ZACKENBERG
Custom Bramidan drum press keeps Arctic waste-free
A special drum press makes it easy to compress oil drums at the Zackenberg research facility in Greenland. The compressed drums are easy to ship back to Denmark to prevent contamination.
From Challenges
Challenges
- Harsh weather conditions
- Very limited means of transport
- Vulnerable environment
To Benefits
Benefits
- Takes up little space
- Compressed drums can be sold for a profit
- Eco-friendly and cost-effective
With Bramidan
Machines chosen
Other Recycling Equipment
Drum Press DP16
Bramidan special drum press helps preserve arctic environment
Harsh weather conditions
Used for scientific research and closed during the harsh winter months, this area is largely undeveloped, particularly in terms of infrastructure. There are no supermarkets, no highways, nor even roads. Provisions are packed into a small aeroplane and flown in. Waste materials are flown out.
“We need to get all the non-burnable waste materials off site before the start of winter,” says Henrik Spanggaard at Denmarks Danmarks Miljoundersogelser. “We usually fly it out and then ship it back to Denmark. The price is measured according to volume and weight. It can get very expensive.”
“We need to get all the non-burnable waste materials off site before the start of winter,” says Henrik Spanggaard at Denmarks Danmarks Miljoundersogelser. “We usually fly it out and then ship it back to Denmark. The price is measured according to volume and weight. It can get very expensive.”
An eco-friendly and cost-effective solution
Eco-friendly and cost-effective
To help solve this challenge, Bramidan agreed to custom-make a special drum press for the Zackenberg facility. Having designed something similar for a Norwegian research station in Antarctica ten years previously, they were well-equipped to do so. The project was completed and the drum press assembled at the site in the summer of 2010.
The drum press serves two functions. The first is to compress all non-combustible waste inside the oil drums, which are then flown to a supply ship and shipped back to Denmark. The second function is to compress any remaining unused oil drums themselves in order to remove them from the station.
“Uncompressed oil barrels with their noxious gases pose a threat to the research facility and to the environment, whereas compressed oil barrels become metal waste and can even be sold for money,” explains Mr Spanggaard. “In fact, the cost of the drum press can actually be financed in due course with the money received from compressed oil barrels,” he adds.
The drum press serves two functions. The first is to compress all non-combustible waste inside the oil drums, which are then flown to a supply ship and shipped back to Denmark. The second function is to compress any remaining unused oil drums themselves in order to remove them from the station.
“Uncompressed oil barrels with their noxious gases pose a threat to the research facility and to the environment, whereas compressed oil barrels become metal waste and can even be sold for money,” explains Mr Spanggaard. “In fact, the cost of the drum press can actually be financed in due course with the money received from compressed oil barrels,” he adds.
Customised solution from Bramidan
Takes up little space
The space and weight limitations dictated by the small aeroplane used to transport goods to the Zackenberg facility meant that the drum press needed to be delivered in three pieces. “Material flown in is not permitted to weigh more than 400 kg,” says Mr Spanggaard.
The drum press was supplied disassembled from the factory and packed onto pallets, put on a supply ship and then flown in on the Twin Otter Series 300 plane used by the station. The reassembly of the machine during summer meant that waste was removed before winter and the environment preserved.
The drum press was supplied disassembled from the factory and packed onto pallets, put on a supply ship and then flown in on the Twin Otter Series 300 plane used by the station. The reassembly of the machine during summer meant that waste was removed before winter and the environment preserved.
In fact, the cost of the drum press can actually be financed in due course with the money received from compressed oil barrels.
Henrik Spanggaard
Danish Environmental Research
FACTS ABOUT
ZACKENBERG
Zackenberg Research Station is an ecosystem research and monitoring facility in Northeast Greenland, 25 kilometres west of Daneborg. It is part of Danmarks Miljøundersøgelse (the Danish Environmental Research programme), owned by the Government of Greenland, with another branch facility in Daneborg in a former meteorological station.
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