Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) have found a way to convert sugarcane into a building block for aviation fuel and other products.

A UQ team, in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has focused on a specific enzyme to speed up the slowest step in processing sugar into a chemical called isobutanol.

Prof Gary Schenk, UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, said isobutanol from a renewable resource can be used to make fuels, plastics, rubbers and food additives.

“Our research into this particular enzyme means we can accelerate the production rate and yield of isobutanol from sugarcane, ultimately enabling biomanufacturers to make diverse products at scale sustainably and efficiently,” Schenk said.

According to Schenk, the research used only a small number of a sugar acid-specific dehydratase enzyme as a production platform during the biomanufacturing process. The use of these sugar-converting enzymes, which operate outside of a cellular environment, meant that many of the pitfalls of more traditional cell-based biomanufacturing methods were bypassed, leading to higher yields of isobutanol with fewer unwanted side products.

Cell-based production of isobutanol from sugar created about 25 g/L of liquid cell culture, but in the UQ study, the cell-free method produced at least 10 times that amount.

“The cell-free method gives biomanufacturers more control and results in much higher yields, meaning a higher return on their investment and a more sustainably produced product — it’s a win-win,” Schenk said.

Developments in enzyme engineering and production have led to more enzymes being available for large-scale production of products such as aviation fuel, which had previously been unachievable.

“We’re only at the dawn of what is a very exciting age in this space,” Schenk said.

Prof Damian Hine from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Alliance said the research proved the potential of cell-free biomanufacturing.

“While there have been commercial limitations to producing the enzymes, we now have enough evidence to show that large-scale manufacturing using the cell-free enzymes process is commercially viable and should play a major role in future biomanufacturing,” he said.

Image caption: iStock.com/RicAguiar

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/news/from-sugar-to-aviation-fuel-fast-tracking-the-conversion-1192941210

Mildura-based Waters Excavation has invested in a construction and demolition wash plant designed to recover valuable recycled sand and aggregates from concrete waste.

The 80 Tph wash plant, designed by wet processing expert CDE, is being used by the family-run business to produce a range of sand (0–2 mm, 0–4 mm) and aggregate (4–10 mm, 10–16 mm and 16 mm–oversize) products, which have been recovered from concrete waste.

The solution incorporates the EvoWash sand wash plant, AggMax modular logwasher, a feed hopper and stockpile conveyor.

The S20 Hopper meters feed to the plant, with a feed conveyer that includes an integrated magnet for steel recovery.

The high-frequency Infinity D1-63 pre-screen removes sand prior to the attrition process, with high-frequency screening action for maximum sand removal. The incorporation of the Infinity D1-43 screen dewaters organic and lightweight wastes from the attrition process, enabling the production of two sands.

CDE’s RotoMax logwasher can be used in the processing of a variety of materials including sand and gravel, crushed rock, construction and demolition waste material, and a range of mineral ores. The logwasher scrubs material for maximum attrition.

The incorporation of the AggMax modular logwasher upward flow function rejects lightweight contaminants, which are dewatered on the integrated trash screen. The Infinity H2-60 sizing screen separates the material into three washed aggregates and allows the removal of sand liberated by the RotoMax attrition process.

Fines are passed to the EvoWash, a high-frequency dewatering screen with hydro cyclone technology. This gives control of silt cut points, allowing production of high-value, in-spec product straight from the belt.

The solution is allowing the business to produce a range of five high-quality sand products to meet local demand, whilst also diverting waste from landfill.

According to the Director of Waters Excavation, Michael Waters, one of the plant’s main features is the ability to scrub aggregates of clay and float off lightweight contaminants such as leaves, sticks and light plastics.

“It’s been a real success,” he said. “I’m blown away with the level of contaminants we were able to remove from the waste stream and how clean the end products were.”

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/case-study/diverting-c-amp-d-waste-from-landfill-to-produce-new-products-171771199

What are the three biggest challenges or threats facing your industry in 2023?

