In a unique initiative to generate renewable energy and reduce environmental impact, the British Army’s Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, located at Woolwich Barracks, adopted Glosfume’s advanced hot gas filtration technology. By integrating a biomass boiler and filtration system, this project converts waste horse bedding into usable energy, significantly improving waste management, reducing emissions, and delivering substantial operational benefits. Glosfume’s ceramic filtration system ensures the installation meets stringent emissions standards, setting a strong example for urban biomass solutions.
Project Background and Objectives
The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery stables up to 150 horses, producing substantial volumes of bedding waste. Managing this waste has traditionally involved frequent lorry journeys for disposal, adding both logistical costs and environmental impacts. Aiming to reduce these burdens, the Army saw an opportunity to turn this organic waste into energy to supply heating and hot water for Woolwich Barracks. The project, managed by Morgan Sindall, reflects a forward-thinking approach to waste reduction and carbon emissions mitigation, delivering benefits in terms of both environmental impact and operational efficiency.
Glosfume Filtration Technology
To meet the Army’s goals for efficient, sustainable waste-to-energy conversion, Glosfume installed a high-temperature ceramic filtration system. Glosfume’s ceramic filters are engineered specifically for demanding biomass applications, providing highly effective control of particulate emissions while withstanding the intense conditions of biomass combustion. The system is uniquely suited to the urban setting, capturing PM10 and PM2.5 particulates with an efficiency of over 99.99%, meeting both the current and projected air quality requirements of Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) .
The ceramic filter elements, manufactured in-house, are able to withstand temperatures up to 1000°C, ensuring reliable operation without the risk of ignition or filter degradation. Their micro-porous surface effectively traps fine particulates, a capability that far surpasses traditional bag filters, which have a limited lifespan in high-temperature environments. By capturing these fine particles, Glosfume’s system ensures compliance with the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and anticipates tighter future standards, providing robust, future-proof emissions control .
Key System Features and Advantages
1. Reverse Jet Cleaning: Glosfume’s ceramic filtration system is equipped with a reverse jet pulse cleaning feature, which blows compressed air through the filters at set intervals to remove accumulated particles. This automatic self-cleaning mechanism keeps the filter media clear, minimising maintenance needs and maintaining optimal airflow, even in high-load conditions. This design ensures uninterrupted operation and prolongs the lifespan of the filters, making it ideal for demanding environments .
2. In-House Manufacturing and Quality Control: Glosfume’s in-house production facilities enable them to manufacture both the filter bodies and ceramic elements, ensuring strict quality control over all components. Each unit undergoes a 150-point quality inspection, and because Glosfume controls every aspect of production, they can guarantee consistent performance and reliability. The company backs its installations with a two-year parts and labour warranty, a testament to the robust design and engineering of their filtration systems .
3. Modular Design for Scalability: The Kings Troop system is part of Glosfume’s HTMC (High-Temperature Modular Ceramic) range, which can be configured as a single module or expanded with multiple linked modules depending on capacity requirements. Each module is independently operable, allowing maintenance to be carried out without interrupting the entire system. This modularity offers flexibility for future expansion, ensuring that the filtration system can scale with changing energy needs at the barracks .
4. Dry Scrubbing for Hazardous Gases: In addition to particulate filtration, the Glosfume system incorporates a dry scrubbing process to capture and neutralise acidic gases, such as sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrochloric acid (HCl), commonly emitted during biomass combustion. Using sodium bicarbonate as a sorbent, the dry scrubbing process ensures these gases are neutralised and safely removed without requiring additional cooling or complex equipment. This method reduces emissions of harmful pollutants and enhances overall environmental safety .
Environmental and Operational Benefits
The environmental and operational impacts of the Kings Troop installation extend far beyond emissions control. By replacing the previous waste disposal system with on-site biomass combustion, the project achieves significant reductions in both logistical demands and urban emissions:
• Reduced Urban Traffic and Emissions: Prior to the installation, disposing of waste bedding required multiple daily lorry trips through central London. The new biomass system has eliminated five lorry trips per day, reducing vehicle emissions and minimising road congestion. This reduction in transport-related emissions contributes directly to improved air quality around the Woolwich area .
• Renewable Energy Production: The biomass boiler now supplies renewable energy for heating and hot water, offsetting the need for fossil fuels. This renewable energy aligns with the UK government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) objectives, supporting long-term sustainability and reducing energy costs at the barracks. The conversion of waste into energy is a circular solution that exemplifies a sustainable approach to waste management .
• Compliance with Current and Future Emissions Standards: Glosfume’s filter system consistently maintains particulate emissions well below 1 mg/m³, meeting the strict standards of AQMAs and anticipating future requirements under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD). This ensures that the Kings Troop installation is prepared for any future tightening of emissions regulations .
• Cost Savings and Waste Reduction: Converting waste bedding into a usable energy source not only reduces the logistical costs associated with waste disposal but also capitalises on the energy value of biomass. This circular economy approach results in significant financial savings for the Army, while reducing the overall volume of waste requiring transport and disposal.
Project Summary and Broader Implications
The Kings Troop biomass installation at Woolwich Barracks serves as a powerful example of how Glosfume’s advanced filtration technology can support sustainable, high-performance biomass applications in an urban setting. The system delivers high efficiency in emissions control, capturing hazardous particles and gases with reliability, while simultaneously providing renewable energy that supports the barracks’ heating and hot water needs. This project highlights Glosfume’s capacity to engineer solutions that not only meet stringent environmental standards but also align with broader sustainability objectives and deliver operational cost savings .
This case study demonstrates the potential of Glosfume’s hot gas filtration systems to support challenging applications, especially in sectors where reliable emissions control is critical. With the military’s need for dependable, robust technology, Glosfume’s self-cleaning ceramic filters and modular design have proved essential. As emissions regulations become more stringent and the demand for sustainable energy grows, the Kings Troop installation showcases the adaptability, reliability, and environmental responsibility of Glosfume’s ceramic filtration solutions, providing a valuable reference model for urban and military facilities
