Mobile Environmental Technology at IFAT

Between May 30 and June 3, 2016, the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management—IFAT—is taking place in Munich. Many of the innovations and new developments that will be premiered at this show are mobile solutions, spanning a range of applications in street cleaning, transporting waste and in the sorting and processing of secondary raw materials.

One example comes from Aebi Schmidt: this company claims its Swingo 200+ is the most environmentally friendly compact sweeper on the market. A special feature is the Koanda blowing and suction system, which uses pressurized recirculation of water. This technology, now patent-pending and to be premiered at IFAT 2016, reduces emissions of harmful fine-particle dust by up to 95 percent, says the company. In addition the volumes of water that are moved in the pressurized water recirculation system ensure maximum uptake of debris and low wear on the engine. A high-performance water recovery system saves valuable resources and presents the collected debris in a compact, space-saving form.

Waste and recycling is a big topic also at the British manufacturer JCB. One of the products this company will be showcasing in Munich is the 457 Wastemaster wheel loader, which was launched last year. This machine is powered by a new 7.7 liter MTU Tier 4 final engine, delivering 193 kW (258hp). Also the 457 Wastemaster is fitted with a new “CommandPlus” cab structure, which according to the manufacturer offers excellent visibility, greater driver comfort, ergonomic advantages and lower noise levels. 

Among the new products being unveiled at IFAT is the new roll-off tipper from Meiller, a specialist in construction logistics and waste-management systems for municipal authorities. The RS21 replaces its predecessor, the RK20, in the highest volume segment of three-axle truck chassis with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 26 tonnes. In this new development a high-speed valve accelerates the lifting as well as the lowering from tilt position of empty and partially loaded containers. The system is fully automated and works load-dependent, preventing any kind of abuse or faulty operation. In order to protect the vehicle, the containers are positioned with a hydraulic limit stop damping. As the RS21 is built significantly lower than its predecessors, it can easily carry high containers. At the same time, the vehicle's point of gravity is lowered, increasing driving safety. The reduction in tare weight benefits payload and not least fuel consumption.

This year the vehicle manufacturer Faun is presenting not one but several product improvements to its refuse-collection vehicles. These innovations include lifter variations on its side loaders Sidepress F3000 and CF1100. The F3000 takes large containers with 3.3 m³ volume on forks, while the CF1100 empties 1.1 m³ containers via a comb and fork. In its rear-loaders Faun has gone for improvements to the detail. The themes for this manufacturer are lightweight construction, in order to increase payload and telematics applications adapted specifically for waste-collection vehicles.

As a mobile solution for separating lightweight material from heavier weights, the machinery manufacturer Doppstadt is offering its mobile, all-terrain wind sifter “Taifun” with a crawler chassis. By means of an accelerator belt, the bulk material is transported to the discharge edge, where a blowing nozzle system generates an upward air flow and separates accurately the light from the heavy materials with minimal dust emission, says the manufacturer. In combination with an ultra-light aspiration and an overband magnet the separated fractions are discharged in two to four fractions. The new wind sifter, says Doppstadt, is ideal for screening construction debris, mixed waste from building sites, industrial waste, glass, wood and compost.