Sustainability Matters Jun/Jul 2012 by Westwick-Farrow Media

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contents

June/July 2012

Leading the way Preparing for the carbon price

The evolution of sustainable communities

Case studies

Sustaining a clean energy future

Research & development

32 Green power from wastewater with anaerobic technologies 34

Products & services

Resource centre

Legislation, governance, programs and industry links to help guide y our sustainability development

In my opinion

Timber towers and social sustainability

49 Feature case study: Gas powered retrofit improves building efficiency

On the cover:

The popular Customs House cartoon light show was part of over 60 light art installations which were illuminated nightly during the recent Vivid Sydney festival. Covering a footprint from the Walsh Bay arts precinct, around beneath Sydney Harbour Bridge to The Rocks and around Circular Quay to Sydney Opera House, Vivid Sydney featured low-energy light installations and large-scale projections. www.vividsydney.com

t the recent AIP National Conference, discussions centred on improving packaging sustainability and responsibilities. The packaging industry today is challenged with the task of not over packaging and not under packaging as both lead to increased wastage. The industry is using science to create packaging that weighs less, is more durable, is made from renewable and compostable materials, and protects and improves the shelf life of the product. During the upcoming London Olympics, carefully selected innovative packaging will be put to the test as the Games tries to reach its zero waste to landfill goal. An initial scoping study has shown that during the Games an estimated 8000 tonnes of waste is likely to be generated, of which around 40% is likely to be food waste or food contaminated waste, and over 3000 tonnes would include packaging. There has been more than enough debate on the right or wrong of the carbon price but, as we all know, it comes into force on 1 July. Chloe Munro commenced as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Energy Regulator in April and she gives us a run-down on her role and how the carbon price will work on page 4. This issue also includes some interesting articles on building sustainable communities, green power from wastewater and fibre from waste chicken feathers. Carolyn Jackson sm@westwick-farrow.com.au

Photo by Jemma Jackson

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 3

Leading the way

Preparing for the carbon price

P Chloe Munro commenced as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Energy Regulator on 2 April 2012. Prior to that, she was the Chair of the National Water Commission, the Independent Non-executive Chairman of AquaSure, the consortium building Victoria’s desalination plant and a Non-executive Director of Hydro Tasmania. From 2004 to 2009, Munro was an Executive Director at Telstra.

The Renewable Energy Target provides a financial incentive for investment in renewable energy sources through the creation and sale of certificates. The Carbon Farming Initiative allows land managers to earn carbon credits which can then be sold to those wishing to offset their emissions.

reparations for Australia’s carbon pricing mechanism shifted into high gear on 2 April when the Clean Energy Regulator came into being. The Clean Energy Regulator is an independent statutory authority established by the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011, bringing together the administration of the new carbon pricing mechanism, along with the existing National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme, Carbon Farming Initiative, Australian National Registry of Emissions Units and the Renewable Energy Target. From 2 April, our twin aims were to maintain continuity of service to clients of the existing schemes and to achieve a smooth start for the carbon pricing mechanism, which applies from 1 July 2012. This includes providing relevant information about how the mechanism will work to those entities that are likely to be covered by it. Our website is being regularly updated with new material and is the first port of call for information on any of the schemes we administer. The carbon pricing mechanism applies to Australia’s largest producers of carbon emissions. It will cover approximately 60% of Australia’s carbon emissions including from electricity generation, stationary energy, landfills, wastewater, industrial processes and fugitive emissions. Information collected through the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme provides the basis for assessing liability under the carbon pricing mechanism. Liable entities will be required to acquire and surrender one carbon unit for every tonne of carbon emissions they produce, or pay a shortfall charge. For the first three years there is no limit on the number of units and the carbon price is fixed. In 2012-13, it is $23 per tonne; in 2013-14, it will be $24.15 per tonne; and in 2014-15, it will be $25.40 per tonne. From 1 July 2015 onwards, the number of units issued each year will be capped by the government and the price will

4 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

be set by the market. The Clean Energy Regulator will auction the carbon units. Liable entities will be able to meet their liability by surrendering carbon units acquired through the market or other eligible units, such as those created under the Carbon Farming Initiative. They can also reduce their liability by changing their processes to cut their emissions. The other schemes we administer create incentives through the operation of a market. The Renewable Energy Target provides a financial incentive for investment in renewable energy sources through the creation and sale of certificates. The Carbon Farming Initiative allows land managers to earn carbon credits which can then be sold to those wishing to offset their emissions. The Australian National Registry of Emissions Units was established as the secure electronic system to accurately track the ownership of emissions units issued under the Kyoto Protocol. It is being updated to cover units created under the Carbon Farming Initiative and carbon pricing mechanism. We will continue building relationships with potential liable entities to ensure they understand how the schemes work and what they need to do. As well as direct consultation, we have a program of information seminars and technical workshops and we publish guidance on our website - including our Guide to Carbon Price Liability and our Compliance, Education and Enforcement Policy. The Clean Energy Regulator also has a role in providing transitional assistance to certain industries. This includes providing free carbon units to eligible applicants under the Energy Security Fund to highly emissions-intensive, coal-fired generators, and to emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries through the Jobs and Competitiveness Program. All the schemes we administer work together to encourage business competitiveness and reduce Australia’s carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way. www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au

