighbridge (or for large sites, it is usually cost effective
to provide more than one weighbridge)
iv) A dedicated area (or suitable skips) for large Bulky Waste or Reject Materials
v) A Quarantine or Set Aside area so that Reject Wastes (or wastes not suitable for processing at the
plant) may be set to one side until dealt with (preferably by being removed off-site by the originating
haulier or possibly following a special price negotiation to allow the plant to deal with it).
vi) Safe segregation of the various types of plant and personnel one from another.
vii) Suitable floor drainage to collect the leachate and to minimize the chance of cross-contamination of
any spilt wastes onto the wheels of road going vehicles.
viii) Possible buffer storage to allow the Operator the flexibility to leave fresh in-coming waste within the
buffer storage area for several hours (usually <24 hours, occasionally up to 48 hours) while other tasks
are being done or Phase 1 Drying Bays are being made ready.
4. Capacity of the Bio-Dry™ plant to receive the wastes being offered. Essentially, this is a question the
Operator needs to address using his knowledge of the particular waste stream in terms of its timing and
tonnage considered against the other waste streams also being treated simultaneously at the plant.
Operators often consider the above issues in terms of their own bespoke or site specific ‘Waste Acceptance
Criteria’ which they develop over time.

Normally, a Bio-Dry™ treatment plant will either have a well-designed Reception and Preliminary Treatment
area or else pre-prepared waste ready for drying is delivered to the plant from elsewhere. A typical Reception
and Preliminary Treatment Area will include:-
i) Input/arrivals weighing (to measure and accurately record the mass of the incoming waste)
ii) A covered or roofed waste unloading, sorting, and recycling (eg of heavy metals) area
iii) Primary shredding/Bag Splitting – again this must be roofed or housed-in
iv) Input waste sampling or characterization
v) Short term storage of the incoming waste (usually for <24, occasionally up to 48 hours) – again roofed
or housed-in
vi) Leachate collection and management
vii) Appropriate means to efficiently transfer the Waste to the Bio-Dry™ area - covered
viii) Output/unloading weighing (to measure and accurately record the mass of the dried waste)
ix) Ouput waste sampling or characterization.
It can often be practical to operate a Bio-Dry™ plant that omits a number of the above items, eg it may be
that item (viii) above is deemed un-necessary if the waste is adequately sampled so that its output moisture
content can be accurately assessed. However, where any of the above processes are omitted, the operations
on that site are likely to have less process information or control options than a more fully equipped site.
Further details on these issues are beyond the scope of this Short Bio-Dry™ Notes.

4). - PRELIMINARY TREATMENT

For the successful bio-drying of typical MSW waste streams, CVS normally recommend just quite
straightforward preliminary treatment activities, such as:-
 Preliminary inspection with removal of bulky waste items (eg furniture or large metal or plastic items,
rocks, concrete pieces) and hazardous materials (chemicals, infectious hospital waste, carcasses etc.)
 shredding or ‘bag opening’ to a suitable size with nominal maximum particle sizes usually in the range
80mm to 300 mm, but preferably in the range 150mm to 250 mm.
 pre-mixing, especially if the materials to be dried contain a range of different waste types
 in-put weighing (often optional)
 in-put sampling.
Discussion of each of the above matters is perhaps beyond the scope of this Short Generic Handbook.
However, in general terms, it is best to shred the waste to a size of around 150-250mm size; for some
purposes or situations pre-shredding in the range 80-300mm particle sizes are adopted. Pre-shredding is
sometimes called ‘bag splitting’, and its purpose is to shred the contents to some extent and to reduce or
eliminate the risk of significant amounts of moisture remaining trapped within sealed bags or inert zones
during the drying phases, and to also allow the Bio-Dry™ process to gain access to all the likely sources of
organic energy that will promote still further drying.
The nature and degree of In-put waste sampling depends on the requirements of the Operator, his prior
experience of the drying performance of the particular waste stream to be dried, and the facilities available
to him for such sampling.
The overall nature of Preliminary Treatment will also be dependent on the post-drying mechanical plant
layout and also on the overall requirements and objectives of the drying process.

