Waste + Water Management Australia V44.6 April/May 2018 by EPC Media Group

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WASTE + WATER MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA APRIL/MAY 2018

V44.6

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FUELLING THE FUTURE

The Integrated Auger Compactor For Large Volumes of Waste

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ABN 85 007 693 138 PO Box 510, Broadford Victoria 3658 Australia Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Int’l: +61 3 5784 3438 Fax: +61 3 5784 2210 www.epcgroup.com Publisher and Managing Editor Anthony T Schmidt Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0414 788 900 Email: ats@epcgroup.com Business Development Manager Lawrence Whiter Mobile: 0418 543 821 Email: lawrencewhiter@bigpond.com National Advertising Sales Manager Yuri Mamistvalov Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0419 339 865 Email: yuri@epcgroup.com Advertising Sales - SA Jodie Gaffney - AmAgo Mobile: 0439 749 993 Email: jodie@amago.com.au Advertising Sales - WA Licia Salomone - OKeeffe Media Mobile: 0412 080 600 Email: licia@okm.com.au

Editor's Column

Industry News

Cover Feature: ResourceCo Fuelling the Future

16 Circular Economy:

MASTEC Recyclable Bins

April/May 2018 Volume 44 Number 6

Equipment Feature

22 NWRIC News 25 Product Brief: Aussie Pumps Sewer Bypass Pump

26 Waste to Energy

30 Renewable Energy 32 Climate Change 34 Focus on Water

Graphic Design Annette Epifanidis Mobile: 0416 087 412

38 Stormwater

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About the Cover While Australia’s current recycling crisis and clean energy challenge – including supply and cost issues, as well as the search for reliable clean energy supplies – are presenting major challenges for all levels of Government and industry, one company is tackling both challenges head on …and with great success. Turn to Page 12 for the full story.

EDITORS COLUMN

No Return without Investment Dear Readers, While there is (as usual) no current shortage of pressing issues in the global waste, recycling, water and environmental sectors – including the Cape Town water crisis, electricity generation and supply issues, rising global oil and energy prices and, of course, the ever-present issue of climate change – the issue currently garnering the most attention in the Australian media is the ‘Recycling Crisis’ brought about by China implementing its ’National Sword’ policy. Now, before you reach for the email, please note that I use the term ‘crisis’ not in the regular media sensationalist sense, rather as what I believe is an appropriate term for the current situation. A situation which was perhaps inevitable given extraordinarily high levels of contamination being reported in some of the recyclables being exported from Australia. Now, while that may be a massive oversimplification of the current recycling crisis, I believe that it does serve to highlight a critical issue with waste management in general, and recycling in particular – namely, a lack of investment. By this, I’m not only referring to a lack of willingness to invest in new technology, equipment and processes, but also a wide-spread lack of investment in ongoing public education and engagement. For over thirty we have seen many examples of waste management services becoming ‘a race to the bottom’ in terms of pricing, especially when it comes to recycling. We’ve seen undercutting to the point where the even the slightest fluctuation in commodities pricing will render an entire service financially unviable, leaving others to try and pick up the pieces. It’s a situation 2

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

that I feel certain many of you will have witnessed over the years, and some of you have been unfortunate enough to experience first-hand. Even in situations where a service can manage to survive a massive downturn in commodities pricing, for many contracts, the margins (and contract conditions) are such that there is no contingency for updating equipment, integrating new technology or providing adequate ongoing education to help maximise results. Sure, there may be an annual recycling calendar to remind householders what day their bin goes out, or even a flyer telling people what goes in what bin, but as the saying goes – the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Put simply, when it comes to public engagement with recycling, there is a massive ‘disconnect’ across a lot of Australia, and the result is near record levels of contamination in source separated materials. Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not for one second suggesting we abandon everything that’s been done and send everything to landfill – not in the slightest! What I am saying is: • Waste management services can not be treated as a ‘set and forget’ function – they require ongoing, wide-spread public engagement; • We need to look beyond simply separating certain categories of recyclables so we can bulk ship them somewhere else; • We need to invest in new technologies including alternate waste treatment, waste derived fuel, advanced organics processing; • We need to reconsider how we view certain components of the waste stream in accordance with the latest available

technologies (e.g. – should waste be categorised as ‘wet’ or ‘dry’, ‘high calorific’, etc.; and finally, • We need to ensure that contracts are structured (and priced) in a manner that encourages best practice services and the implementation of world-leading technologies, rather than simply looking for the cheapest possible method of getting rid of everything. In short, I think the time has come that we, as a nation, start to rethink the way we approach waste management. We need to embrace new technologies and methodologies and really consider what processes deliver the best outcomes for what materials. We need to move beyond the separate, bale and ship overseas mentality. What’s more, we need to re-engage with the wider community and get them back onside. After all, thanks to the barrage of media reports over the past month, a large percentage of the population now believes that the majority of recyclables around the country are “…just being sent to landfill anyway, so what’s the point of separating waste.” All this, of course, requires investment – and a significant investment at that! Importantly, however, if you believe like I do - that we have a responsibility to do as much as we can to minimise our impact on the planet on which we live, you will understand that it is, quite simply, an investment that needs to be made.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

Potable Water

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Stantec to deliver concept design for raising Warragamba Dam west of Sydney Stantec, a global engineering, consulting and construction firm, along with joint venture partner GHD has been awarded a $14.5 million design services contract by WaterNSW for the Warragamba Dam Raise west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The Warragamba Dam Raising Concept Design will look to increase the height of the existing dam, allowing it to be used for flood mitigation purposes that will benefit the downstream community. Since 1960, twenty moderate to major significant floods have impacted the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. “We are proud to work with WaterNSW on this exciting project and have assembled a technical team who bring experience from dam raise projects completed around the

world,” said Ashok Sukumaran, Stantec’s General Manager for Water in Australia. “This mix of local and international expertise will deliver a complex design that meets safety standards and optimizes the dam configuration for the purposes of flood mitigation.” The services provided by the partnership of Stantec and GHD will include developing a cost-effective and safe design for raising Warragamba Dam, while addressing and mitigating any project impacts. The Stantec and GHD team combines relevant water infrastructure and engineering experience to create innovative designs with proven technologies. Design services for the Warragamba Dam Raising Concept are expected to be completed by early 2019.

“Delivery for complex dams and hydropower projects is one of Stantec’s core strengths and we are proud to be able to bring the best of Stantec’s global expertise in dam raise design to a major client in Australia,” said Mario Finis, global leader of WaterPower & Dams for Stantec. Stantec has nearly 100 years of hydropower and dam experience including feasibility studies, detailed design and construction management from more than 5,000 dam projects around the world. For more information about Stantec waterpower and dams expertise and projects, please visit: www.stantec.com/hydro For more information about the Warragamba Dam Raising Concept Design, please visit: www.waternsw.com.au/wdr

The problem with plastic water bottles just appeared to get a lot worse! New research by Washington-based Orb Media, a non-profit journalism organization, has indicated that a single litre of bottled water can contain thousands of microplastic particles. Exclusive tests by Orb Media on more than 250 bottles from 11 leading brands worldwide reveal widespread contamination with plastic debris including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), according to a press release published by the organization on Wednesday. "The report further underlines the need for more deep research into how ingesting plastic impacts the human body and health," said David Noble, Bluewater head of PR and Communications. Bluewater is a world leader in leading edge water purification technologies and solutions innovated to remove practically all water contaminants, including plastic particles, and provide a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. The Orb Media research identified plastic was in 93 percent of the samples. The global average was 325 particles per litre. Particle concentration ranged from zero to more than 10,000 likely plastic particles in 4

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

a single bottle. The study was supervised by Dr. Sherri Mason, Chair of the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at the State University of New York at Fredonia, a leading micro-plastics researcher. Samples came from 19 locations in nine countries on five continents including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. The majority of the samples came in plastic bottles. Water in glass bottles also held microplastic. The Council of Canadians in 2014 cited a study saying that one quarter of the 89 billion litres of bottled water consumed every year are bought outside of the country where they are produced. The study estimates that the manufacturing and transport of a one kilogram bottle of Fiji water consumes 26.88 kilograms of water, 0.849 kilograms of fossil fuel (one litre), and emits 562 grams of

greenhouse gases. "What this latest discovery means for human is unknown as there just isn't enough research available about the health impact of ingested plastics, although some studies indicate pollution of drinking water by pervasive chemicals and hormones may be resulting in lower fertility rates and hormone disruption in young women and men," said David Noble. Bluewater last year launched a clean drinking water movement for a sustainable future without single use plastic bottles. Read more here Bluewater is a signatory to the United Nations #CleanSeas Pledge.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

VWMA calls for improved community engagement on bin auditing Victorian households and businesses generate over 11 million tonnes of waste each year with about 70% of that diverted away from landfill (approximately 7.7 million tonnes). The success of diversion away from landfill, and what can ultimately be recycled, is largely dependent on how we decide to generate and dispose of waste. Bin audits are a standard practice that enables efficient assessment of the effectiveness of a kerbside recycling program. However, a recent bin audit in metropolitan Melbourne was painted in both social media and mass media as a ‘creepy invasion of privacy’, casting a pall of doubt over the bin auditing process with much of the community. In response, the Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) has called on the Victorian Government to play a greater role in advocating to the public the importance of the waste and recycling sector (including the need for bin audits) to help restore public confidence in the system. “Recycling correctly is still one of the easiest things Victorians can do to help the environment and the economy. But we don’t always get it right,” VWMA Executive Officer Mark Smith, said.

“Bin audits are an easy and cost-effective way to gauge how we are tracking.” “Fear mongering and fuelling the fire around this topic is not constructive and does a disservice to the community and may ultimately drive costs up for residents,” he added. Local governments across Australia carry out bin audits as a standard practice to better understand what is being recycled and what is contaminating the recyclables. This is particularly important with the challenges faced around National Sword/ Blue Sky implications. Auditing is generally either managed by local government directly or outsourced to a waste contractor or third-party specialist. Bin auditing provides insights into common misconceptions around recycling and issues that could be addressed through waste education programs and campaigns. Unfortunately, a lack of community understanding about waste auditing and waste management more broadly, is fuelling a wave of negativity that is eroding public confidence. The VWMA is calling on State Government agencies and appropriate local government organisations to develop a consistent

set of standards and principles related to bin auditing and engagement with the community (including businesses) on this practice. The VWMA believes there is a shared responsibility with messages to the community around activities such as bin auditing, and that local government shouldn’t have to carry that burden themselves and defend the practice each time it is carried out. This approach is in line with VWMA’s previous position around the importance of maintaining public confidence in Victoria’s waste and resource recovery system and has called on state government to allocate appropriate resources to the issue.

ABOUT THE VICTORIAN WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

Perth’s water reservoirs averaged 338 gigalitres (GL) a year. Inflows have since shrunk by nearly 90% to just 42GL a year from 2010-2016,” Professor Wright says. “To make matters worse, the Perth water storages also had to supply more people. Australia’s fourth-largest city had the fastest capital city population growth, 28.2%, from 2006-2016.” “As a result, Perth became Australia’s first capital city unable to supply its

The Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) is one of Australia’s oldest waste and recycling associations representing Australia’s largest membership of waste and resource recovery businesses including collection and transporters, processors, recycling facilities and landfills. For more information on the VWMA please visit: www.vwma.com.au

Cape Town is almost out of water - could Australian cities suffer the same fate?