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The evolution of sustainable Building rating tools have evolved and are not just about the building but the spaces in between - the entire communities. Adam Beck discusses this evolution and the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) recent launch of the Green Star - Communities rating tool to recalibrate Australia’s understanding of sustainability at the community scale. Adam Beck, Executive Director Market Development and Sustainable Communities

magine a community that generates more energy than it consumes, exports more water than it uses and recycles more waste than is sent to landfill. Imagine a community where shared renewable energy sources generate enough energy to power the thousands of homes, where affordable housing means people can live close to work and where half of the development is dedicated parkland. Imagine a community where just 4% of the people use a car each day, while the rest walk, ride or catch easily accessible public transport. Does this sound fanciful? It’s not. The $6 billion Barangaroo project in Sydney is aiming to be the world’s first climate positive development and aims to prove this claim through Green Star - Communities certification. Barangaroo’s green initiatives include a chilled water and harbour cooling system, solar renewable energy generated on-site, an integrated management strategy and green travel options.

Barangaroo Waterfront Promenade

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While these initiatives will address a range of environmental concerns, the project team is also concerned with social sustainability. The project incorporates affordable housing and local employment opportunities with a view to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the region. More than 50% of Barangaroo will be dedicated public space, including a 2.2 km foreshore walk.

From buildings to communities For many years, a Green Star rating has been a symbol of environmental sustainability. From glittering skyscrapers to low-rise schools, Green Star has driven a market shift which encourages an integrated, holistic approach to building design and construction. Building rating systems, such as Green Star in Australia, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the US and the UK’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), have proved to be extremely powerful tools in driving change and generating the critical mass required to create new sustainable benchmarks. In the last decade, considerable international research has confirmed the importance of building rating tools in driving market transformation. Rating systems like Green Star have established a common language for green building and encouraged an integrated, holistic approach to building design. By recognising and rewarding environmental leadership in the building industry, rating tools have boosted consumer awareness of green building benefits and stimulated green competition. However, buildings are just one part of the sustainability equation and many green building councils are recognising that the spaces between the buildings - such as the parks and playgrounds, pedestrian-friendly

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Rating tools

communities

streets and bicycle networks, and precinctwide energy and water systems - are just as important. Improving the sustainability of our communities is our next challenge. This is why the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has recently launched the Green Star - Communities rating tool to recalibrate Australia’s understanding of sustainability at the community scale. In 2009, the GBCA began consulting with industry about how to evolve from greening our buildings to greening entire communities. The feedback was definitive: a rating tool to help transform and better plan our communities was the answer. We also recognised that the full spectrum of sustainability issues should be included. Industry needed guidance on how to create communities that met a range of economic and social priorities, as well as the environmental ones. Talented people from across the industry came together to work on the project - including stakeholders from academia, social and town planning, project and development management, economics, policy, urban design, scientific and environmental engineering, and all three tiers of government. In total, the GBCA led a process with 38 sponsors and 135 members of technical working groups and committees. Our first step was to establish a national framework for sustainable communities. By 2010, the framework outlined five national best practice principles to guide sustainable communities in Australia. These have since expanded to six categories: Liveability; Economic Prosperity; Environment; Community Design; Governance; and Innovation. Once those principles were clearly articulated, GBCA’s technical ratings team commenced work on the credits which underpin each principle. Thirty-eight credits were tested on projects around Australia -

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Barangaroo Southern Cove

from small, private sector infill projects to large, government master-planned precincts, like Barangaroo, around Australia.

Greening the globe While the Green Star - Communities rating tool is new, we are confident it will follow a similar trajectory to that of its US counterpart. The US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighbourhood Development rating tool (LEED-ND) rewards new projects that minimise urban sprawl, protect fragile ecosystems and encourage alternative modes of transport. Alongside these environmental issues, LEED for Neighbourhood Development emphasises the creation of compact, walkable, vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods with good connections to nearby communities. Nearly 300 community projects have been certified under the LEED-ND rating tool. Among them is the Renaissance Place at Grand in St Louis, Missouri. Residents live within an 800-metre walk of shops, schools, cultural institutions and public transport. The project team incorporated mixed-income housing, a park, new office space and community services to help revitalise the 33-acre site, which once contained a public housing complex. Another example is Dockside Green in Victoria, Canada, which is working towards a LEED-ND Platinum rating. This landmark project incorporates a variety of iconic green technologies such as wind turbines, green roofs and solar power. Residential towers include energy-saving appliances, heat recovery ventilators and double-glazed windows. A centralised biomass gasification plant converts waste wood, such as tree clippings, into gas for hot water and heat.