5). - BIO-DRY™ HEAP BUILDING

5.1 - Bio-Dry™ Heap Building Issues - General
The building of Batches of waste into discrete Heaps is done during normal Bio-Dry™ treatment operations
at the commencement of each phase of drying; ie when the waste is first placed on the Bio-Dry™ Bay and
after each Heap turning.
Depending on the equipment available to the Operator, Heap building is normally done using a Loading
Shovel or a Teleloader. CVS tend to prefer Teleloaders as, notwithstanding driver skills, they tend to have a
longer reach and so are less likely to compact the waste during Heap building.
Above diagram to be improved
A = Heap width = ≤10m; B = Side Wall width=0.25m; C = Side Wall height = 1.2-1.5m
D = Heap Height in the middle=1.0-1.3m; E= Heap height on the side=1.1-1.5m
F = max.Heap height ≤3.0m; G = Pile angle ≤55°
Schematic Cross-Section & Typical Dimensions of a Trapezoidal-Shaped Heap Profile

Above diagram to be improved

A = Heap width = ≤10m; B = Side Wall width = 0.25m; C = Side Wall height = 1.2-1.5m
D = Heap Height in the middle=1.0-1.3m; E= Heap height on the side=1.1-1.5m
F = maximum Heap Height ≤3.0m; G = Pile angle ≤55°
Schematic Cross-Section & Typical Dimensions of a Camel-Shaped Heap Profile
5.2 - The Main Heap Profiles/Shapes

The purpose of building a Heap is to get as much waste as practical into the Bay in such a manner as will allow
drying to progress satisfactorily. With practice, operatives will learn how to do this efficiently without placing
either too little or too much waste onto the Heap. Too much waste as well as too little have a negative
influence on the drying process.
Heap shape is mainly set by the type of loading machines or other plant used on site to build the Heap and
by the shape of the Bay. The two classic Heap shapes are either:
 Trapezoidal profiles - these are built by Loading Shovels or Telehandlers collecting and lifting the waste
onto the Bay.
 Camel Hump profiles - these are built by a ‘half-width’ Windrows Turner traveling within the Bay and
leaving the waste in the same Bay as it travels through. The camel hump profile is created by the fact the
width of the Windrows Turner is about half of the width of the Bay. Windrows Turners also have the
advantage that they can achieve a very high degree of good mixing.
Nowadays, a less common Heap profile would be a classic or simple ‘windrows’ shape formed on a flat Bay
floor without Side Walls. However, these are not normally recommended by CONVAERO for modern Bio-
Dry™ plants as they use the aeration floor less efficiently and so for a given site area and capital investment
they will dry a lesser tonnage per annum than the two profiles above that both deploy Side Walls.
5.3 - Some Advice to Operators when Building Bio-Dry™ Heaps

For those who may not have significant prior experience of building windrows Heaps, the following gives
some (largely sequential) advice on issues concerning the building Bio-Dry™ Heaps:

(1) With practice and training, Loader Drivers will achieve consistent and good Heap build heights and
profiles.
(2) There are a number of potential health and safety risks during Heap building if either the operatives
are inexperienced or if the Operator has not established good training and safe work practices. For
example, where practical, the Operator should eliminate (rather than reduce) hazards such as trip
hazards and working at heights, etc. The Operator should also ensure the workforce are adequately
trained and supervised for the work in hand and operatives should wear and use appropriate PPE, and
in so far as practical good and safe working practices should be established.
(3) There is a very slight risk of fires within stockpiles of typical MSW materials eg if someone has tipped
hot ash into a bin shortly before its collection. This risk is likely to become evident at sites with
Reception Areas and good preliminary treatment regimes before the waste reaches the Bio-Dry™ area,
but clearly any smoldering waste should be quenched as soon as possible.
(4) The selections of suitable loader type(s) will help with the efficient building of heaps. It is important to
select a shovel and bucket size to match the required lifting weight and waste density, and the loader
should offer a sufficient tipping height and loader arm reach.
(5) Operatives must always be mindful of the H&S risks posed by Shredders, Loading Shovels or other
heavy plant or powerful machines. Simple accidents can easily happen - even a wheel driving over a
canister or piece of glass can suddenly propel sharp projectiles or flammable or corrosive substances
out laterally at high speed.
(6) Care should be taken when driving Loading Shovels and Teleloaders. For example:
 pedestrians should stay well clear of Loading Shovels and Teleloaders.
 pedestrians should at all times wear high visibility clothing as drivers often only have limited views
of objects or pedestrians close by their machine.
 where practical, safe routes for pedestrians should be established.
 drivers should be aware that the manoeuvring areas can become very smooth and slippery
especially if exposed to water or leachate, and so drivers must allow for adequate and realistic
braking and turning distances.
 while reversing may initially be quicker and easier than making U-turns, reverse runs are not
generally less safe.
 Loaders should be fitted with audible warning signals during reverse manoeuvres.
 Some operators are nowadays issuing personnel proximity warning devices that alert both the
pedestrian and the Loader Driver should personnel encroach within a pre-set safe separation
distance from Loaders or other dangerous plant.
(7) During any time when wheeled loaders or waste carrying trucks are brought into a Bay (ie during Heap
building with fresh input waste, during turning or mixing, or during Heap emptying), the Operator
should switch the Blowers to ‘Permanent On’ (ie aeration interval setting 1:0). This helps to prevent
nozzle blockage and also helps pedestrian operatives to check and confirm that airflow (and drainage)
can freely occur at each nozzle.
(8) Prior to Bay Filling &/or Turning, the aeration nozzles must be inspected and cleaned as necessary.
During the previous Drying Phase or Bay filling operation, some Aeration Nozzles may have become
blocked or partially blocked, and so it will be necessary to sweep the Aeration Nozzle Channel out with
a rotating brush or stiff hand brushes before the Bay is next filled. The ideal time for Bay Cleaning is as
soon as practical after it has been emptied.
(9) When bringing waste into Bays or across the site, care should be taken to avoid it spilling on
manoeuvering areas or at arbitrary locations within the Bay prior to it being placed in its intended
location.
(10) In most Bio-Dry™ sites, the waste is loaded into the Bay using the front shovels of Loading Shovels or
Teleloaders, but in some sites it can be brought in by truck or even by conveyor and distributed as
necessary and then built up by Wheeled Loaders to the correct Heap profile.