Western Sydney University’s Senior Lecturer Dr Ian Wright from the School of Science and Health says the situation in Cape Town – where they are reportedly now just weeks away from engineers turning off the water supply – has strong parallels with Perth in Australia. “Perth is half the size of Cape Town, with two million residents, but has endured increasing water stress for nearly 50 years. From 1911 to 1974, the annual inflow to

residents from storage dams fed by rainfall and river flows. In 2015 the city faced a potentially disastrous situation. River inflows to Perth’s dams dwindled to 11.4GL for the year.” According to Professor Wright, Australia’s next most water-stressed capital is Adelaide – where the city is supplementing its surface water storages with desalination and groundwater, as well as water “transferred” from the Murray River. “Australia’s other capital cities on the east coast have faced their own water supply crises. Their water storages dwindled to between 20% and 35% capacity in 2007. This triggered multiple actions to prevent a water crisis. Progressively tighter water restrictions were declared,” he says.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Experts: investment in Oz recycling = 500 jobs & 50,000 less cars of greenhouse gases In the midst of the recycling crisis and the lead up to the meeting of Australia’s Environment Ministers at the end of April, a new report commissioned from independent experts has found that hundreds of new jobs can be created in Australia by government investment in the domestic recycling sector. “The report by the highly regarded MRA Consulting shows that domestically remanufacturing 50% of the material formerly sent to China leads to some 500 jobs here and reduces greenhouse gases by the same as taking 50,000 cars off the road,” Pete Shmigel, ACOR’s CEO, said. “To check the China challenge, we are ready to reboot recycling as a self-sufficient sector that enables employment and prevents pollution. Ministers can support this by agreeing to a National Circular Economy & Recycling Plan that makes a

one-off investment in the 3 ‘i’s’ of recycling: infrastructure, improvement and innovation.” “The promise of recycling is that what punters put in the bin becomes new products not lumps in landfill. Our political leaders, through the policy targets they have set, are part of delivering on that promise and should continue to do so on April 27th,” he said. “We need to make and buy more recycled content products here in Australia. Closing the loop is what’s needed for community confidence, job growth and environmental results.” “Other industries are regularly supported in transition or crisis. This sector - largely free-market based for decades - needs support now or services and jobs could go, including in country towns. “While State governments have rightly focused on the system’s short-term survival,

it’s time for all governments to jointly act for recycling’s future success,” Mr Shmigel added. Projects under an investment injection of $150 million could include: • New technology to support more Australian reprocessing of mixed paper, mixed plastics and glass cullet; • Enhanced methods and machinery at recyclate sorting centres; • Support for government and corporate purchasing of recycled content products; • A national centre for recycled content product development; • Education to ensure what’s collected is clean enough for recycled content product making.

THE KEY TO QUALITY

BY SCHWARZE

INDUSTRY NEWS

Beach nourishment project protects Gold Coast beaches

The Gold Coast is renowned for its beautiful beaches and enjoys a golden coastline that stretches 57 kilometres from Rainbow Bay to South Stradbroke Island. Last year the biggest offshore dredging program in the city’s history took place, shifting millions of cubic metres of sand on to Gold Coast beaches. “Our Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project is part of our Ocean Beaches Strategy, and ensures our beaches are clean, healthy, safe and accessible now and into the future”, said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. “It also ensured our beaches were in the best possible condition for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games,” he added. A specialist 111-metre dredge, from Denmark, spent 16 weeks working along Palm Beach and the coastal strip from Miami to Main Beach as part of the $13.9 million Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project. The project aimed to increase the volume of sand on the Gold Coast’s vulnerable beaches above and below the waterline, improving their resilience to coastal erosion. The project involved dredging clean sand from deep water offshore sand supply areas and relocating it around the wave-break zone by bottom dumping and ‘rainbowing’. 10

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

Bottom dumping releases sand into the wave breaking zone through the vessel’s hull. Rainbowing projects sand from the bow of the vessel into the wave breaking zone. Mayor Tom Tate said research by City officers had driven the project. “Thanks to extensive research and improved technology including the study of coastal data from wave buoys, beach surveys, camera monitoring and computer modelling, we had ample data to know exactly where to place the sand,” he said. Sand placed in the wave-breaking zone has an immediate effect on beach widening. The sand was placed in patterns to replicate natural rhythmic sand bar formations known to promote good quality surfing conditions. Sand placed further offshore in deeper areas moves more slowly, increasing the volume of sand along the beach. The project saw approximately three million cubic metres (about 1200 Olympic swimming pools) of clean sand transferred to vulnerable sections of coastline to buffer against future storms and coastal erosion. For more information on the Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project visit www.cityofgoldcoast.com.au/ gcbeachnourishment.

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“Our Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project is part of our Ocean Beaches Strategy, and ensures our beaches are clean, healthy, safe and accessible now and into the future.” GOLD COAST MAYOR TOM TATE

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COVER FEATURE

TOMORROW’S SOLUTIONS. TODAY

Fuelling the Future

An Engineered Solution to Two Major Challenges While Australia’s current recycling crisis and clean energy challenge – including supply and cost issues, as well as the search for reliable clean energy supplies – are presenting major challenges for all levels of Government and industry, one company is tackling both challenges head on …and with great success.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

COVER FEATURE

uilding on the success of its first joint-venture facility in Adelaide, leading resource recovery company ResourceCo is currently putting the finishing touches on its new state-ofthe-art Process Engineered Fuel (PEF) facility in Wetherill Park in Sydney’s west - the first of two such facilities that the company has planned. The location of the second PEF facility is expected to be announced in the near future. The new facilities are being established with the assistance of a $30 million loan from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and will produce PEF predominantly for the cement manufacturing industry – a notoriously energy-intensive / high carbon emission industry. The Sydney plant also received an additional $5 million in grant funding from the New South Wales EPA under the Waste Less Recycle More initiative and is eligible for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Scheduled to be commissioned during May, the Wetherill Park facility will process up to 250,000 tonnes of dry commercial and industrial waste materials into a high-value PEF each year. The process will also recover a range of recyclables from the source material, including metals, clean timber and inert materials. The majority of the input material will be made up of residual waste from recycling facilities around Sydney that is currently being disposed of at landfill. The plant will also be processing dry plastic and other high-energy content wastes which are currently unable to be recycled.

The culmination of almost three years of planning, approvals and construction work, the new ResourceCo PEF facility is the first of its kind in Sydney and represents a major watershed in the way residuals from recycling are being handled. Together with the benefits that arise from diverting hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill whilst recovering additional recyclable commodities, the resulting high quality, high calorific value Process Engineered Fuel delivers significant benefits to industry – particularly energy-intensive industries such as cement manufacturing. Speaking about the new Wetherill Park facility, Ben Sawley, CEO, ResourceCo Sustainable Energy Australia, said: “We’re very excited about the new PEF plant. It’s a fantastic opportunity to take hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste materials that are currently getting buried in landfill and process it into useable commodities.” “It will allow us to really contribute to a much better waste industry performance in New South Wales and a better sustainability outcome for the State,” he added.

HIGH QUALITY ALTERNATIVE FUEL Ever-increasing gas prices, together with community, corporate and government demands for industry to reduce both Greenhouse Gas emissions and the reliance on non-renewable energy sources, have seen a significant increase in demand for alternative fuel sources in recent years.

A LEADER IN PROCESS ENGINEERED FUELS (PEF) ResourceCo has been a leader in the alternative fuels space for over a decade and has established strong working relationships with the world’s largest cement manufactures, supplying Process Engineered Fuels to facilities in Australia and Asia since 2006. Indeed, ResourceCo’s first Australia PEF facility – a $20 million joint-venture with SUEZ – was the first of its kind in Australia and has the capability to manufacture up to 200,000 tonnes of raw material per annum into approximately 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes of PEF. The Adelaide PEF facility was developed in close cooperation with Adelaide Brighton Cement Limited, which utilises the PEF produced at the facility as a partial replacement for fossil fuels in the Adelaide Brighton cement kiln. ResourceCo also operates a PEF facility in Ipoh, Malaysia. The Ipoh facility has a processing capacity of over 60,000 tonnes per annum, with the resulting PEF used by Lafarge Holcim as a substitute fuel in its cement kilns.

ResourceCo’s PEF process generates a high quality, high calorific value engineered fuel that is a practical and viable alternative fuel source for energyintensive industries such as cement manufacturing. “The cement industry is starting to recognise the importance of having diversification in energy and the need to increase their use of alternative fuels,” Ben Sawley commented. “These new the plants will play a significant role in helping facilitate fuel diversification in cement kilns, reducing their reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.”

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

COVER FEATURE

TYRE DERIVED FUELS (TDF) Together with its work on Process Engineered Fuels, ResourceCo - through its wholly-owned subsidiary Tyrecycle – is also a leader in the field of Tyre Derived Fuels (TDF). Tyrecycle is the largest collector and recycler of End-of-Life (EOL) tyres and conveyor belts in Australia. Scrap and imperfect tyres are collected from manufacturers, retail partners, local councils and other sources and processed at secure facilities across Australia in accordance with environmental regulations (including all EPA and Council Approvals). These tyres and conveyor belts are re-purposed in several ways. They can be broken down into rubber crumb and used for road repair and construction, playground surfaces, new tyres, brake pads and sporting surfaces. They can also be turned into rubber granulate, Tyre Derived Aggregate (TDA) and Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF), used mainly in cement kilns and energy generation applications.

“With coal and gas prices significantly increasing, we are seeing kilns that have already introduced an alternative fuel mix among their energy intake doing well in comparison to others that have been locked into purely fossil fuel,” he added. These comments were echoed by CEFC Bioenergy and Energy from Waste Sector lead Henry Anning, who said PEF has an incredible potential to transform waste that would otherwise go to landfill into a baseload energy source as part of Australia’s future clean energy mix, while also lowering emissions. “Through our investment with ResourceCo, we are demonstrating the ability to use the latest energy-fromwaste technology to deliver cleaner energy solutions to the Australian economy,” Mr Anning said.

A WIN – WIN FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS Even without taking the current recycling crisis into account, Process Engineered Fuels are a true WIN – WIN for all stakeholders - from waste generators and collection contractors through to 14

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

recyclables processors and energy users. The process recovers resources, reduces waste-to-landfill, reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions and provides an alternative to fossil fuels. From a cost-benefit perspective alone, increases in landfill fees and levies Australia-wide are making PEF an increasingly attractive alternative to directing waste to landfill. Then there are the environmental benefits. By transforming what was previously considered a ‘waste’ stream into a usable resource - a resource for which there is a constant high demand and massive potential market - PEF not only saves on valuable landfill airspace, it also reduces the demand for non-renewable energy sources. With the cement industry commonly cited as a major source of carbon emissions, PEF provides an excellent substitute fuel for cement kilns. Cement kilns provide an ideal environment for using PEF as a substitute fuel, as the combustion process in cement kilns is extremely clean and the exhaust

COVER FEATURE

gases do not need to be re-processed. “One of the current barriers to the use of PEF is that if you wish to burn or consume refuse-derived fuel, you have to be able to ensure the emissions from the combustion are clean, so you need to scrub the emissions,” Ben Sawley said. “Using it in other waste-to-energy facilities requires scrubbing of exhaust gas and that’s an expensive process, however, using it in a cement kiln eliminates the need for reprocessing,” he said. “The technology to scrub the emissions does exist and is being used overseas, but it’s a matter of the private sector finding ways to make it work economically,” he added. “The fuel is cheaper than natural gas, but the machinery is more expensive.” “We do believe, however, that it is only a matter of time – especially given the rapidly increasing cost of gas and other non-renewable fuels, that we will continue to see steady growth in the number of Australian-based energy users who are able to find ways to use the high-quality Process Engineered Fuel we make,” he said. PEF has the potential to deliver significant reductions in CO2(e) emissions for a number of major energy-intensive industries, while also providing potential carbon credits. Interestingly, with only a relatively small market available locally, the PEF

produced at the new Wetherill Park facility will be used in cement kilns in Australia and Asia. In fact, Asia looks set to provide an ideal export opportunity for ResourceCo’s Process Engineered Fuel. “The substitution rate of alternative fuels is estimated at less than 5% in South-East Asia, so the opportunity to tap further into this market is huge for us, especially given that there are over 100 cement kilns operating in region,” Ben Sawley added.

HOW IT WORKS The source materials processed at ResourceCo’s Wetherill Park facility will consist of the ‘residual/disposal’ streams from Sydney’s recycling facilities as well as other suitable commercial, industrial, construction and demolition waste streams. Specific materials processed into PEF include non-recyclable plastics, cardboard, timber and textiles. Once delivered to the facility, the materials are pre-shredded to a 250mm particle size, screened and separated using a variety of processing techniques including magnets, air separation and mechanical screening of inert materials such as metal, aggregates and soil. With the recoverable inert materials removed, the remaining materials undergo a number of processes including a final shredding to convert them into a dry, high quality, high calorific value alternative fuel with a particle size of less than 50mm.

Importantly, the PEF process is easily integrated into the existing waste supply, the only difference being that waste generators and collectors deliver their suitable waste to the PEF facility rather than landfill.

