An engineering firm has won an order to install new equipment that will process waste at a facility being constructed for Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC).

Group Rhodes will install a First of Class (FOC) Autoclave and loading equipment (pictured) at the £750 million site, which is expected to treat in excess of 145,000 tonnes a year of waste in the next 25 years and cut Wakefield’s need to landfill by 40% by 2015.

The autoclave operates like a pressure cooker that can sterilise and breakdown 20 tonnes of waste per cycle. During the process, glass, plastics, ceramics and metals will be cleaned for reuse whereas the remaining waste such as paper, cardboard and food will be broken down and processed using Anaerobic Digestion to produce fuel in the form of methane gas or ethanol. The firm claims this could be used to create energy to run the plant, making it self-sufficient and any excess power created can be sold back to the National Grid.

Roy Cusworth, Senior Partner and Head of Commercial at Beaumont Legal, which advised Group Rhodes throughout the project said: “This is a major strategic project for Wakefield involving leading waste management technology. Group Rhodes is one of the country’s few specialist contractors capable of delivering the precision engineering required for this landmark project. We are proud of our association with them and were pleased to assist in concluding these vital contracts.”

The site is also expected to create 70 new jobs in the area and 200 jobs during the construction period.