There is no doubt that Australia’s circular tyre economy, which spans a number of industries, is feeling the impact of current global and local economic, political and environmental volatility.

Vagaries associated with shipping; inflation; shifting workforces; natural disasters; the cost of living; energy and food security; and consumer uncertainty — all these challenges are forcing us to focus on survival in the short term, sometimes at the expense of longer-term sustainability goals. The risk is we lose hard-won traction on reducing waste and ultimately greenhouse gas emissions that could put us years out from the 2050 target the government has set for us.

This perfect storm is shining a light on Australia’s economic and environmental interdependencies, and what is needed for us to remain resilient — such as fit-for-purpose product stewardship schemes that can harness those interdependencies through circular-economy thinking and regulations that do not inhibit legitimate businesses from contributing to circularity.

An independent review of the Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme this year showed it has reached a plateau of what it can achieve. As a result, used tyre recovery has been listed on the Minister’s product stewardship priority list. This puts the makers and importers of tyres on notice that they must take responsibility for the impacts of their products on the environment across their entire life cycle. If they do not, then government will act.

Hanging in the balance are regional, rural and remote Australian communities missing out on commercial opportunities, jobs and environmental resilience, because of the cost and logistics of recovering big, off-the-road (OTR) tyres.

The current Scheme does not make a distinction between size and geographic use of tyres, and therefore does not recognise the unique constraints around big OTR tyres used by mining, agriculture and construction outside metropolitan areas. What works for the recovery of passenger car, bus and truck tyres, where we have an average of 89% recovery rate, does not work for the large, OTR tyres where we have only been able to achieve an average of around 12% recovery rate.

We must address the tyranny of distance between big OTR tyre users and metropolitan processing centres, to leverage opportunities for people living and working in regional, rural and remote Australia; and make sure no one is left behind.

What are the opportunities you predict for the growth of your industry in 2023?

Many opportunities for growth lie outside our cities — In the potential applications of Tyre Derived Material (TDM) we can recover from the big, OTR tyres used in mining, agriculture and construction.

They also lie within the brains of manufacturers who have the appetite to think big and think differently.

Then there are the Government departments acting seriously on procurement policies to drive greater consumption of TDM and reduce ‘green tape’ inhibiting the uptake of proven and tested products.

Finally, we know tyre processors are ready to take the plunge.

The tyre has become a valuable resource. The opportunities for using TDM are an exciting new frontier. If Australia can unlock these, we can become global leaders.

To do that, we need to close the consumption loop by further developing a pipeline of end markets for TDM.

This is something we can fix now.

Doubling down on end-market development means that, when we can span the tyranny of distance to recover that TDM from OTR tyres, we will have ready-made markets to consume this valuable resource.

So, over the next year, we will be backing Australia’s brightest minds, with funds and support, to develop the next big, outside-the-square idea that will help reinvent the tyre in Australia for Australians.

Commercialisation is key, and we will continue to work hard at it.

How are you ensuring resilience to climate change and associated extreme weather and natural disasters?

Extreme weather and natural disasters can only be understood through a local community lens. One solution does not fit all.

So, we put a lot of emphasis on supporting Councils to deal with the challenges on a local level, in three ways.

The first is to fund and support the use of rubber crumb and other products such as permeable pavement, in the construction of civil infrastructure, such as roads, pavements, playgrounds and sporting fields, which are more resilient to extreme weather.

The second is to undertake research, such as our 2022 Tyre Particle Health, Environment and Safety Report, that builds the knowledge bank Councils can draw on to make informed decisions around the use of TDM.

Finally, we offer technical support and guidance for all Councils to undertake due diligence for civil works, evolve their procurement model and set quotas for use of rubber so they gain the most benefit for their community from both an environmental and economic standpoint.

