What Is Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)?

In a bid to achieve Net Zero and reduce the amount of fossil fuels in the energy mix, businesses are being encouraged to seek alternative sources of energy.

One alternative that is growing in popularity is Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) – a high-yield source of energy for producing heat and electricity, as well as an exciting waste disposal alternative.

SRF is a fuel produced by refining waste including shredding and dehydrating solid waste and it offers a way to recover a significant proportion of ordinary household and industrial waste.

The materials used to produce SRF pass through a series of shredders, screens, density separators and magnets. Materials such as debris, recyclable plastics and metals are extracted from the shredded material, leaving a mix of mainly non-recyclable paper, card, wood, textiles and plastic. Although a small proportion of these materials can be recycled, the quality of these materials is compromised once they enter the residual waste stream, as there may be organic matter present, for example. Therefore, recovering energy from these materials is currently the best environmental option.

In Advetec’s case, the process of creating SRF is even more pioneering. When Mixed Residual Waste (MRW) goes through our aerobic digestion process, the resulting floc is dry and more homogenous with little organic matter and a high quality material. It’s such high quality that it can go on to be used as a SRF and is therefore more suited to energy efficient thermal processes. It could be used to replace carbon-emitting coal to power a cement kiln, in pyrolysis to mine it for useful chemicals or for gasification. In giving waste greater value through this process, the circular economy benefits. It reduces waste, recovers resources and uses them for greater endeavour – it’s reduce, reuse, recycle in action.

For businesses and waste producers, there’s a compelling financial benefit to SRF too, particularly when you compare it with conventional mass burn Energy from Waste (EfW). The current (Dec 2021) cost to send waste to EfW is approximately £130 to £150 per tonne, whereas sending it for either blending with other materials or for direct use as an SRF, reduces it by 40%. This is a significant incentive to change waste management practices – especially in the face of rising energy costs, increasing disposal costs at EfW plants and landfill sites and mounting government pressure to reduce Mixed Residual Waste.

To find out more about how you could reduce your business’ environmental impact, halve your waste, opt for a sustainable alternative to landfill and help diversify the energy mix, contact us today.