(11) Depending on how the waste has been prepared at the Preliminary Treatment stage, it is possible to
use Loaders to mix the waste within the Bay as the Heap is being built. However, if the waste is
considered to be more heterogeneous than is desired, then it is usually best to mix it in a dedicated
mixing area or using more effective mechanical mixing and/or shredding processes.
(12) When Wheeled Loaders are brought into Bays containing waste to be dried, care should be taken to
avoid the wheels from driving on or over the waste to be dried as the wheels simply compact it and
reduce its porosity, thereby impeding its further drying potential.
(13) Leachate control will subsequently be much easier if during Heap building the waste is kept back c100-
300mm from the Bay end lines. Provided the Bays have been built to correct falls, this will allow any
leachate emerging from the end of the Bay to fall unimpeded by gravity towards the in Bay Drainage
Gullies.
(14) In so far as is practical, operators should aim to complete Heap building to the desired filling shape or
profile in a single working shift, otherwise the Heap will need to be part-covered and the Blowers will
have to be set to an aeration on-off cycle. Such early or partial aeration is always less than satisfactory
as the air flow will be strongest across the uncovered or empty part of the aeration floor and thus any
early aeration start is relatively ineffective.
(15) For Bays with a Back-Wall, filling should commence at the Back-Wall and progress towards the open
end of the Bay. For Bays with Side Walls only and no Back Wall, filling can commence at either Bay end
(or more efficiently from the Bay centre). From wherever Heap building commences, it should be built
to its intended final cross-sectional profile before continuing that same profile right across the full
Aeration Floor area.
(16) Operators should deploy pedestrian labour to sweep up any over-spill that may fall between the Side
Walls.
(17) Once the Heap has been built, the operatives should insert the Temperature Probe by hand close to
the top of the Heap. The use of a secure ladder or a mobile stable platform may help to more easily
access the optimal Temperature Probe location point.
(18) At this stage, the Process Control Operator must Switch the process control over from constant
blowing (for the filling mode) to the initial blowing stages of the Drying Phase mode.
(19) Next, the Heap should be covered with the Bio-Dry™ Cover (either by hand on small Bays or using the
Cover Winding Device for larger Bays). The Cover end skirts should be covered or sealed off using sand
bags, water filled fire hoses, or purpose made soft weights (old tyres are also often used, but to avoid
either manual injuries to operatives when handling them or damage the covers, only tyres without
exposed sharp wires should be selected). Ropes tied to the ends of the Covers carry the risk that they
may well tend to cause abrasion where they come into contact with the Cover or its skirt, especially
during high winds.
(20) As the Covers are being placed, the operatives should hook up and secure the Covers to the steel cables
permanently fixed to the Side Walls using the quick release carabiner clips.
(21) If, due to a work break or for some other reason, Bay loading is slow or protracted, then the Heap can
be partially covered in order to commence heating/aeration (but also to contain odours within the
Heap and to reduce the impact of any rain etc). However, as noted above, such early or partial aeration
is always less than satisfactory as the air flow will be strongest across the uncovered or empty part of
the aeration floor and thus any early aeration start is relatively ineffective.
(22) During Heap building, the operatives should check that the waste remains consistent with the nature
of the nominal input material. Any loads that either do not meet the Waste Acceptance Criteria or
contain undesirable matter should be immediately rejected from the Heap.