Lina Goodman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Tyre Stewardship Australia has over 20 years’ experience in resource recovery and environmental innovation, bringing together projects and partners to deliver business and environmental improvements. She started her career at Visy Recycling, later joined Honeywell and then at TIC Group she was instrumental in delivering circular economy benefits through TIC’s Mattress Recycling, Reverse Logistics and Solvup businesses. In Lina’s time at TSA, she has implemented a strong strategic and operational direction both locally and internationally.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/article/ceo-insights-lina-goodman-tyre-stewardship-australia-787617993

 What are the three biggest challenges or threats facing your industry in 2023?

I think three areas industry is really grappling with at the moment are: decarbonising and building a more sustainable industry as part of the commitment to manage the issues of climate change; implementing more flexible, hybrid and connected workplaces as part of the working remote revolution; and lastly, building more diverse, inclusive and equitable organisations that deliver better business outcomes and make people feel comfortable to bring their whole self to work.

Discuss the ongoing impact of the skills shortages on your industry and solutions being implemented in 2023?

Australia has many highly talented people but we are a small population. We have relied at times on international talent to help top up gaps but that was very difficult to access during the pandemic period. I think there are two key areas that companies can think about to address skills shortages. One is to use automation to reduce the reliance on human intervention to manage business, processes and operations. Digital transformation plays an important role here and we have been working with many Australian operations to build unique technology-enabled automation solutions. The second is to collaborate with organisations that have specialist skills and can help cover those gaps, for example, engineering, services, technology advisors, etc.

What opportunities do you predict for the growth of your industry in 2023?

I see two major growth areas emerging in industry at the moment and both are related to climate change. Firstly, there is a wave of new investment around building a more sustainable energy supply using hydrogen and renewable electricity. Secondly, for many companies in hard-to-abate sectors new technology solutions are critical to help reduce their carbon emissions. Emerson is excited to have been a partner to many companies over the last two years on some of these technology pilot projects in both scenarios and it is a major focus for our businesses.

How are you ensuring supply chain resilience during times of global uncertainty?

Supply chains have seen unprecedented challenge over the last few years due to the pandemic, war in Ukraine and more recently due to a series of natural disasters. Globally our organisation has done a lot of work around sourcing additional components as well as redesigning certain products to gain access to more reality available components. We are also fortunate that we built a manufacturing facility for a range of our Rosemount products in Melbourne back in 2012, which we have been able to leverage for urgent situations where we need to keep customer operations up and running.

What plans do you have in 2023 for an energy transition to renewables?

Emerson was quick to move a few years ago and implemented a Chief Sustainability Officer in charge of leading programs globally around three key pillars — GREENING OF Emerson is our series of internal programs to achieve our net zero ambitions; GREENING BY Emerson are the collaborations and technology solutions we have been developing and implementing to help industrial operations achieve their net zero goals; and GREENING WITH Emerson are the industry partnerships with research bodies that we have developed to help build expertise. In all three areas I am pleased we have made significant progress both globally as well as in Australia.

What are your carbon emission reduction goals for 2023?

Emerson has aligned its sustainability approach to the Net-Zero Standard set by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), the leading organisation driving science-based target adoption. By 2030, Emerson plans to reach net zero across its own operations for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. I am pleased to say that at a recent corporate review we were ahead of our plan and in a strong position to deliver both our short and long term commitments.

Justin Ellis has been in industry for 25+ years in a range of service, operations, marketing and business leadership roles. He is Director of the Measurement Solutions group of instrumentation products, systems and services for Emerson which encompasses such innovative brands as Rosemount and MicroMotion. He is passionate about developing solutions to industry challenges as well as personal development and growth and a few years ago graduated with an Executive MBA from Melbourne Business School.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/article/thought-leader-2023-justin-ellis-emerson-automation-solutions-4486731

What opportunities do you predict for your industry’s growth in 2023?

It is now more important than ever to aim towards building smart cities that are truly sustainable, have cleaner transportation and feature more efficient buildings and infrastructures that serve essential human needs such as homes, water, electricity and connectivity.

