Powering the composting cycle: Liebherr wheel loaders and the circular economy in Switzerland

In the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, the Verein für Abfallentsorgung (VfA for short) and Terre Suisse process green waste from the surrounding region to create high-quality fresh compost and potting soil. In the municipality of Buchs, the VfA shreds and mixes organic waste and places it on compost heaps. After about two months, the decomposition results in the finest fresh compost, which is used as a fertiliser by agricultural establishments. Some of the compost is further processed by the soil specialist Terre Suisse, which refines it using additives such as wood fibres, bark humus and sand to create high-quality substrates and potting soil.

Terre Suisse has been relying on Liebherr’s wheel loaders since as early as 2003. That is why they use new and older models of the mid-sized Liebherr wheel loaders in the processing, including an L 538 from the latest, 8th generation. It heaps a variety of material, mixes and loads it into screening plants and onto lorries. During the processing, the new L 538 impresses with its smooth running performance, which increases operator comfort. The powerful hydrostatic travel drive is also characterised by a higher maximum torque at a lower nominal speed. Its high power delivery is especially evident when heaping soil, which is important for an efficient work process.

Powerful lifting gear and fast changing of working attachments thanks to Solidlink

The latest, 8th generation of medium-sized wheel loaders L 526, L 538 and L 546 impresses with particularly robust, powerful lifting gear with z-bar kinematics. As a result, Terre Suisse achieves fast cycle times and dynamic work movements when handling soil and compost, including with the high dump buckets, which the company mainly uses when loading lorries and screening plants.

So as not to contaminate the various products, the L 538 changes attachment when handling the different materials. For this, Terre Suisse uses the fully automatic Solidlink quick coupler, which is optionally available for mid-sized Liebherr wheel loaders. This allows operators to quickly and efficiently change between mechanical and hydraulic attachments from the cab safely and conveniently at the touch of a button. This saves time and also reduces the risk of accidents.