6). - OPERATING A BIO-DRY™ HEAP DURING A DRYING PHASE

6.1 - Operation of the Software
While CVS supply a detailed manual with each software release, this Short Generic Manual only briefly
describes the Bio-Dry™ Control Software capability as not all releases of the software have the same
capability and there can be some variation in the features of different Bio-Dry™ installations.
The following is a largely sequential description of how to use the software to set up and run Heaps:-
1. When the software is switched on and the particular Heap is selected within it, the Operator must name
give the Batch, eg using a name according to the earlier recommended naming format, Mix-01-ddmmyy.
2. Next, the method of Batch control should be selected by the Process Operator (ie either the Interval (or
Manual) Mode or the Temperature (or Automatic) Mode described earlier), and then the appropriate
settings and/or recipes can be selected.
3. It is not necessary to ‘save’ within the Bio-Dry™ Control Software as all work and observations are
automatically saved. Of course, the Operator should take care to have appropriate and prudent backup
of the computer data in case any problems arise with the computer.
4. Just prior to starting to build or fill a Heap and to help prevent the nozzles becoming blocked, the cursor
should be used within the software on the Blower symbol to set the Blowers to 1:0 (ie Permanent-On);
the icon will turn green to indicate that the Blower is running.
5. As soon as the Bay is full and the Temperature Probe has been inserted, the Process Operator can switch
the Phase in the software to Drying Phase 1. At the same time the operatives should cover the Heap.
6. Unless the Automatic Mode is selected, the Process Operator should set the Blowers to an initial
aeration cycle, eg 5:10 and the Bio-Dry™ aeration process will have commenced in the Warm Up Stage
of the Drying Phase 1.
7. The next day (ie the day after Bay filling is complete) will be counted as the first Bio-Dry™ Process Day.
8. Over the early hours of the Warm Up Stage, the Process Operator should check Heap temperatures from
time to time and adjust the Blower settings as the temperature climbs. When the Heap temperature
reaches a reasonably high value, eg the mid-50’s ˚C or above, the Process Operator will switch over from
the Warm Up Stage to the Drying 1 Stage of Drying Phase 1.
9. If Drying 1 progresses well, then by Process Day 2 or 3 Heap Temperatures should be getting to the mid-
60’s ˚C or above, and at this stage the Process Operator may wish to set the aeration regime to
something like 10:3, 9:3 or 7:3 or so. However, it should be emphasized that there is no unique or single
optimal aeration regime; instead, Process Operators will learn from a combination of experience and
prior knowledge of the characteristics of their present waste stream how to optimize the drying of
individual Batches.
10. Minimum blower on time should be 5 minutes, minimum blower off time should be 3 minutes.
Maximum blower on time should not exceed 10 minutes.
11. As rule of thumb, check the sum of the blower On and Off times, which should total 10 – 13 minutes,
(eg the Check Sum of 5:5 = (5 + 5) = 10 minutes; the Check Sum of 10:3 = (10 + 3) = 13 minutes).
12. After 4-6 process days the first turning will take place. Turning Schedules are site specific, and the
Operator will receive CVS’s suggested typical plant Turning Schedule at start of Hot Commissioning;
quite possibly this will be updated by the end of the Hot Commissioning / Performance Testing. Factors
influencing the turning times are quoted in Chapter 7 below.
13. It is usual for Heap temperatures to start to slowly decay towards end of Phase 2. In some cases, peak
Drying Phase 1 Heap temperatures may get up towards the low 70’s ˚C or so, but eventually they will
begin to decay.
14. Occasionally, the Operator may wish to check that the Temperature Probe is giving valid readings and
that the radio signals are getting to the Blowers, but if the installation has been correctly installed, none
of the equipment has been damaged and the set-ups are stable, then there is no reason why there
should be any problems with the readings.

The Process Operator should switch Phase at every turning. This simplifies the desciption of the Phase
numbering ie (the number of Phases) = (the number of Turnings + 1).
6.2 - Turning Operations