Digitalisation and connectivity are key enablers of building cities that are truly sustainable. These technologies give us access to deeper insights into the performance of assets. They unlock the potential of creating cost-efficient, flexible and futureproof solutions for safer and more reliable systems. We see huge growth opportunities in the implementation of these technologies available today that can achieve energy efficiency and cut electric consumption and costs in industrial, commercial and residential environments.

Smarter buildings

The world is going digital and the buildings segment is no exception. Applied to buildings, digital technology can increase overall transparency and help optimise building system performance for better occupant comfort and reduced energy use.

When we aim to minimise energy consumption, while still optimising the living conditions in buildings, we need to rethink the whole system from the ground up. Every possible way to save energy must be considered, and the most energy-efficient technologies and techniques must be applied. Together with renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, it is possible for buildings to generate surplus energy, which will create extra revenue for the owners when the surplus energy is sold back to the grid.

An energy-efficient building with smart management systems can be a tempting dealmaker on many levels for many different target groups. In the commercial world, investors, developers, buyers and tenants are increasingly aware of how an energy-efficient building can boost the positive reputation of their company as well as create a competitive advantage and making strong economic sense.

Smarter buildings of course also allow their owners, managers, users, tenants and communities to have greater connection, insight and convenience with their buildings and infrastructure. An ecosystem of interconnected assets, infrastructure and people at their core allowing an improved experience for those building users and groups.

Just as e-mobility is an integral part of a ‘smart’ habitat because the infrastructure and vehicles are all connected, meaning power loads can be managed according to demand, the same applies to smart buildings. ABB has developed a cost-efficient, cloud computing-based energy monitoring and management system to help cut waste and improve the energy efficiency of buildings and small industrial sites. Our ABB Ability Energy and Asset Manager solution can help to scale energy consumption analysis to cover most buildings, including those of a smaller size, and thus, make a first step in eliminating sources of energy waste in a cost-efficient manner.

Smarter industry

It has become essential for companies to reduce energy costs and shrink their carbon footprints as their stakeholders become increasingly concerned about sustainability. Take mining as an example. Australia is leading the charge on the sustainability front in mining. We are seeing miners make strong commitments to the zero emissions target; for instance, FMG has brought forward their net zero target by 10 years to achieve this by 2030.

This greatly impacts decision-making around technology investment and modernisation. It needs to start with a definition of what an organisation’s carbon footprint is, and what falls within their scope of decarbonisation. The next step is to examine the technology and what is currently possible to decarbonise. If companies graph this versus the benefit, the low-hanging fruit should stand out — such as light commercial vehicles moving to electric or seeking to digitalise and electrify assets allowing renewable energy sources to be used or already electrified assets to be further optimised.

Smarter mobility

The Grattan Institute’s policy research shows that zero-emissions vehicles are the best option for cutting transport emissions. Considering it takes time to replace a nation’s vehicle fleet — for example, it’s a 20-year cycle in Australia — the transition starting line needs to be now. Australia’s National Transport Commission has found that if buyers of new vehicles in 2020 had focused on ‘best-in-class’ emissions performance, the country’s average carbon emissions intensity would have dropped dramatically — 93% for passenger cars and light SUVs and 50% for heavy SUVs and light commercial vehicles.

This is the domain of immediate wins. As targets grow closer in our windscreens — and, for some, even zoom past their rear-view mirrors — the sustainability value of e-fleets will increasingly be part of how performance is measured.

Urgency will be compounded as demand picks up. Even in the Australian market, where electric vehicle uptake lags behind most developed economies globally, the Electric Vehicle Council has confirmed that up to September 2022, 26,356 EVs were sold in Australia, making up 3.39% of all new cars — a 65% increase from EV’s market share of 2% in 2021. New models are entering the market, albeit at a slower rate than other countries. As fleet emissions standards are introduced, with the likelihood that future internal combustion sales will be blocked at some point, the impetus for transitioning to e-fleets will become even more essential…and influential to performance.

