Composting or Anaerobic Digestion

Composting and anaerobic digestion plants process organic waste from households, canteens, markets, and green waste, converting it into compost or biogas. Even though the raw material is primarily biodegradable, metallic contaminants may infiltrate the streams, mainly ferromagnetic in nature such as nails, staples, small hardware, but also caps and small non-ferrous items in aluminum or other light alloys (e.g. cutlery, jewelry, etc.).

The presence of metals within composting and digestion lines should not be underestimated. Even small ferrous or non-ferrous fragments can compromise the proper functioning of the process: in shredding and mixing systems they cause breakdowns or slowdowns, while in anaerobic digesters they lead to friction, scaling, and failures in agitation systems.

Equally critical is the impact on the final product: compost contaminated with metallic residues loses value and may fail to meet standards for agricultural use, turning a material intended for recovery into waste requiring costly disposal. To ensure safe and efficient production, the preventive separation of metals is essential.