As noted earlier, Bio-Dry™ Batches are normally turned every 5 to 7 days; however, the first turning is usually
slightly earlier. CVS will offer a suggested Turning Schedule after Hot Commissioning.
Turning is to loosen the material that will have consoildated and started to form clumps during the previous
drying Phase and also to help to homogenise the waste in the Batch, to distribute the active and beneficial
bacteria in the Batch right across the entire Batch, and to mix up the drier and wetter zones. As noted earlier,
drying can continue until either the target has been reached or until it is considered no longer economically
viable to wait for futher drying.
The time of turning has to be selected by temperature, airflow, moisture during previous turning and time
conditions. In generel, the Process Operator should be able to set the turning after a regular time interval eg
after every 5 days of operation. However, to achieve optimal drying performance, the Process Operator
should monitor Heap temperatures sufficienty frequently to check if they are in decay, and if so he may
decide to bring the turning forward; alternatively he may wish to extend a particular Drying Phase and defer
its turning if its Heap temperature and airflow remain high.
The decision on whether or not to turn a Batch is not only related to its Moisture Content. Instead, the time
period between turnings should be at least 3 days. While CVS would quote no maximum period, clearly too
lenghty a period between turnings can result in elongated longer process times as the Batch would not
benefit from the ways in which Turning can re-invigorate the drying of Batches.
Much of the mechanics and practical and Health and Safety considerations of Heap Turning are similar to
those of Heap Building. Turning can be done by Wheeled Loaders transferring the waste from one Bay to
another, or if available it can be done by a Tunnel Windrows Turner when the Operator will most likely leave
the waste within the same Bay for all Drying Phases. A third option is an Enhanced Material Movement
machine used in combination with a loader lifting the waste but the movement of the waste from one Bay
the next is done by a movable conveyor system.
The main sequential Turning steps are:
1. Just before the Turning commences, the Process Operator will select Permanent On for the Blowers in
order to protect the nozzles from small particles being pressed into the nozzle openings by loader tyre
pressure.
2. Unless a Windrows Turner is deployed, the Bay into which the Batch is to be transferred is prepared in
the same way as was described above to prepare Bays for Drying 1 (ie the Process Operator sets its
Blowers to Permanent On, the Bay is emptied, and the nozzles are cleaned); if the now empty Bay is to
be immediately filled again, the Process Operator will leave its Blowers set at Permanent On.
3. The Covers and the Temperature Probe must now be removed and stored in a safe and suitable location.
4. The Wheeled Loaders will then start to empty the Bay at which the Drying Phase (eg Drying 1) had just
finished and transfer the entire Batch to the next Drying Bay (eg the proposed Drying 2 Bay). Here, the
Heap will be built in the same way as described above for Drying 1.
5. Once the Heap emptying and Heap building have been completed, the Temperature Probe has been re-
inserted, and the Covers have been put in place, then the Process Operator will set its Blowers to at least
the Blower setting 5:7 or 5:5 until the Batch temperature climbs towards the high-50’s ⁰C or above.
6. As part of the process of emptying the Heap, the Operator should also ensure that it is cleaned and left
ready for its next filling. Again, the cleaning will entail sweeping up all crumbs and cleaning any blocked
Aeration Pipe Nozzles; during cleaning opperations the Operator must set the Blower to Permanent On
to aid the cleaners and reduce any nozzle blockage risks. If no waste is scheduled to be placed into a

given Bay after it is cleaned, the Operator will shut it down (eg by ending that Batch within the software,
and certainly by turning the Blowers off using the software).
7. During the initial hours following Turning, the Process Operator should closely monitor Heap
temperatures. This time it is likely the Warm Up Stage will be shorter than it had been at the beginning
of the Drying 1 Stage, and so quite soon, perhaps after only 8-12 hours or so, the Process Operator will
set the Blowers to the Drying 2 Stage.
6.3 - Fixed Phase Duration Drying

If a Heap is being dried using Process Operator determined fixed Phase durations, then the Heap will always
be turned at fixed Process Day intervals, say on Process Day 5, Process Day 11, Process Day 16, etc. In this
scenario, it is also more than likely that the Batches will also be terminated (or ended) on a fixed day, eg on
Process Day 21 or whatever fixed end date has been set for the particular Batch.
6.4 - Phase Duration Set by Observations of Heap Performance

If a Heap is being dried using drying Phases of non-fixed (or variable) duration Drying Phases, then the Heap
will be turned when the Process Operator deems it to be the most optimal time for Turning. In order to
determine when is the optimal time to turn Heaps, the Process Operator must draw on his experience and
must:-
 monitor the Heap performance closely, in particular the Heap temperatures
 estimate if the airflow is below the minimum value; for the experienced Operator, air flow is at least as
important as temperature as air flow is such an important factor in carrying water out of the Heap
through the Covers
 bear in mind the performance of previous similar waste Heaps
 consider any factors affecting drying performance, eg factors such as season, weather, initial Moisture
Content, any power outages, or any rainfall events affecting the particular Batch.
 consider available plant and/or other resources
 consider any overall performance targets to be achieved.
However, with Phase Durations set by Process Operator observations, the total drying time for each Batch
could either itself be fixed (eg at 21 days), or alternatively the Operator could determine when he finally
wishes to take the Batch down.

7). - METHODS OF TURNING BATCHES/HEAPS

7.1 - Purpose of Turning Heaps
As noted earlier, the purpose of turning is to help to achieve optimal drying. When operators attempt to dry
Heaps without turning they simply find that drying does not progress as rapidly nor as fully as it does when the
waste is turned. Turning re-invigorates the waste Heap by mechanisms such as:-
 Turning distributes the aerobic bacteria throughout the matrix of the Heap and evens out zones of
varying pH and moisture within the waste matrix.
 Turning makes the waste within the Heap less heterogeneous by re-distributing and mixing up zones of
differing content and even differing moisture content
 Turning opens up fresh faces or surfaces within the matrix of the Heap by breaking up quiet zones that
were not getting adequate air flows (eg zones that were perhaps too heavily compacted or zones close
to the Side Walls where the air flows can be lower).
 As the Heap settles during drying, there is a tendency for its structure to consolidate as the Heap height
reduces; this tends to inhibit air flow and to make the waste matrix less permeable
 Turning actually reduces the density (temporarily) of the waste (ie the Heap height of a Batch after
turning is almost always greater than it was before turning). Similarly, through turning the Batch volume
tends to increase without any mass change, which clearly this means increased porosity (at least
temporarily). Therefore, any Leachate or press water can more readily drain out and of course the air
can flow more easily through the Heap.
 The Operator gets an opportunity to see the waste again, giving him the possibility to at least notice and
possibly deal with any closed bags or other unexpected problems.
Some Advice to Operators on Turning:

Operators should aim to complete Turning as rapidly as practical, aiming to do so in well less than 3 hours if
possible. The reason is that with the Covers off and the aeration set to Permanent On, Heap temperatures
will inevitably cool rapidly, and in certain weather conditions it could even risk the arrival of the next rain
event (which is clearly undesirable). Not only does the degree of cooling elongate the subsequent Warming
Stage, but Heap temperature is so closely linked to drying performance that it is always worthwhile to aim
to keep Heap temperatures as high as practical. Furthermore, if Heap temperatures fall too far, there is a
very real risk of the aerobic bacteria population being seriously depleted.
It should always be borne in mind that the purpose of turning is not to simply move the waste around from
one Heap to another, but actually the main purpose is to lift and turn the waste over, and not just to lift and
turn lots of it, but to lift and turn it all. Thus, as well as turning the waste, it is desirable for its density after
turning to be lesser than its density before turning. Thus, not only does turning open up new faces and
decrease the heterogeneous nature of the MSW, but it should also improve the porosity of the waste pile.
This important latter point about the main purposes of Turning is not always evident to inexperienced
operatives or Loader Drivers.
7.2 - Turning a Heap

Depending on Operator preferences, either one or two Loader Shovels can be used to turn.
As soon as practical after a Bay has been emptied, it should be cleaned, the nozzles will be inspected and
cleaned as necessary in preparation for the next time it is filled. Bay cleaning usually entails a Loading Shovel

scraping any split waste off the floor, and then pedestrian operatives will inspect and unblock the nozzles as
necessary using a stiff yard brush (or some Operators may deploy a mechanical Rotary Brush). The pedestrian
operatives should also check and clean out as necessary the side drains, any over-spill on the manoeuvring
areas, and the 1.4m wide areas between the Side Walls; basically, the cleaner these are left, then the less
will be any leachate load generated if these areas later get wet.
7.3 - Completion of Turning/Mixing Operations

As described earlier for Heap building, the main actions by the operators after Heap Turning should be:-
- insert the Temperature Probe;
- roll out the next available Cover over the Heap;
- secure and fix the cover by clipping it to the permanently installed steel rope on the Side Walls using the
carabiners;
- ensure the Aeration Fans are switched over to the normal on-off cycles suited to the particular Drying
Phase;
- and finally, monitor the on-going temperature of the Batch to determine when next to Turn it or to finally
take down the Heap.
7.4 - When to Avoid or Delay Turning

In general terms, Operators will mostly wish to progress with planned Heap Turning activities. However, the
Operator may well decide to delay Turning by a period, perhaps by a day or so, if strong airflows and/or high
Heap temperatures persist above previously expected values (as of course high air flows and high
temperatures both indicate rapid drying rates). If such favourable indications are a one-off type event, the
operator may wish to double check the accuracy of the temperature readings before relying only on the
observations.
For outdoor Bio-Dry™ sites without a roof over, Operators should try to avoid or delay Heap building, turning
or emptying during rainfall events, particularly during heavy rainfall events. If an operator is already confident
that the performance of a particular Batch will meet or exceed its expected degree of drying, then he might
wish to continue despite the rain. Similarly, the Operator may perhaps need the output materials urgently,
or he may wish to free up a given Bay for the next in-coming fresh waste Batch.
However, if rain does start falling unexpectedly or if the Operator opts to turn regardless of a rainfall event,
then CVS estimate that an approximate extra day’s drying time should be allowed for every 20 mm of rainfall
landing on the waste.

8). - EMPTYING OF A BAY

8.1 - When to Empty a Bay/Take Down a Heap
As noted in Section 6 above, the Operator will decide when to empty a Bay (ie when to take down rather
than turn a Heap). This decision will be made from a combination of one or more of the following factors:-
1) Experience of the drying performance of broadly similar waste Heaps
2) The knowledge that the Heap has reached its target drying performance (perhaps based on interim
Moisture Content sampling at the previous turning or from interim Heap sampling).
3) That a pre-set drying time has expired and so it is now time to take the Heap down
4) The need to free up space in the Bio-Dry™ plant for fresh in-coming waste.
5) The need to produce dried waste or RDF/SRF to feed a downstream plant.
6) A knowledge, perhaps from the temperature profile, that the particular Heap has ceased to yield any
further effective drying.
While it is noted above that decisions as to when to empty a given Bay are often made utilizing a combination
of such factors, in practice the Operator drying consistent feedstock wastes will quite quickly develop a strong
decision making patterns, and these will often be dominated by the practicalities of what is the most cost
effective drying regime the plant can yield.
8.2 – How to Empty a Bay