Furthermore, ABB in collaboration with Amazon Web Services is developing a cloud-based digital solution for the real-time fleet management of EVs to optimise the efficient use of EVs and speed up the electrification of transport fleets. Using machine learning and analytics, it will include a compelling set of features including charge planning and real-time monitoring with insight and actions for vehicle health and servicing, along with EV route optimisation based on time of day, weather and use patterns.

What are your carbon emission reduction goals for 2023?

With global technology sectors accounting for three-quarters of global energy consumption, carbon reduction is an issue that ABB can do something about. Not only is ABB reducing its own operational carbon footprint by continuing to transition to renewable energy and vastly improving energy efficiency inhouse, but it is also undertaking everything it can to help customers reduce theirs, without diminishing productivity.

For example, ABB has secured Ecopassport accreditation for two power conditioning products: SureWave SFC and HiPerGuard MV UPS that achieve superior results in their specific target industries. Each of these products provides the end customer with the means to use cleaner power, reduce CO₂ emissions and lower their energy costs throughout the products’ entire life cycle — all without having to sacrifice reliability, productivity and overall cost-effectiveness.

Embedding sustainability into the distribution of energy is a crucial step. For over 50 years gas insulated switchgear (GIS) has used sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) as insulation gas, due to its excellent insulation and arc quenching qualities. But SF₆ is the world’s most potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 23,500 times that of CO₂ and an atmospheric lifetime of 3200 years. As the world accelerates its electrification, more and more SF₆ continues to leak into the atmosphere and it is accumulating. Since 2002 the SF₆ concentration in the atmosphere has doubled!

The good news — ABB launched proven SF₆-free gas insulated switchgear to empower utilities, industries and infrastructure customers to make greener choices in a world of evolving regulations and standards. Because of its benefit to society, the basic patents have been opened to be used by anybody for free, thus enabling more switchgear manufacturers to use this technology. With our ecoGIS portfolio, ABB is helping customers make the transition to SF₆-free technology and significantly reduce the carbon footprint in energy distribution.

On top of this, we aim to innovate towards new circular business models by cutting waste, increasing recyclability and reusability, and making our products more durable. Going well beyond traditional recycling, circularity also focuses on durability and reusability across value chains and industries. For instance, following the circularity approach, thousands of ABB industrial robots have been refurbished and upgraded to have a second life.

We work closely with customers and suppliers to embed circularity across the value chain. By 2030, at least 80% of ABB’s products and solutions will be covered by our circularity approach and evaluated against a clear set of key performance indicators (KPIs), corresponding to each stage of the product lifecycle.

To learn more about how ABB is electrifying Australia and enabling a low-carbon society, scan the QR code or visit new.abb.com/au/electrify-australia.

Mario Maci has more than 20 years of experience working across oil & gas, chemicals and energy sectors throughout the Asia Pacific region. As head of both the Smart Buildings and Smart Power divisions, Mario oversees a significant product portfolio providing electrification solutions for buildings, industry, manufacturing and infrastructure. This includes low-voltage electrical distribution, power protection, emergency lighting and building automation products and solutions. This portfolio also encompasses the ABB Ability range of digital smart products and solutions.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/article/insights-2023-mario-macri-808075226

EXAIR’s High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is suitable for the safe recovery of fluids like coolant, hydraulic oils, sludge and chips, wastewater, tramp oil and liquid spills. The product’s high-powered vacuum is able to lift thick liquids up to 1400 cP to a height of 4.6 m, filling a 205 L drum in less than 85 s. With the turn of a knob, the same stainless steel pump can quickly empty the drum. The flow rate in and out of the drum can be controlled with the knob, making it suitable for dispensing liquids.

Electrically operated all-purpose vacuums aren’t designed for use in industrial environments and as a result, motors wear out quickly and impellers clog. Powered by compressed air, this vacuum has no moving parts, no electric motor to wear out and has no impellers to clog, assuring maintenance-free operation. It is designed for continuous and heavy-duty applications where electric vacuums fail due to motor wear or clogged impellers. It can also be used for lighter-duty applications.

