BOMAG has announced a major upgrade to its BC 472 RB-4 refuse compactor, integrating intelligent systems designed to maximize the density of municipal solid waste. In landfill operations, the primary goal is to compress waste as tightly as possible to extend the life of the landfill cell. Traditionally, operators rely on experience and "passes" to determine if an area is compacted, often leading to uneven density and wasted air space.
The new BOMAG system combines a GNSS antenna with a specialized moisture sensor mounted on the drum frame. As the machine passes over the waste, the system measures the deflection of the drum and calculates the stiffness of the material. This data is transmitted to the operator via a color-coded heat map on the in-cab display. Blue areas indicate loose waste requiring more passes, while green indicates target density has been achieved.
Crucially, the moisture sensor detects liquid levels within the waste mass. If the waste is too wet, the machine automatically reduces drum vibration to prevent "pumping" the waste, which creates unstable ground conditions. If the waste is dry, the system maximizes vibration energy. This closed-loop control ensures that every square meter of the landfill cell is compacted to its maximum safe density. Field studies have shown that this system can increase the waste intake capacity of a landfill cell by 15%, significantly delaying the need for expensive new cell construction.
