The requirement
Eco Cascade is a Community Interest Company based in Kyle of Lochalsh, a village along the North West coast of Scotland. The aim of the business is to help the seaweed industry thrive by ‘filling the gaps’ between cultivators and gatherers of Scottish seaweed. Alison, the Managing Director, reached out to GlenFarrow at the end of 2022 to provide them with a system that allows for a full turnkey service of seaweed processing. Their requirement for the project needed three main functions – washing, cutting and drying seaweed.
Our solution
After assessing the requirements from Eco Cascade, our engineers developed a containerised system that would provide the business with all the necessary functions they required. Using CAD software, our team designed a system that would be able to deliver washing, cutting and drying all contained in one unit. We manufactured and built the three stage plant including a dump washer, inspection belt with a rotary chopper and seaweed dryer – with conveyor belts moving the seaweed to and from each process. The seaweed is dried via a centrifugal high pressure fan and high output heat exchanger to deliver constant hot air. A GlenFarrow 210kW biomass boiler was supplied and installed which provided the seaweed dryer with a sustainable source of heat. The plant is controlled by a bespoke electrical panel – all designed, manufactured and installed by our GlenFarrow electricians. Remote access software was integrated with the PLC screen on the panel so the customer can receive instant, virtual support from our technicians at our GlenFarrow office.
What the client said:
The on-going service we have received from GlenFarrow has been really exemplary. I’d definitely go to GlenFarrow in the future if we were looking to create any add-ons to our system, certainly for maintaining our equipment and also if we were looking at new projects that were attached to seaweed processing – I would seek the advice and services of GlenFarrow.
Alison Baker, Managing Director, Eco Cascade.