ABOUT RESOURCECO ResourceCo has grown from a one-person operation in 1992 to more than 550 staff operating in 21 locations in Australia and SouthEast Asia. It has long-term partnerships with multi-national groups such as SUEZ, Lafarge Holcim and Adelaide Brighton Cement. From its early days as a concrete-crushing business, ResourceCo has expanded as an integrated resource recovery business and in 1998 developed a dedicated mixed waste processing operation that resulted in recycling concrete and asphalt. Working with SUEZ and Adelaide Brighton Ltd, ResourceCo developed Australia’s first PEF manufacturing plant in 2006. The company recycles more than 95 per cent of incoming materials while processing more than two million tonnes of materials annually. ResourceCo also owns Tyrecycle, which is the biggest recycler of end of life tyres and conveyor belts in Australia. Tyrecycle converts rubber waste into quality tyre derived fuel and other value-added products and has well-developed overseas infrastructure to service direct trading relationships with various cement kiln operators in the region.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

MASTEC’s product commitment to a Circular Economy – a market leader Circular economy is an approach to environmental sustainability characterised by the creation of economic models where no negative environmental impact is generated. It is described often as an alternative to the traditional linear model (take resources, transform, consume, dispose). As Australasia’s largest manufacturer of wheelie bins, MASTEC does not accept a one-way linear flow of materials through its manufacturing processes. Indeed, MASTEC demonstrates a tangible commitment to producer responsibility in its product stewardship and eco-based manufacturing techniques, with the company turning the concept of a Circular Economy in to a practical reality in its product range. This cyclical cradle-to-grave metabolism reflects an idea in which the materials are treated as

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

resources and flow perpetually in a cyclical metabolism without losing their quality. In order to achieve this, MASTEC has carefully selected manufacturing materials and processes to maintain the materials’ status as resources - maintaining their inherent value over time. MASTEC has designed its two- and four-wheeled mobile garbage bins to be manufactured from a special grade of plastic – high density polyethylene raw material that can be fully recycled back in to a new mobile garbage bins - even after decades of use by residential householders or commercial users. Importantly, MASTEC’s commitment to the circular economy is also matched by its commitment to quality. Accordingly, as part of MASTEC’s product development pipeline, it has also ensured that in using reprocessed

used wheelie bin material, the quality and integrity of its products are still maintained so that they meet the rigorous requirements of the Australian Standard AS 4123. Not surprisingly, MASTEC’s commitment to bringing a real-world practicality to tangibly ‘closing the loop’ on its products extends beyond its unique ability to recycle its own plastic raw material back into itself. It was also a key consideration when it came to designing its new multimillion-dollar manufacturing plant. Located in suburban Adelaide, the new state-of-the-art facility uses leading edge technology to minimise the use of energy, water and other finite consumable materials. With a potential crisis looming after China implemented its National Sword Policy on January 1, 2018, which restricts the import of 24 categories of solid waste and limits

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

MASTEC’s State-of-the-Art Mobile Garbage Bin Manufacturing Plant Incorporating World Best Practice: • Low energy leading edge large tonnage injection moulding machines • Hi Tech raw material handling system capable of simultaneously handling a number of recycled materials [recyclomers] • Closed loop water cooling systems with zero discharge of pollutants • Solar energy design capability • Zero raw material wastage through 100% factory reuse

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MASTEC collects old retired bins from residents across the entire contract area and delivers them to the Reprocessing Plant.

contamination of these materials to less than 0.5%, all levels of Government - particularly Local Government - must play a large part in supporting the circular economy. This not only applies to recycling as an activity, but also in terms of specifying the use of products which are not only separated and sorted, but more particularly, are actually used for the manufacture of new products in Australia. Experts have also recommended that Councils consider adopting a two-bin recycling system that separates paper and containers in an effort to reduce contamination rates - especially in the paper bin.

very & 2. Deli ution Distrib

The Circular Economy of MASTEC Bins

5. Recycling Reprocessors The Reprocessing Plant shreds, washes and re-extrudes old material into a mouldable Recyclomer.

1. De Manu sign & fac tur e Bins are delivered to Council or Contractor Depots using their high cube product design/stackability, minimising transport carbon footprint. Uses MASTRAC’s unique assembly and distribution system’s real-time electronic uploading of recorded serial numbers and/or transponders to Council databases, using MASTEC’s owner-operated vehicles.

Reprocessed/Recycled old bin materials are then delivered back to MASTEC’s State-of-the-Art Mobile Garbage Bin Manufacturing Plant to be manufactured back into new bins - closing the loop.

Most importantly, the current recycling crisis is an important reminder that recycling must be able to deliver worthwhile and practical outcomes. With that in mind, Local Government officers and contractors can rest assured of MASTEC’s unique commitment that its range of mobile garbage bins can not only be recycled into other plastic products, but more importantly, can be easily recycled and reprocessed back into new bins - a tangible benefit of focusing on the ‘circular economy’; one that also considers the practical usability of the collected recyclable materials.

Bins are used by residential households, multiple dwellings and commercial users for source separation of recyclables, organics and disposable waste.

Over the past two years MASTEC have collected hundreds of thousands of old used wheelie bins from residences in Council areas across Australia. All of these bins have been reprocessed and moulded back into the very same products, and re-delivered back to residential households in a variety of Council areas as completely new bins - a positive recoupling by MASTEC of the relationship between economy and ecology, and an ideal example of a functional Circular Economy in action. For further information, please call MASTEC direct on Ph: 1300 MASTEC (1300 627 832).

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

EQUIPMENT FEATURE

Engineered for Excellence Conveyor Industries specialise in the design, manufacture, and installation of conveying and bulk materials handling equipment for a range of industries throughout Australasia. Conveyor Industries bring over thirty years of experience across an array of industry sectors, including: aggregates, wastewater treatment plants, rendering, grain handling, wineries, and minerals processing. In that time, the company has gained an enviable reputation for excellence – in terms of both customer service, and for producing innovative equipment with a focus on quality and performance. Conveyor Industries operate a complete in-house design service using the latest in 3D modelling software and design tools. This enables them to purpose-design solutions to meet the client’s needs in a virtual environment before fabrication. The 3D drawings and regular online meetings during the project design and development phase enables the client to envision what the finished project will look like, how the machinery fits alongside existing infrastructure, and where any modifications may be required. This cooperative approach ensures that the client gets the purposedesigned equipment they need and

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

streamlines the installation and equipment commissioning process. Conveyor Industries’ main workshop features 2 five-tonne remote controlled overhead gantries, with equipment for profile cutting, auger manufacture, and the fabrication of both mild and stainless steel. They also have a 225-tonne press brake and guillotine capable of cutting stainless steel up to 6 mm thick, and 10 mm thick mild steel at up to 4 metres in width. Conveyor Industries design and manufacture a wide range of equipment, including: • • • • • • • • • •

Augers and Auger Flights Screw Conveyors Air Supported Belt Conveyors Belt Conveyors Hoppers and Surge Bins Screw Feeders Drag Chain Conveyors Bucket Elevators Side Gates Ancillary Equipment

Products are available as standalone units, or as part of a total materials handling system. For further information on the full range of Conveyor Industries products and services, please call +64 7 542 9190 or visit: www.conveyorindustries.co.nz

Skip bin company resolves dust problem The construction industry continues to boom in most major Australian cities and with that comes construction waste. As a result, business is thriving for skip bin and waste transfer operators. But so is the dust problem – especially for those businesses dealing with gyprock and plaster disposal! Dust from construction materials can affect the health of workers and neighbours. It can also decrease visibility and lead to faster wear and tear on equipment. This was certainly the case for a skip bin operator located in southern Sydney. The problem was finding an effective system that could be installed and operational quickly as they worked 6 days a week. But that’s where the engineering team at Tecpro Australia were able to help. They have a long history of designing and supplying dust suppression solutions across a wide range of industries. The Tecpro team were able to design, supply and facilitate the installation of a turnkey dust suppression system for the skip bin hire company. The installation occurred on a Sunday when the site wasn’t open for business and by Monday morning it was ready to go!

5 GOOD REASONS

WHY YOU SHOULD USE SUPERIOR KOGA BLADES Higher Productivity Longer Lasting Value for Money Improved Wear Proven Quality

Blades for all shredders and granulators. Erema, Weima, Lindner, Genox, Untha, Zerma, Eldan, Vecoplan and more!

For waste transfer stations and recycling stations that operate in an enclosed environment, Tecpro suggests using a ceiling-mounted fogging system. They operate using high water pressure to produce extremely fine droplets which drag the dust down so it settles. The ultrafine mist prevents wetting and pooling. For this application the water usage was extremely low at less than 2 litres per minute. The system was also easily retrofitted into the existing site. Tecpro Australia has been around for 35 years and in that time they have literally provided thousands and thousands of dust suppression solutions for a variety of industries. So if you have a dust problem, contact the team who will help you control it. You can speak directly to one of their specialist consultants on 02 9634 3370 or visit: www.tecpro.com.au

Call Koga Recyclingtech Now

0419 558 600

Email: geofp@koga.com.au

A Cut Above The Rest

ABOUT TECPRO AUSTRALIA Founded in 1982, Tecpro Australia specialises in providing reliable technical solutions for a vast range of industrial applications. Through their technical expertise and comprehensive knowledge, the Tecpro team prides itself on being able to solve the most challenging engineering problems. Tecpro distributes all types of Stainless Steel hose reels, spray nozzles, tank cleaning equipment, ergonomic guns, odour control systems, fogging nozzles and fog makers for dust suppression and evaporative cooling. Tecpro Australia are award winning consultants in the area of dust suppression offering a diverse range of bespoke solutions for mining, construction and any situation where dust is a problem.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

EQUIPMENT FEATURE

KINSHOFER Introduces New Series of Hydraulic Mobile Shears KINSHOFER, one of the world’s leading sources of high-quality excavator and loader crane attachments, has introduced the new DXS Series of hydraulic mobile excavator shears. The line features industry-leading in its size class power-to-weight ratios, jaw opening sizes, cycle times and hydraulic efficiency. The attachment series, which debuts with the DXS-50 model, is ideal for scrap processing, tire recycling and demolition. “We designed the DXS Series to enhance contractors’ productivity and ROI,” said Francois Martin, KINSHOFER North America general manager. “Traditionally, more power means a larger cylinder, which results in a bigger, heavier shear and, often, a larger machine. The DXS-50 has the same-sized cylinder as shears in the same weight class, but with 20 percent more power, allowing our customers to achieve higher performance without investing in larger carriers. This saves them money up front while improving their ROI with the attachment’s production-boosting qualities.” 20

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

KINSHOFER’s DemaPower™ cylinder technology gives the DXS-50 the same power as shears two sizes larger. The cylinder uses four chambers instead of the two found in other shears, resulting in 20 percent more surface area within the cylinder. That allows the DXS Series to exert up to 25 percent more power from a smaller attachment, resulting in the best power-to-weight ratio in its size class. The 4,500-kilogram DXS-50 features a closing force of 10,700 kN, compared to 8,210 kN from its 4,100-kilogram predecessor, the DRS-45. Like the DRS-45, the DXS-50 is suited for 25- to 35-tonne carriers when boom mounted, and 32- to 50-tonne carriers when stick mounted. This means contractors can achieve a closing force equivalent to shears two sizes up, requiring a minimum 32-ton carrier, on an excavator weighing 7 tonnes less. In addition, the cylinder technology allowed KINSHOFER to design the DXS-50 with a jaw opening 740mm wide by 780mm deep - larger than any other shear in its weight class, as well as some larger models.

The DXS-50 reduces carrier fuel consumption by up to 20 percent compared to competitive shear models. The attachment’s efficient design allows it to function normally when the carrier is set in economy mode, achieving the same performance as a competitive shear on an excavator running at full throttle. The DXS-50’s high power-to-weight ratio makes the attachment ideal for top-down demolition, both because contractors can use smaller carriers and because the attachment’s light weight and superior cylinder technology improve fuel efficiency while the excavator arm is fully extended. In addition, KINSHOFER designed the attachment with a narrow frame to allow operators to better see their work. KINSHOFER’s double-acting speed valves and innovative cylinder technology also give the DXS-50 superior jaw closing and opening speeds. The cycle time is as fast as 5.5 seconds, 50 percent faster than any model in the attachment’s weight class. Competitive models use a single-acting speed valve that allows only for a fast opening speed or closing speed, not both. The DXS-50’s fast cycle times, coupled with its high power and low fuel consumption, allow contractors to complete jobs faster at a lower cost, improving ROI. Rotation-equipped models feature 360-degree continuous rotation on an oversized slewing ring to bear high forces, shock loads and bending. The rotation model also includes heavy-duty motors for maximum rotation torque. KINSHOFER designs the attachment to minimize downtime, with no protruding components that could become damaged. Convenient service openings give contractors fast access to shear hoses and hydraulics. The DXS-50 also features a piercing tip that can be welded again and replaced.

