Konecranes, a leading provider of lifting solutions, is set to introduce its broad range of lifting and material handling technologies, specifically designed for waste-to-energy (WtE) and biomass applications, in the Middle East region.

As an industry leader in overhead cranes and crane maintenance, Konecranes has vast experience in serving the WtE sector.

It offers a broad range of cranes and technologies, specifically designed for biomass, slag, sludge and waste handling applications, said a statement from Konecranes.

Till date, the company has delivered 668 cranes to 428 renewable energy plants worldwide, of which a large proportion are capable of operating in full automation, it stated.

The GCC region produces around 150 million tonnes of waste annually with vast quantities bound for municipal dumps and landfills. With the growing population, urbanisation and economic expansion, consumption rates are growing and more solid waste is generated, it added.

In order to address this issue, the region is looking to invest in waste-to-energy facilities, which will enable the disposal of waste more sustainably while creating energy, said a company official.

"Waste-to-energy is the process of creating energy, usually in the form of electricity and steam, from the incineration of urban waste. Cranes play a crucial role in modern incineration plants, from the arrival of waste to separation to incineration," noted Joseph Botros, the director and the head of WtE Industry at Konecranes.

"If cranes stop, the process is crippled and production halts. It is therefore key to specify lifting needs to achieve optimum safety and reliability levels of the lifting equipment," he explained.

According to him, Konecranes’ new standard solution for programming waste-to-energy automation is a main user interface.

An array of smart features help streamline load lifting and moving operations, increasing ease of use and reducing material cycling time, said the top official.

According to him, automation helps improve facility safety, load travel accuracy and performance efficiency.

Most of WtE facilities operate in a nearly continuous cycle, where downtime and low performance levels having major detrimental effects on operations. Having the right crane, supported by a capable maintenance provider such as Konecranes, can mean the difference between managing operations more efficiently and safely, he added.-TradeArabia News Service