The mechanical and manpower requirements for Bay emptying after its final Drying Phase are much the same
as those for turning at the end of earlier Drying Phases. However, the main differences are that this time the
waste is transferred not to a neighbouring empty Bay but instead to the nearby Output location (ie Output
Hoppers, Bunkers or Stockpile etc). The Operator will also, of course, record into the process control software
not shifting to the next Drying Phase but simply the termination of the Batch.
Furthermore, the depending on the plant specific requirements to measure drying performance, the
Operator will most likely wish to take representative samples of the Batch to assess its Moisture Content. In
many cases the Operator may well also wish to weigh the entire Batch, and in some contractual or
valorization situations, the Operator may also wish to sample for and assess the Calorific Value of the output
waste or RDF/SRF.

9). - CONVAERO BIO-DRY™ SOFTWARE

9.1 - Bio-Dry™ Software Issues
Each Bio-Dry™ Bay is operated fully independently of all other Bio-Dry™ Bays.
Air supply is determined only by the selected on / off interval of the Blowers. The Operator cannot alter the
speed of the single speed fans, but instead can only opt to turn fans either on or off or to set them onto a
particular pre-set or operator chosen timed on / off cycles.
The decision as to what Blower on / off intervals to choose is determined by the Process Operator based on:
 Experience and knowledge (eg general Bio-Drying experience or experience of the particular MSW being
dried)
 The particular Drying Phase
 Heap temperature (which is always readily displayed by the software visualization tools).
 Air volume supplied to Heap (from the visualization software)
 Moisture Content (MC) in the waste during its last turning or from its input sampling. While MC in the
Heap can only be reliably assessed by laboratory analysis, strong visual indications and trends are often
visually evident to experienced operators.
 Season and ambient temperature
The air volume depends greatly on the density of the waste in the drying Bay. It also depends on the initial
Moisture Content and on the Drying Phase. Airflow is a good indicator for the first turnings.
9.2 - Some Advice to Operators in Use of Software

1. Always watch for trends in the temperature profiles on the graphs. Trends are much more significant
that absolute temperature readings which (in common with so many things when dealing with
heterogeneous MSW) can vary from one location to another, even over as short a distance as half the
length of the Temperature Probe. However, the Temperature Probe can be moved, say 2-5 m, if for some
reason its placement zone is suspected of perhaps being unrepresentative of average Heap
temperatures.
2. Under Status, the Bio-Dry™ software displays 11 separate stages within treatment phases. Each stage
has its own defined treatment or process goal as suggested or indicated by its name (eg Stacking,
Levelling, Warm Up, Drying, Sanitation, Cooling, Shifting or Cleaning).
3. The Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software can display a number of different graphing options to
illustrate the progression of the treatment of any precious or current Batch. The software is also used to
Name a Batch, start the Aeration Fans, plan recipes, Switch Phase, Transfer Batch, Continue Batch, End
Batch & Export Data etc.
4. Operators will quickly learn how to adjust aeration rates, eg to reduce the aeration rate to help to counter
dropping temperatures. Success in this comes from thinking about causes of problems, 'trial & error",
and familiarity with the systems and with the waste characteristics etc.
5. As noted earlier, the On (or Off) Time cycles can never exceed 15 minutes (unless the Blower is set to
‘Permanent On’ or Off).
6. Operators should check the software frequently, particularly before leaving the office each evening eg by
re-setting any planned Drying 4 duration (in case the Shifting Phase might come on prematurely over a
weekend), checking the selected aeration rates etc.

10). – SAMPLING/MOISTURE CONTENT MONITORING

The issue of sampling is largely beyond the scope of this short Bio-Dry™ manual. However, if an operator
wants or needs to know how their process is performing, then they will usually require good and
representative sampling at both the beginning and end of the process. They may well also wish to obtain
accurate mass records at beginning and end of the process (but bulk weighing data is not always necessary).
Often observational data will be combined with some inter-stage sampling prior to the end of the drying
cycles.
The practical methods of obtaining good and representative sampling vary according to the specifics of the
plant and equipment available to those carrying out the sampling, what laboratory resource is available, and
how homogenous the waste stream is (usually the less it has been shredded/the bigger the particle size is,
the less homogenous the waste will be). It tends to be easier to get representative sampling during or after
Heap turning than before Heap turning. Furthermore, a good sampling regime and discipline also needs to
be established, and again how this is done depends on the nature of the plant and the staff capabilities and
experience.
CONVAERO can give further advice on this matter.

