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Less Waste: How Australia is Cleaning Up
Biogas to power: the Woodlawn Bioreactor
provides electricity for up to 20,000 homes
Australia’s environmental industries are achieving success through applying high-technology solutions to climate change, disease, ecosystem and biodiversity destruction, land and waterway degradation and pollution. Australia and Japan are heavily involved in this activity, with strong ties in innovation and investment.
The problem of what to do with ever-increasing amounts of waste, both commercial and residential, is an issue of global importance.
In Japan, high population density and mountainous terrain make suitable landfill sites difficult to find – Japan’s available landfill sites are expected to be exhausted within four years. In 2003, Japan’s government launched a plan to halve the amount of rubbish buried in landfill by 2010.
Eating oil
Recent changes to Japan’s environmental cleanup legislation require land to be cleaned of contamination before it is sold. The Mitsubishi Corporation calculates that more than A$260m in landfill cleanup products will be required to fill this need. Mitsubishi’s textiles division currently distributes an Australian-developed product, Enretech-1, to a number of organisations in Japan involved in the remediation of contaminated soils.
Enretech-1 was developed to enable quick ‘dry-cleaning’ of oil and fuel spills, but it also tightly encapsulates and rapidly bio-degrades hydrocarbons spilled into soils. It uses naturally-occurring ‘oil-eating’ micro-organisms indigenous to the cotton plant, and a cellulose fibre matrix that facilitates contact between these micro-organisms, water, nutrients and hydrocarbon liquid. No surfactants, or nutrient additions are needed, and no special training or equipment is necessary.
Although Australia’s vast landmass provides many ideal landfill sites, the country is committed to balancing the needs of expanding urban development with those of fragile native ecosystems. Australian companies and research organisations such as CSIRO are developing new and innovative ways to reduce landfill, and finding more effective and efficient ways of disposing waste.
The Woodlawn Bioreactor, developed by Sydney-based environmental services company Collex, is one such example. The Bioreactor site was originally a worked-out copper, lead and zinc mine – an ugly scar on the landscape. Collex saw the mine’s potential and began researching how to develop it into a landfill site.
Opened in September 2004, the A$60m Bioreactor not only handles 400,000 tonnes of municipal waste per year, it uses biogas generation to provide power for up to 20,000 homes. Advanced technology continuously recirculates leachate through the waste-pile to enhance breakdown and gas generation. Collex estimates improved settling times of 10-15%, stabilising waste in 5-10 years rather than 15-20 years in a standard landfill.
This process reduces environmental impacts and increases the landfill’s holding – invaluable in countries where landfill space is at a premium.
Power from waste gases
The Woodlawn plant also takes full advantage of biogas generation. Its custom-designed pipes capture 90% of the gas, transporting it to a generator that generates 20MW of electricity at full capacity.
There are also plans to use Woodlawn’s 3000-hectare buffer zone as a site for 20-25 wind turbines for further power generation, and to use CO2 from the biogas and exhaust heat to support horticultural activities in greenhouses and even aquaculture farms.
Commercial compost
Organic waste represents a significant proportion of landfill content, and yet the bulk of organic waste is potentially recyclable. Australia is developing advanced systems that reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill.
Adelaide-based BiobiN Technologies has developed a collection receptacle for organic waste that turns the waste into compost. Holding 10 cubic metres of organic waste, the BiobiN comprises a composting vessel and an aeration system and is suitable for any organisation which produces 50-1000kg of organic waste a day.
BiobiN Technologies exported the first BiobiN to Japan in 2001, following a new food recycling law encouraging more efficient disposal of commercial organic wastes. There are now 14 BiobiN units in operation in Japan, and more than 160 in Australia.
Industrial clean-up
Modern production methods, especially in the manufacturing sector, have the potential to cause serious environmental damage if spills into water and land are not adequately remediated. And while major oil spills receive copious press coverage, small chemical spills that affect groundwater and soil are often ignored. Australian technologies are meeting the challenge, with Enretech (see panel) at the vanguard.
CodyHart Environmental, based in Queensland, is developing real-time groundwater sensors to monitor contamination. The company is partnering with Shimuzu Corporation and Toshiba to produce an intelligent Advanced Environmental Monitoring System (AEMS) consisting of biosensors, downhole equipment and tele-metering. Toshiba is developing the biosensors for the project.
Australian programs and initiatives such as Cities for Climate Protection, Land Care and Green Corps (see left) further demonstrate the country’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally-aware practices.
Australian companies are constantly searching for new ways to protect and enhance rich natural resources, and are working with organisations around the world to develop technologies that look after nature while providing cost-effective ways for organisations to manage their environmental impact.
Article by Invest Australia.
>> www.investaustralia.gov.au
>> www.environmentbusiness.com.au
>> www.dfat.gov.au/environment
