Visit to Midlothian Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre

The purpose of the facility is to use waste which would otherwise end up in landfill, as a fuel in a power station.  We had an explanatory talk and PowerPoint from Tricia the Visitor Centre Manager showing the parts of the plant and the processes involved. 

We did wonder what we would see at the “Bottom Ash Handling” section!  We were issued with all the protective gear and then went on a tour with Tricia and Mhiari starting in the control room and progressing through the sections.

The furnace burns the waste at 1000 C and works continuously with heat driving a turbine to make electricity via the generators.  The residues from the combustion process is filtered and the ash that is left goes where? Yes you’ve guessed!

Overall a very enjoyable and interesting visit.