Dockside Green’s design rejects the carcentric focus of the past. A residential carpooling program, the provision of bicycle racks and showers for those commuting to the development’s commercial areas, and the connection of the development to a regional cycling trail are just some of the design features. Rooftop and hanging gardens, waterfront walkways, large balconies and expansive green spaces make for a liveable community.

A grassroots movement In the past, nationally consistent best practice built environment outcomes have been difficult to achieve when policies and regulations are driven at a state or local government level. However, we believe the Green Star - Communities rating tool will become a voluntary national standard as every state and territory government land organisation has sponsored the development of the rating tool. The Green Star - Communities rating tool will provide federal government with a vehicle for delivering policy outcomes, state governments with guidance for planning and approval of significant projects, and local governments with a framework for greater sustainable development outcomes and collaboration with industry. The tool will also facilitate more efficient development processes and ultimately help developers get their products out to market quicker. Financiers will gain a framework for sustainable investment. And consumers will have the ability to make informed decisions about their lifestyles. For more information, visit: www.gbca. org.au/communities. Green Building Council Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q085

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 7

case study

Shining a light on energy savings

n 1994, much of the traditional industrial lighting performed poorly and industry was looking for greater energy efficiency. This is what inspired what was to become EELCO, the Energy Efficient Lighting Company. “Until recently, Australian industry has been poorly served for energy-efficient lighting when compared with the US and Europe,” said EELCO Managing Director Mathew Fear. EELCO began manufacturing linear fluorescent lighting systems in Australia to provide a viable, energyefficient and cost-effective alternative to the ‘energy-hungry’, standard high- and low-bay systems. Among the many companies that have turned to EELCO for a lighting solution is Adelaide-based auto components manufacturer Hirotec. Earlier this year, the company management established a priority to minimise energy costs when planning a 5000 m2 extension to its existing facility. “With the carbon tax just around the corner, there was a strong incentive to look more closely at energy efficiency,” said Facilities & Services Co-ordinator Andrew Pearson. “We knew we didn’t want the 400 W metal halide lamps we have in the older section of the building.” Acting on the advice of its lighting contractor, Hirotec installed 60 EELCO linear fluorescent high-bay lights, which has resulted in a CO2e emissions reduction of 72.1 tonnes a year and an energy savings of 67,500 kWh annually. Complete return on investment is expected in around 30 months.

The CO2 emissions reduction is projected to exceed 55 tonnes a year, while electricity cost savings are said to amount to over $10,000 annually. According to EELCO, the retrofit also qualified for certificates under the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS).

The carbon tax was a strong incentive for Hirotec to choose EELCO’s energy–efficient lighting.

“These are long-lasting, low-maintenance lights, specifically designed to operate effectively in industrial environments with wide temperature ranges and, at times, high moisture levels,” said Fear. “The lighting systems are adaptable to high- and low-bay environments.” Not only is the new extension using less energy, it is also providing brighter, better quality light. This, in turn, makes the working environment easier and safer for staff, particularly night shift workers. One of the few Australian manufacturers of linear fluorescent, high- and lowbay lighting, EELCO has undertaken considerable research to produce a range

of lighting products that are suited to Australia’s often harsh environment. By selecting technologies from the US and Europe and adapting them to Australian conditions, EELCO has developed a product range that can be tailored to the individual needs of client facilities. Green’s General Foods, known for its cake and pancake mixes, also wanted an energy-efficient alternative to the standard high bays, as well as an upgrade of emergency lighting to comply with the Australian Standards AS/NZS 2293. “Initially, we needed to upgrade emergency lighting in three warehouses,” said Magdon Ismail, Green’s. “But EELCO came up with a solution that replaced our existing high-bay lighting with lowerwattage lamps and doubled as emergency lighting when needed.” Australian-made EELCO 1848A_4LT5_ EM high bays, with built-in emergency lights, were installed, making an immediate and dramatic improvement in both lighting quality and LUX levels. “They saved us from spending extra on standard emergency lighting that would only be used during a power outage,” said Ismail. The CO2 emissions reduction is projected to exceed 55 tonnes a year, while electricity cost savings are said to amount to over $10,000 annually. According to EELCO, the retrofit also qualified for certificates under the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS). “In the majority of large commercial and industrial facilities, our linear fluorescent lighting systems are one of the most viable solutions to cutting lighting and maintenance bills, improving workplace lighting and creating a safer work environment,” Fear said. EELCO - Energy Efficient Lighting Company

EELCO replaced energy–hungry, high–bay lighting with energy–efficient lamps that double as emergency lighting at Greens General Foods.

