Untha boosts PASA’s SRF manufacturing capabilities in Mexico

The company hit industry headlines in 2016 when it opened Mexico’s first alternative fuel production facility in Hermosillo, Sonora. Then handling 25,000 tonnes of waste every day – and recognising the mounting pressures being placed on the country’s resource infrastructure – the team invested in an UNTHA XR3000C waste shredder to transform residual commercial and industrial (C&I) waste into a renewable energy source. 

But what began as a pilot project has proven a significant success. So fast forward to 2019 and growing demand meant PASA required extra capacity.

UNTHA has therefore shipped a second XR3000C machine – this time to the client’s Guadalajara plant in Western Mexico. The additional investment means PASA can now manufacture 400 tonnes of SRF from C&I waste every day, with projects to produce 600 daily tonnes of high-calorific RDF from hazardous waste, also on the horizon.
“Latin America has relied on landfills for a long time, and back in 2016, the appetite for SRF was low,” explains Hector Montellano, business development manager for UNTHA Iberica. “But PASA is an extremely forward-thinking company with an industry presence that could bring about change.

“They therefore took a risk by trying to add value to ‘waste’ and transform it into a resource – but that risk is paying off. They’ve proven to the cement industry that SRF can reduce their waste disposal costs whilst boosting their fuel feedstock security, and now they’ve acted on their learnings from Hermosillo to build a best-in-class plant Waste to Energy facility in Guadalajara.”

With wider operations in Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Central America – 200 facilities in total – PASA’s waste to energy journey looks set to continue.
Commenting on the investment in next-step machinery, PASA’s Strategic Planning and International Chief Operating Officer Alfonso Perez y Tellez added: “When this project first began, we were looking for a partner that would share their expertise but also one that would listen to the requirements of our very defined market. We use UNTHA shredders within the recycling side of our business, and haven’t been disappointed with the high uptime, low operating costs and output quality of the XR.”

“From a personal perspective, it gives us great pride that UNTHA’s technology was chosen for these projects,” added Hector. “PASA’s search for machinery began in the US, with German vendors also considered. Yet our globally renowned build quality, collaborative approach to client projects and local engineering knowledge meant we were chosen as the shredding partner for these facilities.

“We have continued to listen to the client’s needs, combining their knowledge of the domestic market with our world-class shredding insight. The Hermosillo project brought about unexpected challenges and opportunities, but as a team we remained flexible and committed to accommodating the changing landscape.”