ABOUT KINSHOFER KINSHOFER is one of the world’s leading sources of high-quality attachments for excavators and loader cranes. Founded in Germany in 1971, the KINSHOFER Group includes the KINSHOFER, Demarec, RF Systems, Auger Torque and Solesbee’s brands. KINSHOFER offers a wide product range with just about every type of attachment for equipment carriers with and without hydraulics in industries as diverse as scrap, demolition, railway, landscaping, construction, snow clearing, excavating, road building, forestry, tire recycling and biomass. For further information, please visit: www.kinshofer.com

See the video of the Reverse Smart AEB in action: www.reversesmart.com.au/how-does-it-work

The state-of-the-art Reverse Smart AEB system has been speciďŹ cally designed to reduce the incidents of large vehicles or mobile plant impacting workers or objects while reversing.

By providing an additional level of protection, including an engineering control that can stop the vehicle by automatically applying the brakes, the Reverse Smart system can signiďŹ cantly reduce the risk of impacts, injuries and workplace fatalities.

Step 1 : Object detected while reversing. Step 2 : Vehicle continues to reverse towards object. Step 3 : Reverse Smart AEB system automatically applies the brakes and stops the vehicle.

For further information, or to arrange a demonstration, please visit:

www.a1reversingsystems.com.au or contact Davin Hamnett Ph: 0419 177 199

or A1 Reversing Systems Pty Ltd Ph: 03 9765 9444

NWRIC NEWS

Jurisdictional task forces needed to protect recycling Following the onset of the Chinese National Sword Program, the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) has called on each State and Territory to form a ‘recycling task force’ to review their current practices and establish sustainable recycling activities for the future. Taking effect from January 1, 2018, the Chinese ‘National Sword’ program imposes vastly higher contamination standards on recycled materials exported to China. Materials exported must now have 0.5% contamination or less - compared to 5% to 10% previously. This program has caused an unforeseen and sudden crash in the price of recycled materials. It has also left a significant volume of material ‘stranded’, with no end market available. Preliminary Commonwealth figures suggested that 1.25 million tonnes of material was exported to China in 2016/17 including 920 thousand tonnes of paper and

cardboard, 203 thousand tonnes of metals and 125 thousand tonnes of plastics. In this context, the NWRIC is calling on each State and Territory to establish a ‘recycling task force’ to review and improve current practices and develop new processes to protect and advance domestic recycling. Challenges the ‘task forces’ could address include; • Products to accept in household recycling bins, • Education to reduced contamination, • Recycling labelling, • An approach to glass collection, • Maximising value from container deposit programs, • A review of packaging design and reuse, • A review of how landfill levies effect recycling, and • A review of contract conditions for recyclers. The Council also believes this challenge

creates an opportunity to establish a leading approach to container deposit programs that will support and protect material recovery facilities. Further investment and innovation can target a higher quality output for use in Australian remanufacturing. An effective response on the Chinese National Sword program will require intergovernmental involvement coupled with wide industry representation. Each task force should include representation from planning departments, EPAs and change management agencies such as Sustainability Victoria or the WA Waste Authority. Further, the task forces should include state and national local government associations, state and national industry bodies, the Australian Packaging Covenant and remanufacturing companies. The NWRIC welcomes the opportunity to work with Government to protect and advance recycling.

A Queensland waste strategy can support jobs and the environment The National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) supports the new waste strategy recently announced by the Palaszczuk Government, but cautions that a potential landfill levy must create jobs and investment for Queenslanders. Together with the Waste Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ) - the Council welcomes the March 20 announcement by the Palaszczuk Government for a re-invigorated waste strategy for Queensland. One important choice being negotiated as part of the new waste strategy is a potential landfill levy for the State. If a levy is implemented, the NWRIC supports the recommendation of the Honourable Peter Lyons QC - that a levy must apply to all waste generated in the State - not just commercial waste. This recommendation was also echoed by Queensland Treasury in its Interim Report Economic Opportunities for Queensland’s Waste Industry. If implemented, the Council believes a waste levy must be applied over the largest area possible in order to prevent unnecessary waste transport - or be applied based on where waste is generated. It must not be set at a rate or structured in a 22

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

way which makes recycling less viable. For example, where recyclate such as scrap metal is being exported, the cost of disposing of shredder floc must not make Australia’s exports less competitive. The imposition of a landfill levy could also generate funds which can be reinvested into infrastructure planning, education, enforcement of standards and grants for innovation and research. Where money is given for infrastructure investment, it should be distributed via low interest loans and be equally available to all industry players. The NWRIC expects the introduction of a landfill levy in SE Queensland will stop the unnecessary interstate transport of inert waste, with as much as one million tonnes estimated to be flowing out of NSW in SE Queensland in the last year. NSW must also take responsibility for this problem. One solution to this problem is for NSW to bring into force its new ‘Minimum Standards for Managing Construction and Demolition Waste’, as soon as possible. This standard contains important initiatives designed to stem the flow of interstate waste and promote the development of new recycling infrastructure. If implemented, two important policy

programs must also accompany a universal and fair landfill levy. Without these programs, improvements in resource recovery will not be possible. Firstly, Queensland must provide ‘resource recovery precincts’ for waste and recycling infrastructure which are protected from residential and commercial encroachment. Secondly, States must empower regulators to effectively enforce standards equally across the industry. The private sector will not invest into recycling when they can be commercially undermined by those who do not obey the law or submit to regulatory standards. “Effective planning for waste management and recycling infrastructure will ensure the public is not adversely affected by these essential services - while landfill levy revenue could be used to fund new and ongoing enforcement initiatives,” said Mr Phil Richards, Chairman of the NWRIC. Council members commit to the highest social, environmental and economic standards for waste management and recycling. They stand ready to assist the Palaszczuk Government with its welcome plan to improve resource recovery and generate jobs for Queenslanders.

No-one in Australia goes further in recycling rubber. Every year, thousands of tonnes of tyres are dumped illegally. This is a major environmental and public health concern; but it neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be. In Australia, Tyrecycle is the market leader in tyre recycling, with a national network of collection and processing facilities. Our recycled rubber is used for sporting and playground surfaces, tile adhesives, brake pads and much more. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just another way of working towards our own goal of zero waste to landfill. To learn more about us visit tyrecycle.com.au call 1300 4 TYRECYCLE (1300 489 732) or email sales@tyrecycle.com.au

NWRIC NEWS

NSW Senate’s new ‘waste plan’ welcome and comprehensive

Alex Serpo, Policy Officer, NWRIC

The NSW Senate has released a comprehensive and welcome reform plan for waste and recycling in NSW, writes Alex Serpo, policy officer at the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council. It all began with a simple premise - review Dial a Dump’s proposal to build a waste to energy facility at Eastern Creek. Public opposition has been fierce. The NSW Senate, compelled by public opinion and the Greens, launched the mundanely titled Portfolio Committee No. 6 Planning and Environment - Waste to energy technology enquiry. The NSW Senate team, seeking to get an understanding of the risks and opportunities of waste to energy, called in a comprehensive lineup of industry associations, experts and top executives. Perhaps to the surprise of the Senate, most experts had little to say on waste to energy, other than it represents a lost opportunity for the State. Instead, the industry’s brightest used their Senate appearances to catalogue the key reform failures and barriers to advancing waste and recycling in NSW. This resulted in a final report, released on March 28, of which only three of the eight chapters address waste to energy or the Dial a Dump proposal. As experts testified, the terms of reference for the enquiry grew like tomato seeds in fresh compost, offering the fruits of reform in every possible direction. Issues addressed in the final report include; planning, illegal dumping, regulatory enforcement, levies, recycling residuals, waste to energy plus a lot of content on the role and performance of the NSW EPA. The final recommendations are in my view an excellent catalogue of the regulatory reforms needed to advance waste and recycling in NSW. The final report makes 36 recommendations, few of which are sheepish. If you have the time, they’re worthy reading. Consider ‘Recommendation 6’ - “That the NSW Government urgently consider attaching the waste levy to the waste generator in NSW, particularly for large waste generators”. Or Recommendation 21 - “That the NSW Government investigate options to restructure the NSW EPA so it can improve its performance.” Broadly, the 36 recommendations offered by the Senate review validate what the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) have identified as the three most important reform priorities. They are - better 24

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

enforcement of regulations, better planning for waste and recycling facilities and reform of landfill levies. Most of the recommendations in the report address these priorities. I’ll briefly address each of these three topics. In regard to enforcement, the key suggestions from the Senate report include; giving additional resources to the EPA to police illegal dumping, that the EPA strengthen its relationship with NSW Police and finally that GPS tracking and drones have an important role to play. Broadly speaking they’re obvious recommendations. If waste from Sydney to south east Queensland was to stop, then NSW would have an additional “$155 million” per year in levy income to pursue these initiatives. There are also some less obvious, but welcome recommendations on enforcement. For example; “…the NSW EPA complete the draft protocol calculating the quantum of the monetary benefit from illegal dumping and landfilling in NSW”. That would make for interesting reading. Next, planning. The report makes this very welcome recommendation; “That the NSW Government identify a government body … responsible for leading waste management infrastructure planning in NSW.” Further, this body should collaborate with the Department of Planning and include suitable buffer zones in its review. In my view, this is the single most important recommendation of the Senate report. The report also identifies two other important planning reforms. Firstly, that as currently structured, Regional Organisations of Councils don’t have sufficient power to effectively tender for infrastructure. The report recommends “…the NSW Government enhance the collaborative powers of the Regional Organisations of Councils to encourage investment in waste facilities, to be funded by the waste levy.” The report also identifies that under Waste Less, Recycle More - money received cannot be used to purchase land for waste and recycling infrastructure. Further, grants issued aren’t sufficient to establish new infrastructure, they focus on ‘piecemeal’

improvements to existing infrastructure and systems. The NWRIC has also established a solution to this problem. As I have written previously, the NWRIC recommends a ‘national recycling bank’, funded by the waste levy, which gives low or no interest loans for infrastructure and innovation. The approach solves this problem and many others. Most importantly, it makes every levy dollar go further, as the money comes back. While the Senate report explores levy reform, this is one of its areas of weakness. It touches on the two key issues arising from the very high landfill levy in NSW - interstate waste and the cost of disposing of recycling residuals. Ironically, the title of the report is perhaps the best solution to the recycling residual problem - these residuals should go to waste to energy rather than landfill and therefore attract no levy. However, this only half the solution. The other half of the solution is this - when recycling - the waste generator needs to be liable for the final disposal cost of contamination. For example - with local government, the cost of disposing of what Visy calls ‘wish cycling’ materials should be billed directly back to local government. With commercial contracts, this liability should flow back to the waste generator. This process ensures that recycling exports are internationally competitive. Our domestic recyclers aren’t hindered by the high cost of local landfill or waste to energy. Meanwhile, a real and positive market incentive is passed back to the waste generator to ensure that their recycling stream is clean. Great source separators will pay less, commercial recyclers will export more. The NWRIC would welcome the implementation of any or all of the recommendations from the NSW Portfolio Committee No. 6 - Planning and Environment - Waste to energy technology enquiry. As the report notes “…there are many, pressing issues facing the waste and recycling industry in NSW”. Now is the time to seize the opportunity.

PRODUCT BRIEF

Sewer bypass pump A new 6” diesel drive sewer bypass pump has been introduced by Australian Pump Industries. Called the MQ600TD, the big pump delivers flows of up to 6,000 lpm and is capable of heads as high as 46 metres. The pump is designed to handle a wide range of solids in suspension including compressible sewage wastewater. It has excellent self-priming characteristics due to the huge integrated priming tank, and heavy duty cast iron body. That priming tank enables the unit to prime from as low as 7.6 metres, providing a vertical lift which is ideal for sewage. The design also incorporates a large front mounted clean-out port, which enables the impeller and volute to be cleaned out in the event of a blockage in a matter of minutes. Best of all, the action can be carried out without disconnecting pipework. The pump is powered by a heavy duty Deutz air cooled diesel engine and is fitted to a sturdy steel skid base incorporating 15 litre fuel tank. The impeller and volute are from high SG cast iron for long trouble-free life. The seals are oil lubricated tungsten titanium carbide. The pump’s big advantages are its inherent design with large interior water passages that are obstruction free. The pumps can be trailer mounted for ease of movement and Camloc quick couplings or Bauer fittings can be supplied to suit user requirements.