8 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q093

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case studies index  Shining a light on energy savings

Cleaner, greener cold storage

 Cleaner, greener cold storage 10  Aged care facility embeds sustainability

 Organic waste from Adelaide Oval gets a new life

12 12

 Stormwater project flowing 14  Green engine for Eagle Street 14  Sewage pump improves plant performance

 Peristaltic pump at food manufacturer

 Flow meter installed with minimum disruption

18 18

 Regional NSW installs mobile glass crusher

 Quarry proves green can

be gold

 Sewage treatment for remote mining village accommodation 23

research & development index  Feathers one day, fibre the next 25  Futuristic wall display shows real-time energy usage

 Methane emissions under our watch

 Water meters powered by water

 Harnessing nature’s solar cells

 Increasing efficiency of thin film solar

26 28

29 30 31

Responsible businesses looking for ways to reduce their carbon emissions need to ensure that they are best placed to minimise the potential risks while maximising the rewards. One method that can be implemented to lower carbon emissions and reduce energy costs is the installation of a voltage optimisation system. Powerstar is a triple wound voltage optimisation system that actively reduces a considerable percentage of electrical energy consumption - and Australia’s largest coldchain logistics service provider has shown just how effective the technology is. Swire Cold Storage (SCS) has been involved in every aspect of the cold chain for the past 50 years and, as part of its sustainability commitments, the company has invested in a number of solutions across all of its sites to benefit both the environment and business. Its facility in the Laverton industrial district, which opened in March 2008, handles a variety of frozen foods including vegetables and seafood. As its newest facility, SCS invested in a number of green initiatives at the site. However, despite being recognised as one of the company’s most sustainable facilities, SCS was eager to make the site more energy- and cost-efficient. Recognising that voltage optimisation could help improve energy efficiency, SCS asked the Powerstar team to complete a site survey to assess whether voltage optimisation could help it realise savings at the Laverton site. A full site survey was performed to determine the exact electrical loading characteristics of the site’s equipment and, based on the survey, the Powerstar team determined that SCS could achieve substantial savings by implementing voltage

10 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

optimisation technology. Upon recommendation, a 1000 kVA Powerstar unit was installed. Doug Hamilton, Powerstar Australia Account Manager, explained why voltage optimisation technology can have a significant impact on energy used: “Due to the statutory electricity supply range for Australia, electricity suppliers are required to provide a voltage level that is between 253 and 216 V. Therefore, the supplier will distribute electricity at 253 V and the voltage will decrease over distance. Given that most electrical equipment is designed to work most efficiently at 220 to 230 V, energy consumption will increase if the voltage is supplied at a higher level.” He added: “By optimising voltage at 220 V through the use of voltage optimisation technology, companies can achieve substantial savings on their electricity bills, extend the life of their equipment and move towards reducing carbon emissions.” I n a d d i t i o n t o p ro v i d i n g a n o maintenance solution, the Powerstar system supported SCS in reducing its direct electricity consumption by around 13-14% per annum while reducing the company’s CO2 emissions by 490 tonnes. The system also improved power quality at the site, leading to reduced maintenance costs as less demand is placed on electrical equipment. Sam Czyczelis, SCS General Manager Engineering Services, commented: “Thanks to Powerstar we were able to realise substantial savings. With the voltage level having been specifically adapted to accommodate the exact needs of the Laverton site, the potential for the electrical equipment to fail has also been drastically reduced, thus reducing maintenance costs on major electrical components.” Added Hamilton: “Powerstar is not an off-the-shelf product but an engineered solution. Every unit is custom built to match building requirements and our project-led approach means that we were able to work with SCS to ensure that the highest possible savings were realised.” Powerstar Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N603

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case studies Aged care facility embeds sustainability Jodie Rutherford is first to recognise the irony. As the Sustainability and Environmental Manager for Baptist Community Services - NSW & ACT (BCS), her ultimate aim is to get sustainability so embedded at BCS that she makes herself redundant. “We did not know where to start,” says Rutherford. “The catalyst was that we decided our two new developments had to be energy-efficient, with better water and waste management. We then realised we needed to change our whole organisation because we could not have a flagship, state-of-the-art building and pay no attention to sustainability elsewhere.” BCS used the Sustainability Advantage Program to produce a strategy that covered four different areas of the BCS business - people, resources, buildings and supply chain. It wants to reduce the use of fossil fuels and cut potable water use by 2% a year to 2020; and divert 50% of non-contaminated waste from landfill. BCS operates many buildings that are over 30 years old. Most have been retrofitted with energy-efficient lighting and electricity submetering to reduce energy consumption. Submetering allows BSC to use software to measure energy use in individual areas of a building in real time, monitor patterns of consumption and identify areas to improve. This will help BCS set new energy-use-per-day benchmarks. Electricity consumption reports are available on their website, with hourly data, power factor and C02 reporting for all major sites. Its new building at Kellyville BCS expects to save $500,000 a year, at current energy costs, after investing $4.5 million in a gas-