11). - FURTHER INFORMATION

11.1 - Optimising Drying Performance
Clearly, the purpose and objective of Bio-Dry™ is to yield the most cost effective drying performance
practical. Almost no matter what level of drying performance a given plant or operator is achieving, it may
well be practical and cost effective to seek to improve on present performance achievements. This can be
done in one or more of the following ways:-
Some Advice to Operators in How to Optimise Drying Performance:
1) Build a Pilot Plant to assess opportunities to dry different or better performing feedstocks eg organic rich
feedstocks or amendment materials that may improve the Heap performance. In large plants, the
Operator may have sufficient Bays available that he can assign a particular or under-utilised Bay for drying
trials or to test experimental drying options.
2) Contact CONVAERO for advice or to commission specialist trials or training. CONVAERO have a long
history of researching this topic in a very wide range of operational situations.
3) Invest in more modern plant. Even simple matters like changing to the latest or most suitable plant or
equipment (eg loaders) may yield worthwhile operational benefits.
4) Arrange further or specialist staff training.
5) Consider ways to increase the annual tonnage through put of the plant eg by reducing ‘down time’ or
improving operative performance etc.
6) It is best to ensure that the operatives (and anyone working with the waste) have as good an
understanding as possible about how the Bio-Dry™ process works. This can be achieved by talking
frequently to them, by watching what they do, and by making constructive comments.
7) Watch out for prior lessons learnt by regular or long-serving operatives or Loader Shovel Drivers – these
may well not be familiar to any new or unfamiliar personnel.
8) Operatives need to learn that the purpose of turning is not simply to move waste from one location to
another, but to enhance the structure of the waste to enable and promote drying (essentially by ensuring
as low density and as high a porosity for the Heap as is practical).
11.2 - Further Bio-Dry™ Training, Waste Treatability Trialling and/or R&D Work
Most clients request further training or mentoring in the use of Bio-Dry™ from CONVAERO for objectives
such as problem solving, checking treatment options, optimising the efficiency of their existing plant(s), or
by planning for extensions or new plants.
According to the scope of service agreements or commissions, CONVAERO can assist Operators either on
their own site or remotely with matters such as operational issues, waste analysis, bespoke training packages,
or future site development planning. CONVAERO are often also able to carry out specific waste treatability
trials or specific Research and Development projects, and this can be done either by CONVAERO alone or in
collaboration with the client or in collaboration with third parties.

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Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes

CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH

Telephone: +49 - (0)8122 - 96168 0

Customer service CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 2 of 34

Definitions & Abbreviations 4

1. Introduction to and Purpose of Bio-Dry™ 9

2. Main Components and Features of Bio-Dry™ Plants 10

5. Bio-Dry™ Heap Building 22

6. Operating a Bio-Dry™ Heap During a Drying Phase 26

7. Methods of Turning Batches/Heaps 29

9. CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Software 32

10. Sampling/Moisture Content Monitoring 33

11. Further Information 34

Note on the use of numeric values within this manual.

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 3 of 34

Term or Definition or Explanation

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 4 of 34

Term or Definition or Explanation

BMW Biodegradable Municipal Waste

CEE Socket A European standard (Conformité de l'équipement électrique / Certification of

Construction A discrete phase or stage of the construction/development of the treatment plant

Cover A shortened name for the Bio-Dry™ Cover.

CVS CONVAERO Sales & Services GmbH

DM/DMC Dry Matter Content (normally expressed as a percentage weight by weight)

ECI Ecocem Environmental Solutions Ltd (ie ECOCEM) Iraq

EfW Energy from Waste

Fan (or Blower) See above Blower/Fan definition.

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 5 of 34

Term or Definition or Explanation

H&S Health and Safety

MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment

MCC Motor Control Centre

MCCB Molded Case Circuit Breaker

MS Micro Soft Corporation

MSW fraction Any one of the various fractions of MSW.

O&M Operation and Maintenance (usually used as O&M Manuals)

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 6 of 34

Term or Definition or Explanation

SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

SOP Standard Operating Procedure

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 7 of 34

Term or Definition or Explanation

tpa Tonnes (or Metric Tons) per annum

UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply.

W2E Waste to Energy

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 8 of 34

1). - INTRODUCTION TO AND PURPOSE OF BIO-DRY™

1.2 - Summary of the Convaero Bio-Dry™ Technology

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 9 of 34

2). - MAIN COMPONENTS AND FEATURES OF BIO-DRY™ PLANTS

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 10 of 34

2.2 - Water Lock Pit

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 11 of 34

2.3 - Aeration Fans/Blowers

2.4 - Bio-Dry™ Control System

General/Typical Bio-Dry™ Process Control Equipment NB: above image to be improved

CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ Control and Visualisation Software

Short/Generic CONVAERO Bio-Dry™ User Notes Page 13 of 34