It is CE compliant, has built-in pressure/vacuum relief and attaches quickly to closed head 205 L drums. An automatic safety shut off valve prevents spills or overfilling.

For more information: https://www.caasafety.com.au/products/high-lift-reversible-drum-vac/

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/wastewater/hot-product/exair-high-lift-reversible-drum-vac-826335972

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common groundwater contaminants that can include a variety of chemicals and may be emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids.

TO 14, 15, 17 standards for VOC monitoring and soil sampling are available from CAC GAS in all configurations 39, 41, 62 or subset component mixtures. Gas mixtures for all VOCs, including BTEX mixtures, Isobutylene and other organic vapours, are available.

The gas mixtures are available in a variety of cylinder sizes including: 14DS (14L steel), 48AL (48L aluminium), 58DAL (58L aluminium), 74DAL (74L aluminium), and 98RAL (110L aluminium).

For more information: https://www.cacgas.com.au/to-standards-for-voc-monitoring.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/hot-product/cac-gas-to-standards-for-voc-monitoring-314235429

Simple, efficient, easily operated and maintained screening is the first and very critical stage in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, as engineers and operators of food and beverage processing plants and abattoirs keenly appreciate.

Horizontal and Rotary Drum Screens are the ideal first line defence, because they capture suspended and floating solids that would otherwise flow through into the wastewater treatment plant. They reduce load and potentially recover valuable material and prevent downstream equipment damage and blockages.

Typical industrial applications using Rotary Wedgewire Drum Screens include general food processing (vegetables, fruit, coffee, starch processing), beverages (beer, wine, juice, soft drinks), slaughterhouses and abattoirs, tanneries, pulp and paper mills, textile plants, plastic manufacturers, or any industry where solids removal or recovery is needed.

In all these applications, there is a variety of materials that can clog downstream systems and wreak havoc — in some cases this material can be recovered as a valuable by-product as well as reducing load to the treatment process.

Rotary Drum Screens are the first line of defence to help prevent such clogging and associated issues. While it is true that most pumps and other systems are engineered to handle these, they still are the major cause of equipment and process failure, resulting in high wear, downtime, and cost.

A heart of stainless steel in the CST Wastewater Solutions wastewater horizontal drum screen, which can withstand shock loads and larger solids most other screens using lighter mesh construction cannot — and which may cause them to fail prematurely in flood or high variable flow conditions common throughout the Asia-Pacific.

It is unnecessary and unsustainable to not efficiently separate solids from wastewater, prior to or at the start of the purification process. This can cost dearly in terms of downtime, environmental risk, clean-up costs and OH&S hazards for the operator teams involved.

This means ease of maintenance of headworks is a key consideration in preventing trouble, especially for municipalities and smaller industrial concerns operating on tight budgets. These entities also do not have the financial resources or large engineering teams to implement complex technologies for wastewater treatment.

Flexibility is also key to ongoing efficiency in handling diverse inputs and flows, regardless of the location and input. Headworks that are efficient over diverse conditions — that don’t fail when you need them most, such as under high load or flow — are vital to all the downstream purification and recycling process stages in a properly engineered wastewater treatment plant.

As a result of our experience over more than 30 years of wastewater installation and operational experience throughout the Asia-Pacific region, we have taken a different path to many in producing our different headworks designs for municipal and industrial applications to prepare for a future that is already arriving.

Horizontal In-Channel Drum Screen Advantages

Our engineering approach is not one-size-fits-all, because one size (or type) does not. Our horizontal in-channel rotary drum screening technology is primarily used on municipal applications and built to be both robust, reliable, and adaptable. They may not to be the cheapest up front, but do not end up transferring cost and problems down the line.

This whole-of-life cost, as distinct from a race to the bottom on sticker price, is the mature engineering approach to meet clients’ long-term objectives.