boosted microturbine plant that will provide heating, cooling and hot water, and generate a significant amount of renewable energy. Elsewhere, BCS has introduced many environmental measures, including new laundry processes to reduce water and power usage; energy-efficient lighting; light sensors in corridors and staff areas; water-efficient tap ware and toilets; rainwater tanks; solar hot water systems; and power factor correction to reduce energy demand. The organisation reduced travel by using web conferencing. Replacing face-to-face meetings has minimised air and road travel, especially in regional areas. This improves work-life balance for staff and cuts accommodation and travel costs. BCS also changed its company vehicle fleet from sixcylinder to more fuel-efficient two-cylinder cars. BCS field workers visited people to help them understand how they could save money by being more sustainable at home. BCS extended this outreach to its Food 4 Life program, a network of six shops where clients can buy nutritional food at cheap prices. BCS trained its shop assistants in basic energy and water efficiency so they could advise clients on how to reduce their electricity and water bills. “Apart from making changes to our organisation, we could help change the lives of people who depend on us,” says Rutherford. Office of Environment and Heritage NSW Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q127

Organic waste from Adelaide Oval gets a new life Food scraps and organic waste from on-site food preparation and catering areas at the Adelaide Oval will find a new use as nutrient-rich compost, thanks to a closed system recycling program supported by BASF. The program, a cooperative effort between BASF, Compost Australia and BiobiN Technologies, is an innovative approach to resource recovery and the first of its kind at Australia’s iconic Adelaide Oval. In February, during the Commonwealth Bank One Day International Cricket Series, food and other organic waste was collected using certified compostable bags made from BASF Ecoflex. These bags, certified to the Australian Standard AS 4736 for biodegradable plastics and the source separated waste they contain, were taken away and delivered to an industrial composting site, processed, then re-used by farmers as nutrientrich compost.

12 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

The use of BASF’s biodegradable bin liners made with Ecoflex will contribute to the success of the composting and recycling efforts by removing potential sources of contamination and making collection cleaner, hygienic and more efficient. BASF has already been involved in several trials worldwide to demonstrate the potential of composting as a feasible and effective waste management option for organic waste. In 2011, BASF, Woolworths, Zero Waste Australia and the Murrumbidgee Shire Council entered into a partnership for the Cooperation of Organics Out of Landfill (COOL) project. The COOL project demonstrated that certified compostable bags made of Ecoflex are biodegradable, as well as providing proof of concept for composting of organic waste at an agricultural level as well as a low-cost option for composting by local councils, managers and households. BASF Australia Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/M814

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case studies Stormwater project flowing

Darling Square, Powlett Reserve and several tree-lined median strips in East Melbourne will thrive well into the future with the completion of the Darling Street stormwater project. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said this was a world-first inroad stormwater harvest scheme that would help save more than 20 million litres of water and safeguard Darling Street’s surrounding parks and trees. “Sustainability is at the core of all thriving cities around the world and this $1.725m project is at the cutting edge of stormwater harvesting technology,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We are accustomed to adverse weather conditions of all kinds in Melbourne whether it be extreme heat or cold, drought or flooding. Darling Street is one of a number of stormwater projects we have invested in across our city to ensure we are prepared when the dry weather hits.” Councillor Cathy Oke, who has responsibility for the Eco City portfolio, said despite recent rains many of Melbourne’s trees were still feeling the effects of the drought. “We will continue to experience extreme weather events. Adapting to climate change is about being smarter with limited resources and it is vital that we do

all we can to protect our renowned parks and gardens from any future impacts of drought,” Cr Oke said. “This project allows us to treat and use water that otherwise would be lost to our waterways. When you look at Darling Street and its surrounding green spaces you wouldn’t know that there is a sophisticated stormwater tank at work under the street keeping the area healthy and green.” Melbourne Water has contributed $200,000 towards the Darling Street Stormwater Harvesting Scheme. Construction works on the project began in March 2012. Melbourne Water’s Acting General Manager of Waterways, David Ryan, said the project has provided the dual benefits of restricting demand on the city’s drinking water supplies and reducing pollution loads into local waterways. The City of Melbourne will work with the newly established Living Victoria Office to create similar progressive stormwater projects across Melbourne in the future.

Green engine for Eagle Street Clarke Energy Australia has recently commissioned a 1 MW GE Jenbacher gas engine which is an integral component of the Trigeneration plant installed at One One One Eagle Street - a 44-level, premium-grade office development in Brisbane’s ‘Golden Triangle’ precinct. One One One Eagle Street has been designed to achieve a Premium Grade Rating through the Property Council of Australia and is targeting a world-leading 6 Star Green Star Rating and a 5 Star NABERS Energy Rating. The 1 MWe high-efficiency GE Jenbacher gas engine will supply the building’s base electrical load with the hot water and exhaust gas recovered in a multistage absorption chiller to provide chilled water for the building’s air-conditioning system. The trigeneration system will also supply the building’s energy needs during grid power failures. Trigeneration - also known as combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) - has the ability to not only increase energy efficiency but also to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 60% when compared with conventionally generated electricity. The gas engine by-product, waste heat, will further reduce the CO2 emission of the building by reducing the requirement to operate conventional boilers and electrical chillers. By comparison, conventional electricity is generated by inefficient means which produce high CO2 emissions and this, coupled with transmission losses, results in an inefficient source of energy. Cogeneration/trigeneration has become a popular technology for high energy-intensive facilities such as office towers, hospitals,

