Diverse Mix

Marion Mixers knows how to turn trash into profits

Scott Jones 4/28/2011

We are committed to becoming the leading provider of mixing and blending and drying system technologies for the biomass and bio-solids waste-to-energy industries

Diverse mix
Marion Mixers knows how to turn trash into profits More than 100 million tons of organic waste from municipal, commercial and industrial waste is buried in landfills each year in the United States, said Scott Jones of Marion Mixers, and it costs approximately $5 billion annually. Forty million acres of U.S. forests produce large accumulations of slash (ground covering debris) and underbrush, said Jones, Marions marketing manager, and these are ideal for conversion to power or oil. Then there is wood product manufacturing. To Jones, that means millions of tons of sawdust annually. All of this is potential for good business growth. Organic waste, slash and sawdust the worlds trash is a treasure trove to companies like Marion, reaching out to biomass systems with answers in mixing, blending and drying. Located in the heartland of northeast Iowa, Marion ships globally to more than 75 countries. Our company has a broad footprint in the implementation of biomass systems because of the diversity of the industries we serve, Jones said. This allows small-size companies like Marion Mixers to be positioned in the thick of things providing a secure foothold in future energy systems fueled by renewable energy forms. A commitment to renewable energy About 65 years ago, Marion, named for the northeast Iowa town it inhabits, developed a rugged curbed paddle blade that made a unique, figure-8 mixing action. Because it could blend both dry and wet materials, the design proved invaluable for feed applications. Our firms mixing machines eventually found themselves in a variety of industries plastics, pharmaceutical and chemical, to name a few. Biomass is a muse. Companies like Marion are staking a large part of their future on this immature market. We are committed to becoming the leading provider of mixing and blending and drying system technologies for the biomass and bio-solids waste-to-energy industries, Jones said, adding that Marions product design is ideally suited for processing large volumes of abrasive or hard-tohandle recycled ingredients. At the top of the list is mulch ground cover. Joness firm has an OEM agreement with the worlds largest company of colored mulch and ground cover products, including wood chips, sand, rock and rubber. Another target is industrial waste. This includes fly ash de-dusting and mixing fly ash with Portland cement, sewer sludge and other material additives to produce
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building products. More growth potential is seen in agriculture and forest residues wood recycling, ground cellulose material and cellulose feedstock as a heat source. The listing of recycling opportunities doesnt end there. Theres sewer sludge, which includes bio-solids from municipal waste treatment plants. There are confined animal feeding operations, such as manures processed into alternative energy sources; and other byproducts, like fertilizers. And finally, there are paper and pulp mill waste streams, and dried distillers grains. What further evidence does one need about job security in this industry? Agitators The paddle blade that was once its bread and butter has evolved as well. Marion now builds both paddle and ribbon style agitators, designing them as befitting customer needs. Paddle style agitators are designed to mix solids, pastes and slurries with ingredients of dissimilar size, shape and density. Jones said they are ideal for mixing friable or easily crumbled ingredients without damage to oversized particles. We also offer replaceable paddles that are bolted on arms for easy field adjustment or replacement, he said. Ribbon style agitators are designed to blend materials of like size, shape and density powders or granular ingredients, for example. Ribbon agitators are most commonly used in food or chemical industries where bulk products are repeatedly blended. The ribbonstyle agitator produces more shear than the paddle. Marion provides both mixing and drying technologies necessary in waste-to-energy green power applications. Other value-added products created from waste materials include vegetable-based lubricants, dried distillers grains (DDGs) from ethanol bio-refineries, fertilizers from processed animal bio-solids, crumb-rubber coloring from recycled tires for landscape remediation, plastic polymers from petroleum-based feed stocks and additives, and wood-corn-paper blend for combined heat and power (CHP) operation. The company specializes in horizontal, batch or continuous process mixers, primarily for bulk solids processing ranging in size from 1.5-600 cu. ft. The key to success in feedstock drying, according to its website, is the ability to champion cost-effective moisture reduction in a process suitable to the drying output requirements of the feedstock being processed.
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Rugged individualism While feedstock materials can vary in moisture content, bulk density, consistency, size, shape and form, the mixing mechanics will vary accordingly. In some cases, Jones said, the feedstock needs to be either mechanically de-watered or dried before it can be mixed effectively. In other cases, drying may occur downstream from the mixing process. It depends on the application. Material for the mixing equipment plays an important role in the mixing and blending of biomass feedstock, as well as the type of drying equipment used. The mixer needs to be durable enough to withstand the harshness of the feedstock, and is constructed of carbon or stainless steel. Arms and paddles might be welded or bolted. Welded ribbon agitators have double ribbon flighting. End wipers help prevent build-up on end plates, troughs are jacketed for heating and cooling and the vessels are pressure and vacuum-rated. Other design features include shortening presses and manifold systems, CO2 injection ports, machined seal housings, flange-mounted knife gate and butterfly discharge valves, carbon steel bearing plates and support structure, continuous mixer end discharge options and additional chopper motors. Mixers and blenders that are at the forefront of biomass and bio-solids processing need to be rugged and capable of handling abrasive materials, Jones said. They must be able to manage variances in flowability, bulk density and mixture quality. Mixing and blending can become a complex science. For a recycling company to be profitable, it must consider numerous processing issues, such as energy efficiency, mixing safety, material handling, drying and measurement. As Jones puts it, there is no silver bullet technology for mixing and blending and drying of biomass and biosolids feedstocks.