Customer Spotlight – APR Recycling
~Proactive Fire Protection for Battery Risks in Recycling Operations~
APR Recycling Group Pty Ltd has built its business around finding innovative approaches to recover and recycle valuable materials and maximise resource recovery within the circular economy. The privately owned business has continued to develop its recycling and resource recovery capabilities, with a strong focus on innovation.
As part of that ongoing focus on innovation, APR has recently installed a BlazeCut F-500 EA Fire Suppression System to protect its new Wind Shifter installation at its soft plastics sorting operation. The Wind Shifter separates lightweight recyclable soft plastics from heavy non-recyclable material which is discharged via a chute and into a tippler waste bin below.
One of the challenges APR is increasingly encountering is the presence of batteries intermingled in its soft plastics - particularly lithium-ion batteries, despite the material having already gone through sorting processes. For APR’s recycling operation, this creates a significant fire risk.
Rather than waiting for a fire to occur, APR approached ENCAPS to investigate a way of providing automatic fire detection and specialised suppression directly at this critical point in the process.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION WHERE IT MATTERS
The resulting installation is a BlazeCut F-500 EA suppression system, incorporating:
• 16-litre cylinder with a 3% F-500 EA with four stainless steel discharge nozzles
• Blazewire automatic heat detection integrated into the system
• Manual activation option
• At least 55 seconds of discharge time
The integrated Blazewire heat detection system is particularly important for this application. If a fire develops in the bin beneath the Wind Shifter, the system is designed to detect the heat and activate automatically, without requiring an operator to be present at the equipment. A manual activation button also provides operators with an additional means of activating the system if a fire or developing incident is observed.
A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO RECYCLING SAFETY
For APR, the installation is about more than simply installing a fire suppression system. It is about recognising that the nature of the material entering recycling facilities is changing and that fire protection needs to evolve with it. APR's willingness to invest in new technology and address emerging risks is consistent with its broader approach to innovation and resource recovery over the past two decades.
For ENCAPS, it is also an excellent example of where a cost-effective system can provide targeted protection at a high-risk point within a recycling process, combining automatic detection with suppression using F-500 EA - a 100% biodegradable, non-corrosive, non-toxic and PFAS free agent.
Thanks to Darren Thorpe and the APR Recycling Group Pty Ltd for working with us on this project.
For video demonstration of the BlazeCut system click HERE
For more information about the BlazeCut or F-500 EA products, along with other fire mitigation solutions for lithium battery fires, contact us at Encaps on 0457 643 669 or sales@encaps.com.au.