14 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

data centres, airports, shopping centres and industrial plants. In the building industry, when targeting Green Start Ratings and NABERS Ratings, most building complexes will engage cogeneration/trigeneration systems in order to achieve their energy-efficiency target and become more environmentally friendly facilities. Clarke Energy Australia, as the exclusive distributor of GE Jenbacher gas engines, provides total gas-to-energy solutions ranging from the supply of gas engines through to the full turnkey delivery of gas-fired power stations and cogeneration/trigeneration plants from 300 kW to 60 MW. Clarke Energy Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q203

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case studies Sewage pump improves plant performance Operated by the Bundaberg Regional C o u n c i l , Wo o d g a t e Va c u u m Sewer Station is a medium-sized plant which services an area of approximately 3000 people and can grow to a population of 8000 in peak holiday times. The sewer station incorporates a network of sewage lines that come from houses and businesses, and which all lead back to a collection point. A vacuum tank is located at the collection point and the sewage flows towards the tank with the aid of vacuum pumps. Once full, the tank then needs to be emptied using a pump that transfers the sewage out of the tank under vacuum and into the treatment plant. To undertake this task, the station was using a positive displacement lobe-style pump. By the end of 2009, Bundaberg Regional Council recognised that the overall efficiency of the plant was being hampered by the performance of the lobe-style pump. “The design of the plant is such that the pump used to transfer the sewage from the tank to the treatment plant experiences a high differential between its suction and delivery side. This can cause excessive wear and tear and make the pump less efficient, and this is exactly what we started to experience,” explained Kevin Harris, Metal Trade Support Technician for Bundaberg Regional Council. “Over time, the wear and tear on the lobe-style pump had increased and our maintenance bills were rising. The tips on the pump’s rotor were continuously wearing and it required maintenance almost monthly with major works every quarter. By the end of 2009, our bills had become enormous,” said Harris. The increasing wear and tear on the pump also meant that the pump was becoming less efficient. As the velocity of the sewage travelling through the pipe was slowing, the council found that rags and grit were settling out and not moving through to the sewer plant. This caused higher head pressures as the pipes were starting to block.

“We were also experiencing higher power consumption and increasing electricity bills. Initially we were shifting say 20 L of sewage a second, and then as the pump became more and more inefficient we would only move 5 L per second. Much more power was now required to pump out 20 L of sewage. We were also running out of pumping time,” said Harris. Faced with such a dilemma, Harris decided to explore alternative pumps with the aim of identifying a more efficient and robust solution. A chance meeting at the 35th Queensland Water Industry Operations Workshop in Rockhampton, Queensland, in June 2010 brought him into contact with Hydro Innovations. “I had already been assessing different pumps and suppliers when I came across Garry Grant from Hydro Innovations at the workshop,” said Harris. Hydro Innovations recommended that Bundaberg Regional Council consider installing a Gormann-Rupp Ultra VS3A60-B (3″) two-stage, self-priming, centrifugal sewage pump. As a self-

16 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

priming pump, it has inherently low NPSHr, making it suitable to handle the negative 80 kPa on the suction side of the pump. It is currently claimed to be the only two-stage centrifugal sewage pump on the market and provides good solids handling and increased pressure capabilities. Thanks to an innovative transition chamber found inside the VS3A60-B, maximum pressure is said to be increased up to three times that of a traditional solidshandling, self-priming, singlestage pump to deliver greater performance. The VS3A60-B twostage pump also provides up to 60% increased flow when compared to the industry standard. As with other Gorman-Rupp sewage pumps, the VS3A60-B is also fitted as standard with a selfcleaning wear plate system that enables the pump to handle stringy materials and rags that would block other pumps. A large back cover plate allows easy access to the pump’s interior. The clearance between the impeller and wear plate can be adjusted simply and quickly without the need to realign belts, couplings or other drive components. Once adjusted, the pump’s lock collar and adjusting screw maintain the clearance setting even if the cover plate is removed. After a trial, Bundaberg Regional Council installed the pump in January 2011 and has not looked back since. “It’s now been about 15 months since we installed the VS3A60-B and we have not even had to touch it once. It has been performing within the required parameters, maintaining a flow rate of 20 L per second and a head pressure of approximately 73 m. It has significantly improved the greater overall efficiency of the whole plant,” said Harris. The VS3A60-B pump has also helped the council save on maintenance costs and the hassles associated with constant repairs. Hydro Innovations Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q082