The Aussie MQ600TD 6” trash pump provides sewage bypass rescue and also doubles as a flood mitigation pump.

Australian Pump offer a full range of super heavy duty contractor style rubber suction hose, which is flexible and kink resistant as well as a top quality rubber ribbed and abrasive resistant discharge hose assembly. All machines are supplied as standard with heavy duty strainers. “The machine’s design enables it to handle a wide range of solids in suspension, easily handling sewage in the event of an emergency breakdown or power outage,” said Aussie Pumps’ Chief Engineer, John Hales. The system is able to provide improved operational efficiency and substantially reduce through life costs. “The easy access to the impeller means cleanout can be accomplished quickly where required,” John Hales added “while the heavy duty high SG cast iron body easily handles fibre, sludge, sanitary wipes and even plastic bags.” Further information on the new Aussie 6” pump is available from Australian Pump Industries or authorised distributors throughout Australia. Please visit: www.aussiepumps.com.au

Tecpro Dust Suppression

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Call (02) 9634 3370 or email sales@tecpro.com.au to obtain the best dust suppression solution for your application. Technical Solutions You Can Rely On

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WASTE TO ENERGY

Waste Not, Want Not: A pyrolysis process to tackle Australia’s waste

At the start of the decade Australia was ranked in the top five waste producing nations per capita. With the population currently standing at 24.5m and growing at an average of 1.5% , waste generation is on the rise by almost six percent a year. We annually produce 50m tonnes of waste. That’s more than two tonnes per person. For 20 years recycling has been the main approach for recovering resources and reducing landfill. The waste industry recycles and incinerates around half of the waste generated, with the remainder being landfilled. Clearly more needs to be done to tackle this issue. Part of the solution lies in investing and implementing alternative technologies that convert waste to energy. In addition to addressing the waste issue, this approach provides a growing population with alternative energy sources. Advanced Conversion Technology (ACT) has long been considered the next generation of thermal treatment. Designed to recover energy from waste in the form of electricity, heat, gas, fuels or fertilisers, these technologies use the process of pyrolysis or gasification. Recently, significant technological advancements have been made in pyrolysis.

High Temperature Pyrolysis and the distributed power model Anergy’s High Temperature Pyrolysis (HTP) thermochemical technology heats organic waste, plastics or biomass at elevated temperatures. A kiln reactor processes waste at 800°C+, as opposed to the 500-600°C used by traditional pyrolysis models. At this higher temperature, tars can also be broken down into gaseous components and processed. 26

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HTP installations can be constructed on site and are typically available in 3MWe (3tph) modules. Northern Oil Refinery recently installed a HTP plant at Yarwun, near Gladstone, Queensland, as part of the government’s Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant program. Currently, the plant processes waste to produce bio crude oil which is then refined and converted into renewable fuel.

Powering a Sustainable Future

Mini power plants Anergy’s containerised plant solution is where things get interesting. The containerised plants are small-scale power plants constructed within shipping containers for easy installation. They are not reliant on a large-scale power infrastructure and so offer remote and isolated communities a viable waste to energy solution. The same applies to areas where fuel poverty is rife, such as in the Indigenous Australian community. Here, access to the national grid is limited, if available at all, and much reliance is placed on diesel generators. Diesel and gas are subject to price fluctuations and in rural and indigenous communities are often only affordable with government subsidies. Containerised plants can help address the problem. Small power plants based on site means waste is turned into clean energy where it’s needed. This distributed power model is cheap and convenient to set up as it does not require an existing power grid infrastructure. Furthermore, the model reduces transmission losses and transport costs. Using HTP, remote villages can covert waste into power and clean water. A series of containers increases the possibilities.

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

WASTE TO ENERGY

The final part of the process disperses exhaust gas from the engines. Any excess is burnt in an enclosed combustor and dispelled.

Scalability

Waste heat can be used to provide central heating, or air conditioning in the case of hot climates. Sewerage processing is also possible; the resulting sludge waste can then be processed in the plant.

Anergy’s waste to energy process So, what exactly does the HTP process involve and what energy solutions does it provide? Initially, waste material is fed into the pyrolysis unit where it is cooked in a slowly revolving oxygen-free heat tube. The exit of the pyrolysis unit has two streams, one solid and one gas, where the waste is converted into char and syngas (an unrefined fuel gas that consists primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and often some carbon dioxide) respectively. This differs from conventional pyrolysis that results in the production of a solid, gas and liquid, all of which require further processing to be converted into a valuable product. The solid char stream is stockpiled for use as a secondary combustion agent for biochar applications, such as fuel. Depending on the feedstock, it can also be used as activated carbon to purify liquids and gases in a variety of applications, including municipal drinking water and industrial pollution control. The syngas goes through a reforming process and is converted into hydrocarbons which are used as fuel for combustion, particularly in heating and motor fuel applications. The gas then passes through a scrubbing system to remove residual dust or tars. As a clean energy source the syngas produced has a high calorific value (typically above 20MJ/kg), which is advantageous as, unlike the products that result from the gasification, allows for a high efficiency conversion to electricity. In gasification, tar is usually an undesired by-product as it results in the formation of coke, fouls downstream units and can deactivate catalysts. The syngas powers the engines of the pyrolysis unit which in turn spin alternators to generate electricity. The electricity can be used on site or exported back into the grid. 28

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The amount of clean energy that can be produced by HTP varies based on size, location and feedstock. Anergy’s standard, modular fixed plant solution processes around 3.5 tonnes per hour and produces in the order of 3MW of electricity which is enough to power 3000 homes. The semi-portable containerised unit produces up to 1MW of electricity. The cost to produce the resulting clean energy using HTP also depends on the aforementioned variables of size, location and feedstock. For the containerised units, in terms of power production, the easiest comparison to make is against diesel generators as this is what the units typically replace. At standard fuel prices a diesel generator will produce power at a cost of 0.45-0.55c/kWh. To put this into perspective, and assuming feedstock can be sourced at minimal cost, a plant replacing a diesel generator can pay for itself in three to six months. From an environmental perspective, the adoption of HTP can help slow down climate change and reduce greenhouse gases. Biochar, a by-product of the process depending on the feedstock, is being investigated as an approach to carbon sequestration; a process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in a solid or liquid form. HTP facilitates the long-term storage requirements for sequestration.

Implementation is key In the past, the adoption of pyrolysis to tackle a variety of large scale waste has not taken off as the technology was not advanced enough. Now with half the battle won it’s the implementation of the technology to convert the two tonnes of waste produced by each person to generate clean, low carbon power that counts. For further information, please visit: www.anergy.com/contact-us.php

References: • http://theconversation.com/capturing-the-true-wealth-ofaustralias-waste-82644 • https://blog.mraconsulting.com.au/2016/04/20/state-of-waste-2016current-and-future-australian-trends/ • https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/0a517ed774cb-418b-9319-7624491e4921/files/factsheet-australian-context_0. pdf • https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/ d075c9bc-45b3-4ac0-a8f2-6494c7d1fa0d/files/national-wastereport-2016.pdf

RENEWABLE ENERGY

ARENA to provide $25 million to jointly fund Victoria’s first largescale, grid-connected batteries The Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced it will match the $25 million by the Victorian Government to jointly fund Victoria’s first two large-scale, grid-connected batteries as part of the Victorian energy storage initiative. The $50 million in funding will see the rollout of two battery projects which will together deliver 55 MW of power and can provide approximately 80 MWh of energy storage capacity. The lithium-ion batteries are to be located at the Gannawarra solar farm near Kerang, and in Warrenheip, Ballarat. Together, these projects will help ease constraints on transmission lines in Western Victoria that currently curtail the output of existing wind and solar farms and will also help to support future renewable generation. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said that this announcement places Australia as a worldleader in battery storage, following grid-scale batteries in South Australia. “ARENA is excited to be demonstrating the capabilities that these new batteries will provide in securing reliable electricity for western Victoria and to facilitate the Victoria’s

transition to renewable energy,” Mr Frischknecht said. “Battery storage will play a crucial role in the future energy mix, alongside other forms of storage and in conjunction with variable renewables and demand management,” he said. In total, $25 million will be provided to a consortium led by Spotless Sustainability Services to build a 30 MW / 30 MWh largescale, grid-connected battery located at the Ballarat terminal station. This battery is to supplied by Fluence and owned by AusNet. This project will demonstrate how batteries can help provide grid stability and support on a congested transmission terminal, at a critical location, reducing the need to expand the substation. The battery will be capable of powering 20,000 homes for an hour. The battery will help to increase the amount of energy supplied by surrounding wind and solar generation, at reduced cost. A further $25 million will fund a second battery to be built at Gannawarra near Kerang, Victoria. This 25 MW / 50 MWh battery will be co-located and integrated with the 60 MW Gannawarra Solar Farm. This battery will be owned by Edify Energy

and its partner Wirsol, and the battery will be supplied by Tesla. This project will demonstrate how an existing solar farm can be retrofitted with battery storage. Both batteries will be operated by EnergyAustralia under long-term offtake agreements. Both Victorian batteries will help demonstrate how large-scale batteries can provide different benefits to the electricity system, including improving grid stability and power quality, and how they can help integrate more variable renewable energy into the grid. Construction is due to commence in late March, with both batteries to be commissioned in time for the summer peak. Spotless CEO Dana Nelson said: “It’s an exciting time for Spotless and the utilities industry.” “Spotless is pleased to take a lead role to introduce renewable energy solutions. We’ve brought together leading utilities experience and proven energy storage technology to deliver this Victorian first.” Edify Energy CEO John Cole said: “We are very proud to have designed and delivered the first combined utility scale solar and storage facility in Victoria. It is unprecedented in Australia at this scale and is among the largest in the world.” “The team has worked tirelessly to overcome many regulatory, technical and commercial challenges and create a very cool project – one that can deploy solar power at night.” “Without a doubt as the cost of battery storage falls, we see solar and storage becoming a ‘category killer’ in the energy sector and accelerating Australia’s transition to a clean energy future,” he said. For further information, please visit: www.arena.gov.au

Masdar Institute and Cleanergy Partner in Research on Thermal Energy Storage for CSP System Renewable energy solutions that can deliver on-demand electricity and store energy when renewable resources are available, is the key component for transitioning into fossil fuel-free power generation. Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which is part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and the Swedish solar technology company Cleanergy have signed 30

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a service agreement to jointly engage in research on solutions for a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system to integrate with Cleanergy's Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Stirling-based solar electricity technology. Cleanergy and Masdar Institute will under the agreement conduct research and development to determine the optimal TES material to achieve dispatchable solar

electricity with the Stirling CSP system. The development of a reliable and highly efficient TES and its integration with the Stirling CSP system is of key importance for the product. It is believed that this storage solution combined with Cleanergy´s highly efficient Stirling engines will produce scalable and dispatchable renewable electricity at very competitive cost, thanks to the system's modular design.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

"Thermal energy storage coupled with concentrating solar power is a promising solution for providing on-demand, utilityscale electrical power. While Cleanergy's Stirling CSP system provides an efficient method for converting thermal heat to electricity, the system must integrate energy storage so that it can provide a steady supply of energy day and night, and become cost-competitive with solar photovoltaics and fossil fuels," said Dr Steve Griffiths, Interim Executive Vice President for Research at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This collaboration will focus on identifying the best performing phasechanging PCM materials that will enable Cleanergy's Stirling CSP System to produce and store solar energy for extended periods of time,â&#x20AC;? Dr Griffiths added. "Combining Cleanergy's team of experts with the team from Masdar Institute will shorten the time to market for the Cleanergy

TES solution. Masdar Institute with a strong position in renewable energy research, located in the MENA epicentre of solar energy expansion is the obvious research partner for TES development. During 2018 we will show that we are well on the road towards producing distributed on-demand electricity cheaper than any fossilgenerated," says Jonas Eklind CEO. Masdar Institute's expertise in CSP and TES systems has attracted a number of interested academic and industrial partners from around the world. The Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP) - which is a unique CSP and TES research facility that enables researchers to demonstrate and validate novel CSP-related systems in desert harsh environment - was launched in 2015 to spur the development of CSP and TES technologies. The institute's strong capabilities in energy storage materials characterization are what attracted Cleanergy to partner with the advanced energy and sustainability-focused university to explore TES materials for its innovative Stirling-CSP system. "Innovations in TES are critical to the advancement of sustainable energy

solutions in the UAE and around the world," said Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Masdar Institute, and the principal investigator on the project. "Our collaboration with Cleanergy aims to generate the knowledge and technologies needed to take advantage of the highly efficient Stirling engine and rapidly move Cleanergy's solar thermal energy technologies to the market," Dr. Calvet added. A demonstrator of the disruptive TES system will be presented in June 2018.

