Eriez P-Rex rare earth scrap drums provide 50 percent greater recovery of ferrous from bottom ash for Covanta

Engineers at Covanta, one of the world's largest owners and operators of facilities dedicated to recovering energy from waste, reported an immediate 50 percent improvement in recovery of ferrous materials from bottom ash after upgrading a conventional scrap drum to an Eriez P-Rex®(Permanent Rare Earth Xtreme^®) Scrap Drum at one of the company's United States facilities. 

According to Eriez, Covanta management has now upgraded a total of six older scrap drums at various Covanta locations to P-Rex Scrap Drums based on exceptional results of two initial installations.

Eriez Metals Recycling Market Manager Mike Shattuck says that the innovative design of the P-Rex Scrap Drum gives it a variety of advantages over traditional scrap drums, leading to greater recovery results for Covanta and many other customers. 

He explains, "P-Rex's magnetic force remains consistently strong across the width of the drum. With standard magnets, the force in the middle is greater which can lead to ferrous materials located at the sides of the conveyor not getting picked up."

In addition to P-Rex's greater recovery, Covanta has also been impressed with how this advanced drum helps them maintain productivity and avoid expensive equipment damage.  

Shattuck explains, "P-Rex's magnetic strength enables installation with a greater gap between the conveyor and the drum, where it's better able to deal with the widely varying sizes of metal objects remaining in Covanta's bottom ash." He continues, "The closer gaps required by standard drum magnets can cause large objects to potentially become wedged between the belt and the magnet, triggering equipment jams and damage."

Introduced in 2010 and originally marketed primarily for scrap recycling, P-Rex Scrap Drums are now successfully operating across North America in a wide variety of recycling sectors. The P-Rex is proving its value in the field, beyond scrap recycling operations, by boosting ferrous recovery rates for waste-to-energy and slag recycling facilities.

For more information about P-Rex Scrap Drums, visit http://erieznews.com/nr486.