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case studies Peristaltic pump at food manufacturer Greencore Grocery is one of the UK's leading manufacturers of bottle-/jar-packaged recipe products, producing a wide range of both branded and customer own-brand sauces, pickles and soft drinks. The cleaning and changeover process between different products produces a small quantity of liquid waste (food effluent). This can lead to significant fluctuations in pH levels, from four up to 12 in some instances. Until recently, pH levels at Selby were corrected using 32% sodium hydroxide through the facility's water treatment plant, which is owned and operated by United Utilities, the UK's largest listed water company. With Greencore responsible for consumable costs, a cost-down exercise was commenced to seek an alternative to NaOH. "The Greencore Grocery facility is a high-volume plant where there can be between 10 and 26 'washouts' a day depending on order schedules," says Peter Wadsworth, Craft Technician at United Utilities. "In order to find a more cost-effective method of correcting the pH in the processing machinery, we trialled a product called 'Mag Mex 1060', which is a magnesium hydroxide solution [Mg(OH)2], to correct the pH levels. Carrier water is used to dose the Mag Mex into the system at Greencore Grocery, but to do this effectively a suitable pump is required. "To be honest, we started off using fairly 'cheap and cheerful' dosing pumps, but this proved to be inefficient as we spent two days a week repairing them," says Wadsworth. "Because magnesium hydroxide has low solubility in water it makes

for a pretty abrasive fluid. We found the grit would attack the mechanical seals and drain plugs on the dosing pumps, thus requiring repair." It so happened that one of United Utilities' sister sites was using a peristaltic pump from Watson-Marlow, and this was subsequently recommended to the process engineering team at Selby. As a result, a Bredel SPX50 high-pressure peristaltic hose pump (50 mm diameter) was installed in September 2009, and ever since there have been no abrasion issues causing downtime or repair. The reason for this successful outcome is simple: in peristaltic pump technology, nothing but the hose or tube touches the fluid, hence there is no chance of the abrasive fluid damaging pump components. The peristaltic design means there are no valves, seals or glands to repair or replace. Replacing a hose or tube takes only minutes and they are relatively low-cost items compared to spares for other pump types. At Greencore this all adds up to a low-maintenance, low-cost solution, which is just as well for an operation that produces around 250 million jars per annum across circa 500 different product lines. "Any downtime in an operation of this magnitude can be very costly," says Wadsworth. "I'm sure the SPX50 paid for itself extremely quickly. In fact, we are going to trial an identical pump on site for sludge transfer between tanks.

Flow meter installed with minimum disruption

According to KCES, this solution saved time and money, as joining the flow meter section with Gibault-style pipe joints would have substantially increased the cost for the pipe joints, and the fitting time would also have been significantly longer. Welding the flow meter section of pipe into the existing main would have required an absolutely dry pipe line. This would have been very difficult to achieve in view of the length of time it would have taken to drain such a large pipe. In addition, after longer periods in operation there was a risk that the valves would no longer seal absolutely tightly and a small amount of water would still trickle through. Due to the short installation time of the Straub pipe couplings, this modification of an existing water main could be carried out with minimal disruption for the clients and their customers.

When a pump station in northern Sydney required the installation of a flow meter to an existing pipeline, the downtime had to be kept to a minimum to avoid disruption of the water supply. After excavation and concreting of the flow meter pit was completed, a new pipe section with the flow meter pre-installed was delivered to the site. The pipeline was shut down and an equivalent section of the existing water main line was cut. The new section with the flow meter was put in place and connected to the remaining main line with two Straub Flex 2H 1296.0 mm pipe couplings. Because the Straub pipe couplings have a very short installation time, disruption to the water supply was kept to a minimum.

18 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

Watson-Marlow (Pty) Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/J655

KCES Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N397

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Cloud

What is

mySITE? My assets, at my fingertips.

Sustaining a clean energy future

Sylvia Tulloch, Director and Joint Founder, Dyesol Limited*

Solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity continues to grow rapidly across the world and is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity. PV represented about 0.5% of global electricity demand and 1% of peak power demand at the end of 2011^.

he growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity is particularly significant as much of it has come from Europe, responsible for 75% of all new capacity in 2011, during a time of economic crisis and industry consolidation. This shows us that with the right policy conditions in place, PV can progress to become a mainstream energy source even in difficult market conditions and the global outlook for the sector is very positive. While Europe’s PV growth far outpaces the rest of the world, other markets including China, Japan, India, the USA and Australia are starting to tap into their potential while the large ‘sunbelt’ regions such as Africa, the Middle East and Latin America should soon begin development. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association’s Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics Until 2016, Australia’s speed of PV growth to 774 MW in 2011 was not sustainable and was too complicated through inconsistent and varied state-based feed-in-tariff (FiT) policies^ which are now all wound back or closed. What is clear is that PV has great benefits for becoming a substantial energy

Dye Solar Cell (DSC) windows installed at Seoul City’s Human Resource Development Centre, manufactured by Eagon Industrial Co Ltd using DSC modules (tiles) produced and supplied by Dyesol Limited’s Korean joint venture partner, Timo Technology.

