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Diverse MixMarion Mixers knows how to turntrash 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

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Diverse mixMarion Mixers knows how to turn trash into profits

More than 100 million tons of organic waste from municipal, commercial and industrial waste isburied in landfills each year in the United States, said Scott Jones of Marion Mixers, and it costsapproximately $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 sawdustannually.

All of this is potential for good business growth. Organic waste, slash and sawdusttheworlds trash is a treasure trove to companies like Marion, reaching out to biomass systems withanswers 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 thediversity of the industries we serve, Jones said.This allows small-size companies like MarionMixers to be positioned in the thick of thingsproviding a secure foothold in future energysystems fueled by renewable energy forms.

A commitment to renewable energyAbout 65 years ago, Marion, named for the northeast Iowa town it inhabits, developed a ruggedcurbed paddle blade that made a unique, figure-8 mixing action. Because it could blend both dryand 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 arestaking a large part of their future on this immature market.

We are committed to becoming the leading provider of mixing and blending and drying systemtechnologies 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-to-handle 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 andmixing 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 residueswoodrecycling, 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 drieddistillers grains. What further evidence does one need about jobsecurity in this industry?

AgitatorsThe paddle blade that was once its bread and butter has evolved aswell. Marion now builds both paddle and ribbon style agitators,designing them as befitting customer needs. Paddle style agitators aredesigned to mix solids, pastes and slurries with ingredients of

dissimilar size, shape and density. Jones said they are ideal formixing friable or easily crumbledingredients without damage to oversizedparticles.

We also offer replaceable paddles that are bolted on arms for easyfield adjustment or replacement, he said.

Ribbon style agitators are designed to blend materials of like size,shape and densitypowders or granular ingredients, for example.Ribbon agitators are most commonly used in food or chemical

industries where bulk products are repeatedly blended. The ribbon-style agitator produces more shear than the paddle.

Marion provides both mixing and drying technologies necessary in waste-to-energy greenpower applications. Other value-added products created from waste materials includevegetable-based lubricants, dried distillers grains (DDGs) from ethanol bio-refineries,fertilizers from processed animal bio-solids, crumb-rubber coloring from recycled tires forlandscape remediation, plastic polymers from petroleum-based feed stocks and additives, andwood-corn-paper blend for combined heat and power(CHP) operation.

The company specializes in horizontal, batch orcontinuous process mixers, primarily for bulk solidsprocessing 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-effectivemoisture reduction in a process suitable to the drying output requirements of the feedstock beingprocessed.

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Rugged individualismWhile 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 driedbefore it can be mixed effectively. In other cases, drying may occur downstream from the mixingprocess. It depends on the application.

Material for the mixing equipment plays an important role in the mixing and blending of biomassfeedstock, as well as the type of drying equipment used. The mixer needs to be durable enoughto withstand the harshness of the feedstock, and is constructed of carbon or stainless steel. Armsand 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, CO2injection ports,machined seal housings, flange-mounted knife gate and butterfly discharge valves, carbon steelbearing plates and support structure, continuous mixer end discharge options and additionalchopper motors.

Mixers and blenders that are at the forefront of biomass and bio-solids processing need to berugged 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 acomplex science.

For a recycling company to be profitable, it must consider numerous processing issues, such asenergy 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 bio-solids feedstocks.