ABOUT CLEANERGY Cleanergy is a privately held Swedish high-tech SME specialized in the supply of Stirling enginebased renewable energy solutions. The company has its headquarters in Gothenburg, with 60+ employees and production facilities located in the heart of the Nordic automotive and aerospace clusters on the west-coast of Sweden. The Stirling engine is produced in a state-of-the-art assembly line, the company has access to the most advanced material suppliers and engineering centres of excellence in Northern Europe. For further information, please visit: www.cleanergy.com

LONGi Solar to set up module manufacturing facility in India to meet demand Chinese solar products manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd, along with its wholly-owned subsidiary LONGi Solar, the world's leading manufacturer of mono cells and modules, has announced plans to expand its solar cell and module factory in India's Andhra Pradesh region to meet the country's rapidly-rising demand for solar energy and to increase LONGi's overseas sales. Responding to growing market demand, LONGi will invest $309 million, including about $240 million in construction investment and roughly $68 million in working capital, to double the capacity of its cell and module factory in Andhra Pradesh from 500MW to 1GW respectively. Construction on the expanded module factory is scheduled to be completed and production will commence by the end of August 2019, while the cell factory is set to start production in January 2020. "The expansion of our Andhra Pradesh factory is part of LONGi's global growth strategy. While global demand for solar

modules continues to grow, LONGi is making moderate capacity investments in select markets to hedge against the risks of trade protectionism, while remaining focused on the Chinese domestic market," said Mr Wenxue Li, the president of LONGi Solar. "According to preliminary estimates, the new expansion will support $380 million in annual sales and roughly $19 million in net profit every year," he said. "India is already China's biggest export market for solar products by sales value. During 2017, China's exports accounted for 24.1 percent of India's solar products, with sales growth seen in both cells and modules," Mr. Wenxue Li said. The project is being operated by Lerri Solar Technology (India) Private Ltd, which is 40 percent owned by LONGi and 60 percent owned by LONGi Solar. Expanding production capacity in India will enable LONGi to take advantage of India's rich local resources, low costs and generous

policies toward the solar industry. It's also an opportunity for LONGi to accelerate its overseas expansion and boost its share of the global market for mono-crystalline products.

ABOUT LONGI GREEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd is the largest manufacturer of mono-crystalline products in the world. Through 18 years of efforts the company has expanded its product line from mono ingots and wafers to cells and modules, and even the solar solution.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

CLIMATE CHANGE

Testing our flora’s ability to cope with climate change We know that the heat is uncomfortable for humans and animals, but how does our native flora fare? New Western Sydney University research has offered a glimpse of whether our trees will cope with ever-rising average temperatures and extreme, prolonged heatwaves. The researchers, based within the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, used the unique Whole Tree Chambers located at the University’s Hawkesbury campus to impose a year of warming and then a four-day, high-intensity heatwave on trees local to the Sydney region. The findings, published in Global Change Biology, reveal the mechanisms by which Australian eucalypts stay functional under heatwave conditions – and have led to a better understanding of how trees cope with heatwave conditions. The Whole Tree Chambers are unique in their ability to grow nearly full-height trees in a fully controlled environment and to be able to precisely and accurately measure the trees’ rates of photosynthesis and water use. Within the chambers, researchers imposed an additional 3 degrees Celsius on Parramatta Gums (Eucalyptus parramattensis) to simulate the impacts of higher average temperatures in the Sydney region. After 12 months – in which time the trees grew to more than 6 metres – researchers then imposed four days of heat at 43 degrees Celsius. The results revealed that these native trees showed a remarkable capacity to cope with the heatwave, using a range of different strategies to avoid being damaged by the heat: • The trees stopped their leaves from reaching critically high temperatures by evaporating large quantities of water, in a process called transpiration that is akin to sweating. Under dry conditions, plants would normally stop transpiring in order to conserve water. In heatwaves, in contrast, trees must keep using water to avoid leaf damage from burning. • To maintain the high rates of transpiration, the trees sourced water from throughout the soil profile, to depths of 1.5 metres and below, demonstrating the efficiency with which eucalypts find and extract water. • Trees also rapidly increased their high-temperature tolerance. Within 24 hours of the start of the heatwave, the threshold temperature at which leaves start to become damaged had increased by 2 degrees Celsius. 32

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Professor Mark Tjoelker explains that the importance of this research lies in precisely measuring the performance of a eucalypt species that is being pushed to its temperature limits over a period of days. “What normally happens is that a tree’s use of water and its rate of photosynthesis are closely related and this process is the basis of how scientists predict what the effects of a warmer Australia on trees and forests will be,” says Professor Tjoelker. “Under these extreme temperatures, this relationship changes completely – the trees can no longer photosynthesise, but they continue to use a lot of water to keep their leaves from reaching damagingly high temperatures. In addition, the ability to increase the high-temperature tolerance of their leaves helps to explain how eucalypts cope with heatwaves that would burn the leaves of other species”. Dr John Drake, formerly of the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and now a researcher at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in the United States, explains that there is a limit to all plants’ ability to adjust to heat even if some species adapt better than others. “We were surprised how well these eucalypts acclimated to the heatwaves and maintained their function,” says Dr Drake. “This indicates that eucalypts can tolerate elevated temperatures and significant heatwave events as long as they have access to water. If heat and drought combine, then we may see more damage occurring and the potential for tree mortality”, he says. The research is published at: www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/gcb.14037/full The video is available to view at: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vC5y8XehfYI

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FOCUS ON WATER

Demand for off grid zero emission desalination set to grow The world has very little fresh water and it is running out. At tens of billions of tonnes yearly, the fresh water of the ice caps is falling into the salty sea which is already 97% of the world’s water. Rising sea levels will cause mayhem with the supplies of most of the world’s cities because they sit low down near the sea. Much of India’s water table drops around 0.3 meters a year. Why? Growing population. The barren farms of Syria show what happens when you extract all the ground water. Recycling of water is practiced only by a tiny percentage of the world’s countries. All this means that desalination gets more competitive even if its cost stays still: the competition such as cleaning river water or lakes or sucking up dying aquifers is either disappearing or getting more expensive. Desalination can work on salt lakes: the Caspian Sea has 70% of global inland salt water yet it is almost surrounded by water stressed regions. Actually, inland brackish water is 100 times as abundant as salt lakes and desalination can tackle it using much less energy than is needed for seawater. So what is not to like? Well in the past desalination has been so expensive that it has been last resort, with Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Kuwait getting all or most of their water that way because they have no alternative. Desalination plants have got bigger and bigger with costs rising past the $1 billion level and they have often damaged oceanic wildlife by sucking in fish eggs and so on and spewing out concentrated brine in a poorly controlled way that kills wild life. In most countries, the most competitive desalination technology remains reverse osmosis using electric pumps where electricity cost can be dominant. Desalination plants have almost always satisfied their huge appetite for electricity by fossil fuel plants on site or behind their grid connection warming the globe with carbon dioxide, some emitting localised poisonous gases as well. However, the good news is that all this is being tackled very successfully. Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest operating desalination plant and it burns a lot of gas as does the 140MW one in Israel. However, Saudi Arabia 34

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is going entirely solar. The cooler country, China, is starting to need a lot of desalination so it is deploying a lot of wind + solar and solar alone desalination plants with zero emission. In fact, as with grid supply, the zero emission options are rapidly becoming lower cost than burning fossil fuels. Yes, there are other options such as biosaline agriculture giving kelp to samphire and quinoa but all are needed because we have to drink too. Desalination is practised in about 150 countries, with many more joining the fray. Demand is now so varied that plants of all sizes are now needed and in numbers and later volume of water, the medium and small ones may show greatest growth in future despite several monsters being planned. Economy of scale can be more than a matter of making ever larger plants. Indeed, these are already into diminishing returns. Economy of scale can also mean mass production of standard medium and small sized plants and that work has scarcely begun. With cyberattacks and weather shutting down grids in and their electricity prices typically rising, the dropping costs of off grid zero emission electricity are increasingly preferred, with the user enjoying both predictability and rapid adjustment. A new IDTechEx report, “Desalination: Off Grid Zero Emission 2018-2028” predicts that, coming from very little in 2018, off grid zero emission desalination will be a rapidly growing $35 billion market in 2028. The report looks closely at its roadmap of exciting new desalination and electricity technologies that will boost performance and reduce cost, in particular the two reducing what is usually the largest cost element – electricity. It looks at technology that embraces photovoltaics, Aerial Wind Energy AWE such as tethered kites (which are proving to be more affordable and versatile than ground wind turbines) and many new forms of water power that viably downsize and are sufficiently rugged and free of marine growth. It looks closely at combinations of harvesting technologies for security of supply and minimising storage. There is a lot of benchmarking best practice in other industries ahead in these aspects for all sizes.

This 160-page report covering 79 organisations is replete with new infograms and forecasts. They clarify such things as the increasing interaction and integration in this emerging industry. Desalination plants will refill the Dead Sea while providing drinking water and many will provide spare electricity for communities. Some will be part of village, island and ship microgrids. How many islands? Which countries? What is best practice? It is here including future desalination options and why certain ones are dying out. The increasingly popular mobile desalinators will sometimes double as transport, provide electricity for farm robots not just water and some will replace increasingly unaffordable diesel gensets expensively modified to meet new emissions laws and involving yesterday’s crippling fuel supply systems. There are many strategies for avoiding those expensive, dangerous, short lived batteries in desalination and actual examples are given. For “Desalination: Off Grid Zero Emission 2018-2028”, multi-lingual PhD level analysts from IDTechEx have carried out interviews worldwide, mined restricted databases and thought creatively on your behalf, presenting many new ideas. The research was carried out in 2017/8 and it is constantly updated. There are drill down reports for those wanting even more. They cover AWE, off grid overview, electricity from urban infrastructure and much more. For further information, please visit: www.IDTechEx.com/desalination

SEWERAGE

THE ULTIMATE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

Revolutionary new filter can improve drinking water quality UNSW scientists have developed a world-first, graphene-based, laboratory-scale filter that can remove more than 99% of the ubiquitous natural organic matter left behind during conventional treatment of drinking water. In a research collaboration with Sydney Water, the team has demonstrated the success of the approach in laboratory tests on filtered water from the Nepean Water Filtration Plant in western Sydney and is working to scale up the new technology. The results of some of the ground-breaking research are published in the journal Carbon. The project is led by Dr Rakesh Joshi of the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Veena Sahajwalla and Professor Vicki Chen of UNSW, and Dr Heriberto Bustamante of Sydney Water. “Our advance is to use filters based on graphene – an extremely thin form of carbon. No other filtration method has come close to removing 99% of natural organic matter from water at low pressure,” Dr Joshi said. “Our results indicate that graphene-based membranes could be converted into an alternative new option that could in the future be retrofitted in conventional water treatment plants.” Sydney Water supplies clean water to about 4.8 million people in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. These natural organic matter contaminants can affect the performance of direct filtration plants, reducing their capacity after heavy rain. “The most common methods used at present to remove organic matter from water supplies include the application of chemical coagulants,” said Dr Bustamante. “However, these existing treatments are only partly effective, particularly as the concentration of natural organic matter is increasing.” Dr Joshi said: “The new treatment system is made by converting naturally occurring graphite into graphene oxide membranes that allow high water flow at atmospheric pressure, while removing virtually all of the organic matter.” Dr Joshi has an international reputation in this area, having published many highly cited articles including one in the journal Science on graphene oxide-based filtration in 2014 while working at the University of Manchester with Nobel Laureate Sir Andre Geim. The UNSW team is upgrading the experimental rig to construct a small pilot plant that could be tested in the field.