The screens are designed with all parts located above the wastewater flow, for simple operation and maintenance, with routine servicing possible without removing the drum.

Robust engineering, design, and stainless-steel construction all mean that these rotary drum screens have long service lives with low maintenance requirements. No mechanical components come into contact with screened solids, so there is no opportunity for premature wear from solids impacting internal workings of the screen.

Some non-technical people, who don’t have to live with the results of their decisions, might say “So what?”. We are not addressing them but the guys on the front line, the operators, and engineers, who will have a different view. That’s why we present our engineering and operational principles for a mature and timely discussion.

There are common features we embrace that are universally beneficial to WWTPs expected to perform and keep on performing.

Compared with typical traditional screening at wastewater treatment plants, for example, our in-channel technology has a low hydraulic profile and head loss at peak flows to increase solids removal efficiency.

When dealing with fine screening of larger flows, this technology has the advantage of mechanical simplicity, self-cleaning and high-efficiency screening. This results in reduced maintenance and cheaper whole-of-life costs compared with other types of screens, such as band and inclined drum screen designs.

Rotary Drum Screen advantages

CST’s above channel Rotary Drum Screens are traditionally used for the more heavily loaded industrial applications, although they are also used for municipal duty using 0.5–3 mm or finer screening.

Most industrial installations such as paper mills, food, beverage, and abattoirs, commonly use wedgewire apertures of 0.5–1 mm, whereas municipal would more commonly use 3 mm for primary treatment. Other apertures of 0.5–1.0 mm are used on ocean outfalls or reuse water. They are also available with 2.0 mm holes on pre-MBR secondary fine screening for membrane protection.

Robust engineering, design, and stainless-steel construction all mean that these rotary drum screens have long service lives with low maintenance requirements. No mechanical components come into contact with screened solids, so there is no opportunity for premature wear from solids impacting internal workings of the screen.

Typical discharges from Industrial Rotary Drum Screen Installations

Local manufacturing

One final way in which we have a different approach is our move to local manufacture closer to the place of use throughout the Asia-Pacific.

This move comes as intensifying supply chain issues interrupt, delay and lessen the supply of some of vital wastewater treatment technology, which is key to the sustainability and environmental performance of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants and key to their overall reliability in delivering services.

Not only does local manufacture deliver a more robust and low-maintenance product — and better whole-of-lifecycle value — but it places the customer next to the source of supply for spare parts, future extensions, and retrofits to boost performance long-term.

The switch to local production also enables us to offer full stainless-steel products with world-respected standards of Australasian metals engineering, replacing carbon steel components and further improving corrosion resistance in harsh local environments.

So if you are interested in the future, if our different engineering approach attracts you, we would value your observations and experience. Good engineering is an ongoing discussion, which we are keen to extend and develop in the light of real experience and vision.

*Michael Bambridge BE, ME, is Managing Director of CST Wastewater Solutions. His experience over more than 30 years in Australasia and Asia spans hundreds of municipal and industrial WWTPs throughout Australasia and internationally, particularly into Asia and China.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/wastewater/sponsored/simple-technology-for-solids-removal-from-industrial-and-municipal-wastewater-156803008

Veolia has launched a nationwide decarbonisation project across its Australian operation to reach ecological transformation.

To build the company’s capacity for behind-the-meter energy independence, the $20m project will see rooftop solar panels and commercial battery stations installed across Veolia’s eligible Australian facilities. The outputs will power Veolia’s offices and operational activities, reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and creating energy resilience.

Grant Winn, Veolia’s COO for industrial and energy, said that harnessing a renewable energy solution was an important part of the company’s mission to net zero and a way to address local energy stability, availability and price.

The project will also see electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed to support employees wishing to transition to electric cars, as well as create capacity for electric fleet potential.

“We’re evaluating the feasibility of transitioning our vehicle fleet to be gas, battery or hydrogen powered in the future,” Winn said. “Across hundreds of vehicles nationwide, that’s a substantial investment and one we need to be ready for. By installing charging stations now, we’ll be a step ahead if we ultimately move down the electrification path.”