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Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

FOCUS ON WATER

Warragamba Dam viewing platform reopened following asbestos removal

Water, sanitation and hygiene are critical to tackling malnutrition International development organisation WaterAid has warned that world leaders hoping to tackle the global malnutrition crisis must not neglect the vital bedrock of water, sanitation and hygiene. WaterAid’s Global Nutrition Report, includes a strong call to action for sectors including agriculture, health, rural development and water, sanitation and hygiene to work together effectively to address the underlying causes of malnutrition. However, WaterAid warns that world leaders must now move from words to invest in urgent action if global goals to end malnutrition are to be met. The report states that 155 million children under 5 globally are still stunted, the development of their brains and bodies damaged irreversibly as a result of undernutrition early in life. Up to 50% of undernutrition is related to infections and worm infestations caused by dirty water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene, making these interventions critical in tackling malnutrition One-third of the world’s population (2.3 billion) live without access to decent sanitation and 844 million are without access to clean water. However, underpinning efforts to end malnutrition with expanding access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services will help reduce incidences of diarrhoea and other infections, helping to reduce stunting and anaemia in pregnant women. An estimated 613 million women of child-bearing age suffer from anaemia, which is a leading cause of birth complications. The report has also revealed another positive impact of introducing clean water to communities: reducing consumption of fizzy drinks which lead to obesity. Rosie Wheen, WaterAid Australia Chief Executive, said: “This report clearly shows that malnutrition rates around the globe are still high, and not reducing fast enough. Poor water, sanitation and hygiene cause disease which contribute 36

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to undernutrition, and in turn make individuals – particularly children – more susceptible to further disease. We need to act now to break this vicious cycle.” “The report calls for cross-sectoral collaboration and integration but recognizes that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. WaterAid urges all government ministries across finance, health, education, nutrition and other related areas to prioritise action on water, sanitation and hygiene. We want them to champion a multi-sectoral approach to tackling malnutrition,” Ms Wheen said. “Through our experience in Cambodia, we know that high level political commitment can lead to improved cross-governmental working and more progress – on delivering clean water and good sanitation, as well as better nutrition and health,” she added. The report cites Cambodia, where one in four children under five are underweight and one in three are stunted, as one positive example for the future. A National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition has led to greater cooperation across ministries, including the establishment of a cross-government group to lead actions on nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene. Though progress in nutrition cannot quickly be measured, the country has seen gains in access to water and sanitation – with 78% of the population having access to clean water today compared to 52.4% in 2000, and 53.7% with a decent toilet of their own today compared to 12.3% in 2000.

ABOUT WATERAID WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone, everywhere has safe water, sanitation and hygiene. The international organisation works in countries across Africa, Asia, Central America and the Pacific region to transform lives by improving access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene in some of the world’s poorest communities. Please visit: www.wateraid.org/au

The 18th Street viewing platform at Warragamba Dam has been reopened after 13 tonnes of asbestos containing material was found and removed across the ten-hectare site. Grant May, Portfolio Manager at Sydney Water said, 'We take the safety and well-being of our customers and local residents extremely seriously, along with the protection of the local environment. 'The removal of the hazardous materials and remediation of the site was complex and this was why we had to close the viewing platform. 'It was imperative that we didn’t reopen the platform until all health and safety and environmental checks had been completed, fully tested and approved. 'We thank the Wollondilly Council and WaterNSW for their collaboration on this project and also thank local residents and visitors for their patience. We are confident that the inconvenience is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the site and the well-being of people attending Warragamba Dam,' said Mr May. Visitors were able to view Warragamba Dam from the Terrace Grounds and from a number of other viewing platforms inside the dam grounds during the period of the remediation work. 'WaterNSW has taken the opportunity to refurbish the platform of the viewing area in recognition of the popularity of this community asset,' a spokesperson for WaterNSW said. Mayor Judith Hannan said, 'Wollondilly Council appreciates the commitment and hard work of WaterNSW and Sydney Water to make the 18th Street viewing platform area safe and ready to reopen. 'The viewing platform provides both tourism and economic benefits to Warragamba, providing the public with a greater connection to the dam and bringing visitors into the township.'

Melburnians urged to 'Target 155' after summer storage dip

Melbournians are being asked to watch their water use as new figures from Melbourne Water show dam levels fell by 64 billion litres (3.5% of capacity) during summer. Despite rainfall around 27% above average during summer 2017/18, an extremely dry February and an increase in water use had seen storages dip over the season. Melbourne Water General Manager, Integrated Planning, Chris Williams said storage levels were declining. “We have had a particularly dry February and when combined with slightly higher water usage, we have seen an impact on our storage levels,” he said. “Our storages are currently at 63% full and levels will typically decline further over autumn before improving during winter and spring.” While Melburnians are still very water wise, Melbourne’s growing population and climate variability are putting increasing pressure on overall water use. “Water use over summer 2017/18 was up 2.5%, or 33 million litres compared with the previous summer.” “Individually though, we only need to save around six litres of water per person, per day, to get back to the target of 155 litres.” “That means doing a few little things around the house like taking shorter showers and using mulch on your garden to reduce water evaporation can easily bring water use back to the desired level.” Following a very wet start to December, Melbourne’s water storage levels reached their high for summer on 13 December, at 69.7% before falling to 65.0% on 28 February after a dry month. Without the water supplied by the Victorian Desalination Plant in 2017, storage levels would be 3.4% lower today. February rainfall was 69% below average with only 18 mm falling around the catchments. This led to reduced streamflow into water storages – down 46% on February last year. It was even drier across Melbourne with most stations observing totals less than 10% of their February average which resulted in drier parks and gardens, leading to this summer’s increased water use. The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest three-month seasonal climate outlook suggests above average autumn temperatures are predicted for Melbourne. More information on the ‘Target 155’ campaign can be found at: www.water.vic.gov.au/liveable-cities-and-towns/target-155-targetyour-water-use

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

STORMWATER

The Solution: By working closely with the client, ITS PipeTech was able to successfully deliver the upgrade to the existing structure by constructing a 150-400mm thick reinforced concrete box culvert, 17m long complete with concrete slab floor. The reinforced concrete lining was designed for a 100-year design life. This methodology had the least impact on customers, stakeholders and the community, and was the most cost-effective solution when assessing all the risks and challenges. The Tunneline method worked extremely well and the project was delivered successfully with significant reduction in disruption and customer impact when compared with traditional methods of exhume and replace.

Conclusion:

Adelaide City - Inner City Culvert Rehabilitation PROJECT: Structural lining of First Creek Culvert - Frome Road, Adelaide CLIENT: City of Adelaide

Overview: The First Creek Culvert, located under Frome Road, Adelaide had originally been constructed with reinforced concrete, then extended in 1959 with timber piles, timber walings and concrete roof. Frome Road traverses a high density inner-city area and is a major thoroughfare for the Adelaide CBD. This particular project location is also in close proximity to the Adelaide Zoo and the City’s River Torrens parklands, and as such, there was a strong requirement to keep all bike paths and footpaths open to the public during the rehabilitation process.

Background: The City of Adelaide arranged for multiple condition assessment surveys to be undertaken on the Culvert between September 2012 and May 2016. Surveys indicated advanced decay of the extended section with life expectancies varying from 0 to 5 years on component elements. At this stage Adelaide Council sought proposals to remediate the deteriorating 38

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

section of the existing culvert and as a result ITS PipeTech were engaged to renew 17m of the existing culvert using the Tunneline [concrete & steel] rehabilitation method. The scope of works included: • Detailed design of the reinforced concrete lining • Design and construction of cofferdam at culvert outlet • Construction of reinforced concrete lining (including supply of all materials and plant) • Decommissioning of cofferdam at completion of lining works

Risk and Challenges: Some of the challenges ITS PipeTech encountered during the project, included: • Varying volumes of incoming water from upstream of culvert • Ingress of ground water coming through gravel base of culvert • Culvert outlets to the River Torrens requirement to hold back river levels from entering culvert during the works • Proximity of work zones to general public Adelaide Zoo across the road; Frome Road being a major thoroughfare to Adelaide CBD; requirement to keep all bike paths and footpaths open to public

ITS PipeTech were able to provide the Client with a cost-effective solution that minimized disruption to all stakeholders for the duration of the project, whilst allowing the renewed culvert to continue to service the area for another 100 years. ITS PipeTech is committed to offering its customers optimum solutions of the highest value for pipeline rehabilitation. For more information please visit the website: www.itspipetech.com.au

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STORMWATER

to contact the existing pipe wall, without the need for heating or curing. The liner has been designed in accordance with the typical Specifications of Australian Water Authorities and uses the design method given in Australian Standard AS2566.1 “Buried Flexible Pipelines, Part 1: Structural Design.” This is the Standard used to design new pipelines. If City of Swan was to replace these pipelines with new pipelines installed by traditional trenching, or to line them with Expanda Pipe as Interflow proposes, the structural design method would be the same. More information on the Rib Loc Expanda Pipe system can be found at: www.interflow.com.au/capabilities/ expanda-150-1200mm

Caversham WA gets a fix for that sinking feeling Interflow were engaged by the City of Swan to urgently evaluate and repair a sinkhole that appeared in the middle of a busy suburban road. Interflow moved in to complete the work with minimum disruption to the local community and through traffic. Initial Investigations showed that a 900mm drainage pipe under Benara Rd in the Perth suburb of Caversham – a creek crossing running almost at capacity with water and mud - had leaked at joint locations. The resulting sinkhole was getting larger, was a danger to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, so required immediate attention. Interflow’s solution was to clean, reline and grout the pipe with a 23m Rib Loc Expanda liner, which after grouting and sealing, has given the drain another 50+ years of longevity. Speaking about the project, Interflow’s WA Operations Manager, Stephen Thomson, said: “It was a pleasure working with the City of Swan Engineering team to find a solution for this unique problem.” “We work on the prevention side too,” he added. “Interflow can check storm water culverts for potential problems and work towards asset management strategies to economically extend the life of underground assets.” Interflow is committed to solving its customers’ problems and recommend that 40

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

water infrastructure asset and network owners utilise maintenance programs over CCTV contracts. The traditional convention of CCTV contracts is limited as they are designed to capture raw footage which is then analysed and graded. The alternative approach is to integrate this activity into a turn-key scenario whereby a delivery partner, such as Interflow, performs cleaning, CCTV surveys, condition assessment, recommendations and rehabilitation. Sylvain Cabanel, Interflow’s Business Development Manager WA said: “Using our turn-key solutions and having Interflow carry out assessment and recommendation tasks frees our customers from the heavy workload.” “Customers only need to review and assess the work that Interflow recommends,” he added.

About the Relining Method Expanda Pipe The relining was completed using the Rib Loc Expanda Pipe system. Interflow Pty Limited is the Australian licensee for Expanda Pipe and has over 60 years of pipe installation experience for water authorities and local councils in all states. Rib Loc Expanda Pipe has been developed in Australia and is used worldwide, providing a strong structural liner which is expanded

ABOUT INTERFLOW Founded in 1936, Interflow is an Australian owned company and market leader in Infrastructure renewals that is known for its reputation of quality and cost-effective repair, restoration and renewal solutions provider for deteriorated underground pipelines and related assets. Interflow employ over 500 employees across Australia and New Zealand and has completed greenfield and brownfield works for all major water authorities and many local and regional councils. With its Head Office in Girraween, NSW, Interflow also has offices in Sydney, Charmhaven, Canberra, Melbourne, Bendigo, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland and Christchurch. Working across a range of industries, including: Wastewater, Stormwater, Potable Water, Rail, Road and Defence, Interflow provides service and solutions for: Asset Planning, Design/Construct and Early Contract Involvement (ECI), taking a lifecycle approach to investigation and rehabilitation. Interflow offers proactive and reactive maintenance solutions, and construction services including trenchless technologies.