The first phase of the project includes three facilities in Queensland. In total, around 636 commercial-grade photovoltaic panels, 180 kWh of batteries and six charging stations will be installed. This will generate 507 MWh of renewable energy annually.

The solar panels, batteries and charging stations will be interlinked and part of a coordinated platform that will connect to Veolia’s Hubgrade technology, which will allow the company to take control of its energy chain through vertical integration.

Winn said the versatility of the technology has advantages, such as giving individual sites the power to vary their energy usage and direct it to other facilities when needed.

“The batteries onsite will store energy for use overnight,” he said. “When the sun goes down, we won’t be left in the dark; we’ll simply switch to our battery supply to keep us moving. And if another facility has a need for more energy, we’ll have the flexibility to divert from one site to another.”

According to Winn, the project will save 8000 t of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of removing 2213 diesel-powered cars off the road every year.

With 40 eligible sites, the initiative would deliver an estimate of 4.6 MWh from batteries and 8.2 MW from solar photovoltaic panels. This will produce 11.2 GWh of energy per annum.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/news/veolia-s-nationwide-green-energy-project-launched-1514481199

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $176 million in conditional funding to eight grid-scale battery projects across Australia, on behalf of the Australian Government.

Under ARENA’s Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round, each battery will include grid-forming inverter technology, allowing them to provide system stability services traditionally provided by synchronous generation such as coal and gas.

These projects are worth $2.7bn and have a capacity of 2.0 GW/4.2 GWh. They will see a tenfold increase in grid-forming electricity storage capacity across the National Electricity Market.

The developers and projects ARENA has selected are:

• AGL: a 250 MW/500 MWh battery in Liddell, NSW.
• FRV: a 250 MW/550 MWh battery in Gnarwarre, Vic.
• Neoen: retrofitting the 300 MW/450 MWh Victorian Big Battery in Moorabool, Vic, to enable grid-forming capability.
• Neoen: a 200 MW/400 MWh battery in Hopeland, Qld.
• Neoen: a 200 MW/400 MWh battery in Blyth, SA.
• Origin: a 300 MW/900 MWh battery in Mortlake, Vic.
• Risen: a 200 MW/400 MWh battery in Bungama, SA.
• TagEnergy: a 300 MW/600 MWh battery in Mount Fox Qld.
   

Launched in December 2021, the Large Scale Battery Storage Round had an initial funding envelope of $100m. This was expanded to $176m, including $60m in additional funding provided by the Australian Government as part of its Support for Energy Security and Reliability budget measure in October 2022.

The eight projects were chosen from a shortlist of 12 projects announced in July. These were selected out of 54 expressions of interest for the competitive funding round.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that battery storage is essential in the transition to renewable energy, and these batteries represent a transformative portfolio of new storage capacity. According to him, battery storage technology will allow for variable generation to be smoothed out, as well as electricity to be stored for when it is needed.

“These next-generation grid-scale batteries will underpin this transition, with inverter technology that can maintain grid stability without the need for coal and gas generators. This pipeline of grid-forming projects will help move us closer to an electricity grid that can support 100% renewable energy in the NEM,” Miller said.

ARENA had previously provided $81m in funding for eight grid-scale batteries, including five with a smaller scale of grid-forming capability. The largest current grid-forming battery in Australia is the 150 MW/194 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, which received ARENA funding for its 2019 expansion.

The potential of grid-forming batteries has been highlighted by the previous projects, as well as the need to support further projects at a larger scale, de-risk investment and drive further innovation from inverter manufacturers. The funding may also assist in overcoming current commercial and regulatory barriers to large-scale deployment.

The batteries are expected to reach financial close in 2023 and be operational by 2025.

Image caption: iStock.com/alacatr

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/energy/news/arena-to-fund-eight-grid-scale-batteries-1247214323