Rocla brings versatile TSS capture device to Australia After the successful launch of the First Defense® vortex separator, Rocla has introduced the First Defense® High Capacity (HC) separator, bringing a whole new level of performance in effective stormwater treatment to Australia. Steve Baker, National Water Quality Manager for Rocla, says that the First Defense® HC is a versatile TSS Capture Device designed with flexibility in mind and to maximise available site space without compromising the treatment level. With internal components designed to remove and retain gross debris, total suspended solids (TSS) and hydrocarbons, the device prevents pollutant washout at peak flows to ensure maximum efficiency. “The First Defense HC is an adaptable online treatment system so it works easily with large pipes, multiple inlet pipes, inlet grates and now also contains a high capacity bypass for the conveyance of large peak flows,” Steve says. The First Defense® HC has a long flow path through the device that ensures extended residence time within the treatment chamber and enhances the pollutant settling. All higher flows bypass the treatment chamber to prevent turbulence and washout of any captured pollutants, protecting the surrounding environment. “The device has a retrofit installation that means stormwater treatment can be placed on, or tied into, an existing stormwater line. A key flexibility for any challenging sites,” he added. Designed, tested and proven globally by Rocla’s technology partner, Hydro International, it is suitable for sites constrained by space, topography or draining profiles with limited slope and depth of cover. Available from Rocla under exclusive license in Australia, the First Defense® HC is delivered to site pre-assembled and ready for installation. For more information or to download the free MUSIC Nodes for the Rocla First Defense® HC, please visit: www.rocla.com.au

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

UNDERGROUND ASSETS

VAC Group

Innovative Underground Asset Solutions When it comes to excavation work, one of the biggest risks facing contractors, councils and authorities alike, is that of damaging underground assets. And the more built up or established the area is, the greater the risk of accidental damage. While it's easy to assume that in this day and age we would have accurate data relating to the exact location of all underground assets and infrastructure - especially in our major capitals and regional centres - nothing could be further from the truth. Together with issues arising from incorrect initial placement or mapping of infrastructure and underground services (with problems sometime occurring many decades ago), other factors including

Designed and built by VAC Group, the company operates, Australia's largest fleet of Vacuum Excavation trucks.

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

changes in responsible authorities, lost plans, ambiguous data, data transfer errors, undocumented additions and modifications to services, and even instances of obsolete infrastructure simply being buried and forgotten about, excavation works can often be a case of trying to pick your way through an unknown maze of underground assets. Even with services such as 'Dial Before You Dig', the information provided is only as accurate as the available recorded data, and in many instances, the data is inaccurate or incomplete... and that can spell disaster. Put simply, if a contractor, council or authority damages an underground asset as a result of being unwittingly provided incorrect

asset location data, matters of blame and responsibility are of little consequence. The result, including the inconvenience and/ or hazard created and of course, the often significant cost of repair and reinstatement, is the same. With that in mind, Australian underground asset protection specialists, VAC Group, has developed an array of innovative systems and services to accurately pinpoint and, if need be, excavate around all manner of underground assets. "Identifying and excavating underground assets and infrastructure has always been a major challenge, especially when working in built-up areas," said Neil Costello, VAC Group's Director Strategy & Market Development. "One wrong move during excavation can, quite literally, end up costing a fortune - not to mention the potential danger and widespread disruption that can result if a main is accidentally damaged." "When we first formed VAC Group in 2000, the concept of accurately locating underground utilities and vacuum excavation was largely unknown in engineering and construction circles. Companies simply relied on available maps and plans to locate underground assets," he continued. "We knew there had to be a better way of accurately locating these assets and, once they were found, safely excavating around them. We sought out the best available technologies - some of which had been

UNDERGROUND ASSETS

previously used for space exploration and meteorological applications - and adapted them to suit our underground survey and mapping requirements. We used the individual technologies as a starting point for our own R&D program, developing and combining a range of methodologies to produce a system capable of producing the levels of accuracy and detail we required," he said.

MAKING THE INVISIBLE, VISIBLE With this innovative scanning and mapping technology at the core of its own Australian designed and built equipment, VAC Group has the technical and scientific capability to identify, locate and protect all types of underground utility infrastructure, including subsurface power lines, water and sewerage pipes, gas lines and telecommunication services. VAC Group utilises a range of technologies to identify the myriad of materials used in underground utilities, including metal, plastic ABOVE: VAC Group's technology provides a highly detailed 3D map of all subsurface infrastructure, including, in this case, some long-buried tram tracks that were not listed on any drawings. LEFT: VAC Group's patented vacuum excavation equipment provides a safe, efficient and cost-effective method of excavating around and exposing subsurface assets with an extremely high level of accuracy and reliability.

and concrete pipes, cables, wires (including fibre-optic cables) and conduits, as well as any other hidden subsurface infrastructure. Technologies used include: • Computer Aided Radar Tomography (CART) the only product in Australia that delivers underground video; • 2-Dimensional Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); • Electro-Magnetic Induction (EMI) scanning • Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) scanning "We make the invisible, visible and so these important underground assets can be protected," Neil Costello said. Reports are delivered in AutoCAD or Bentley MX drawing format and associated images.

STATE-OF-THE-ART NON-DESTRUCTIVE VACUUM EXCAVATION Once the subsurface assets and utilities have been located and identified, VAC Group can utilise its unique and innovative technology to undertake non-destructive vacuum excavation - another area in which VAC Group has earned an enviable reputation as an industry leader. In fact, VAC Group has designed, built and now operates, Australia's largest fleet of Vacuum Excavation trucks.

Specifically designed to suit Australian geography and soil conditions, VAC Group's patented vacuum excavation equipment utilises high pressure water combined with vacuum technology to safely remove material from and around water, sewerage and gas pipes, telecommunication lines and any other underground assets. This state-of-the-art equipment provides a safe, efficient and costeffective method of excavating around and exposing subsurface assets with an extremely high level of accuracy and reliability. Together with its focus on innovation, VAC Group also places a strong emphasis on quality, with its integrated management system certified to AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Health & Safety); AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 (Environment); and AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 (Quality). "As a true non-destructive vacuum excavation company, we pride ourselves on our commitment to safety, the protection of the environment and customer service," Neil Costello said. "These are fundamental to the service we deliver to our clients and is pivotal to our motto 'PROTECTING UNDERGROUND ASSETS'," he added. For further information on VAC Group's full range of services, Ph: 1300 822 834 (24 Hour Service) or visit: www.vacgroup.com.au

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

The five pits, each with matching lids, range from 2 metres in length, up to almost 5 metres in width, and up to 2 metres high—proportions that required custom-made designs. Given the required size of the pits, Sanwell Plumbing & Civil needed to award the project’s precast package to a precast manufacturer that possessed the ideal expertise and manufacturing capabilities. National Precast member and Australind-based company, MJB Industries, was awarded the contract.

DURABILITY WHILE DELIVERING CONSTRUCTION EFFICIENCIES

PRECAST UNDERPINS WA’S LARGEST SHOPPING CENTRE PROJECT: WESTFIELD CAROUSEL, CANNINGTON, WA PRECASTER: MJB INDUSTRIES CLIENT: SANWELL PLUMBING & CIVIL The Westfield Carousel in Cannington, Western Australia, is embarking on a new era of shopping this year following a $350 million redevelopment. The project will see the shopping centre expand from its current size of 82,000m² to approximately 110,000m²—marking it as the largest in the state. While inside, the centre’s walls will be lined with the best of Australia’s retail offerings, below the surface lies the finest construction material - precast concrete. A multi-stage redevelopment, the Westfield Carousel features a precast concrete stormwater drainage system of enormous proportions.

CUSTOM MANUFACTURE OF GIANT PROPORTIONS Set to claim the crown as Western Australia’s largest shopping complex, the Westfield Carousel requires a stormwater solution of impressive size and efficiency. Vital in realising the objective of protecting and enhancing the value of the surrounding environment, the shopping centre’s stormwater will be collected and discharged to Cannington’s drainage network. 44

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

Central to the system are five precast concrete siphonic discharge pits that needed to be large enough to contain water that pours into them for long enough to simultaneously allow them to drain through the pipes, at a rate that would keep up with the flow of water. Acting as break tanks between the siphonic system and the civil gravity drainage system, the siphonic stormwater system will pick up all the car deck and roof drainage.

Precast concrete pits provide many advantages compared to their insitu counterparts. As well as delivering a durable and long-lasting solution, one of the main benefits for this project was the speed of manufacture and installation. Despite the geographical distance of more than 150 kilometres between MJB’S factory and the worksite, using precast significantly reduced on-site construction times. The total amount of time saved for the client was approximately five weeks—one week per tank. Impressed with the precaster’s performance, Sanwell noted that “MJB delivered on time, on budget and the quality was second to none.”

SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY APPLICATION On offer from the Western Australian precaster are two types of stormwater pits: modular and custom. While modular pits are available in a range of sizes with knockouts on all four sides for easy installation of pipes, custom pits come in a range of footprints to suit the various requirements of different projects and authorities. The company’s details can be found at National Precast’s website: www.nationalprecast.com.au

WHAT YOU THINK IS THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

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ACA CORROSION FEATURE

Corrosion Under Insulation: Looks can be deceiving Corrosion affects all structures around the world and they deteriorate at varying rates over time, depending on the material used, the types of corrosive agents in the environment and the physical processes and mechanisms involved. Globally, the estimated annual cost of concrete corrosion to industry is billions of dollars. When you pass a refinery or chemical plant and see a tank or process vessel covered with a shiny skin of sheet metal jacketing which seem pristine and safe, do you ever wonder what is under there? The answer, in most cases, is insulation, water, a protective coating and significant amounts of corrosion. The smooth and seemingly flawless appearance can be deceiving. Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) is a pervasive but insidious form of metals corrosion. Practically every industrial or commercial facility, from the largest 46

Waste + Water Management Australia | April/May 2018

refineries and chemical plants to the regional hospital and the neighbourhood bakery, has insulated equipment. Insulation is used for energy conservation, production process stability, personnel protection, or another reason, whether the product inside is hot, cold, or cycles between hot and cold. Wherever there is insulation, there will be some degree of corrosion under the insulation. Left unchecked, CUI can cause thinning of the pipe or vessel wall steel and may lead to perforation or rupturing of the steel. With a flammable or poisonous product

under pressure, the effect of a CUI caused perforation or rupture can be catastrophic. In the late 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a glycol processing tower blew out at a major refinery on the US Gulf Coast just upriver from New Orleans. Damage and pollution from this event were so severe that the owner of the refinery ended up buying out and resettling the whole little town of Good Hope (ironic name) surrounding the refinery. The root cause was perforation and blow-out of a small-diameter pipe elbow, corroded through under insulation. Annually, worldwide, there are hundreds

ACA CORROSION FEATURE

of similar, if less severe, failures and incidents caused by CUI. In Australia, the yearly cost of asset maintenance is estimated to be approximately $32 billion. Avoidable corrosion damage, such as CUI, accounts for $8 billion of this and continues to have a major economic impact on industry and the wider community. Industrial insulation is a system composed of outer protective jacketing, one or more layers of insulation, and a protective coating applied to the metal substrate. Each part of this system must work well with the other parts, and must also be suitable for the product held or carried inside and for the atmosphere outside. But despite the specifier’s best efforts, the owner’s use of the best and most appropriate products, the contractor’s finest work, and an eagle-eyed inspector’s best efforts, every insulation project will sooner or later be affected by CUI. And unlike ‘normal’ corrosion, CUI is hidden under the insulation and jacketing and is not readily visible.

Because of the very high cost of replacement insulation, labour, and out-ofservice time for the affected equipment, typically only a few percent of an insulated area is ever opened up for visual inspection. The rest of the area may be inspected using various electronic means, which may or may not give accurate indications of CUI. Parts of an insulated area may not be visually inspected at all during the expected 15-18-year service life of a CUI system. It is important that owners of high-value assets understand the cost implications of ignoring the effects of corrosion under insulation. Organisations require effectively trained staff who have an understanding of the numerous types of corrosion that affect their industry and of the preventative and remediation technology available. Systematic, predictive inspection programs like Risk Based Inspection (RBI) go a long way toward reducing unexpected CUI events, but require thorough (and expensive) initial surveys, a multi-year precise re-inspection program, and

continuing commitment from the equipment owner to provide maintenance time and funds whenever a need is shown by the RBI periodic inspections.

CORROSION UNDER INSULATION WORKSHOP In June 2018, the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) is presenting a series of twoday technical workshops dealing with CUI. The workshops will be presented by international CUI specialist and consultant Peter Bock from Houston, USA. Peter Bock has more than 30 years’ experience in elevated temperature coatings and CUI and has published numerous articles as well as spoken at NACE, SSPC, ICC and other national and international conferences regarding CUI problems and solutions. The workshop is dedicated to design, specification and inspection of corrosion control systems to prevent CUI in new or aged equipment and will cover topics such as the causes of CUI, current state-of-the-art CUI coating systems, inspecting and evaluating aged CUI in the field and appropriate CUI repair coating systems.

Corrosion Under Insulation Prevention and Mitigation