20 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

source for the country; however, key to PV becoming a viable and competitive energy source over the long term is a robust framework that is not impacted by political uncertainty. Currently, Australia is on track to meet its renewable energy targets of 20% for 2020 and some experts are predicting we’ll reach as high as 26% by that time. With the current forecasts for rising electricity prices in Australia through to 2015, wind and solar power are becoming more economical, especially in certain ‘sweet spots’ on the grid, where there is increased demand (such as for a new residential or industrial development) and where it is possible to delay grid augmentation by installing embedded generation. Indeed, there are many places where the embedded renewable energy installation will be less expensive than grid augmentation; for example, installing additional grid infrastructure such as upgrading the network distribution substation or replacing high-voltage power lines. The grid is the main issue which could limit growth in the adoption of renewable energy technologies. The question of who, between the distribution companies and retail utilities, should bear the interconnection costs needs to be resolved. As embedded renewable energy installations increase (in some places residential PV has reached 30%), there is a need to augment connection node infrastructure, and the issue of who pays for that is currently unresolved. The solution to the grid infrastructure issue will need federal and state government cooperation. It could include government directing distributors to deal with these grid issues and improve access to the grid. Pricing controls through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which is a statutory authority established to promote competition and fair trade in the marketplace, will be important. Australia’s challenge is to understand the supply chain and thus optimise the benefits to our broad economy from the renewable energy market.

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PV electricity

to 2015, wind and solar power are becoming more economical, especially in certain ‘sweet spots’ on the grid, where there is increased demand (such as for a new residential or industrial development) and where it is possible to delay grid augmentation by installing embedded generation.

We need to take examples from countries such as Germany and Italy who have fully embraced renewable energy policies and technologies, particularly in light of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, to drive the use of alternative energy sources among consumers and business alike. In addition to government policies and financial incentives, we should also, as a country, be embracing innovation and technology that will enable us to take the next step to turn our buildings and vehicles into efficient and inexpensive power generators. At Dyesol, we are currently working with a number of multinational partners around the globe to integrate and embed our Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology into products for the building supply sector (such as windows and steel roofing material). DSC is photovoltaic enabling technology mimicking photosynthesis that generates electricity in a wider range of light conditions (including cloudy days, hazy or polluted days, at dawn and dusk) than its traditional photovoltaic predecessor and is less sensitive to the angle of incidence of light. This means DSC-enabled products can be installed vertically into a facade on the side of a building that doesn’t receive direct sunlight, as is the case in many crowded urban environments.

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By partnering with world-leading building materials manufacturers such as Tata Steel Europe in the UK and Pilkington North America in the USA (through the joint venture Dyetec Solar), we are on track to enable them to offer DSC solutions for commercial and residential buildings in the next few years. Globally, the PV industry generated $82 billion in revenues in 2010 and energy demand is projected to increase by 49% over the next 30 years. There

With the current forecasts for rising electricity prices in Australia through

is huge demand for additional sources of energy and DSC is best placed to answer this demand, particularly in cities as DSC works well in low-light and dappled conditions typical of urban and city environments, making it an ideal renewable resource for closely packed buildings. With buildings themselves using more than 71% of all energy produced in the US in 2008 for example, being able to turn buildings into their own power generators with DSC photovoltaic The Dyesol-Tata team at Shotton, North Wales, with the world’s largest Dye Solar Cell.

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 21

PV electricity

enabled building products producing energy right at the point of use is an excellent solution to a growing problem of the often very distant location of solar farms with the inherent high costs of transmission losses and grid extension infrastructure. Integrating DSC photovoltaic power into the built environment creates a new dynamic in supply and use of power. In a marketplace driven by many factors such as increasing electricity price, security of supply, safety of power generation and distribution, and global warming, it is estimated that the building integrated photovoltaic market will reach $6.4 billion by 2016 according to industry analyst NanoMarkets. In the UK, Dyesol and partner Tata Steel Europe have successfully completed the £11m pilot production phase of integrating DSC on steel sheets in a coil-coating production line. The project has produced the world’s largest dye-sensitised photovoltaic module on steel roofing material. The module is over 3 m in length and approximately 1 m 2 in area and represents an important step in the development of large-scale micro and local energy generation capability within the infrastructure of buildings. Creation of the DSC-enabled roofing prototype has demonstrated the potential for DSC on steel roofing applications

and for manufacturing processes using continuous printing and coating processes, for scaling up the production of steel strips onto which a dye-sensitised photovoltaic coating has been printed. Produced as a single length of coated steel, the breakthrough brings closer to commercial realisation the ambition to develop a manufacturing process that can produce long roofing panels with an integrated DSC photovoltaic functionality. Across the world, we are working with leading research partners and with the support of governments to develop, improve and commercialise high-

performing, low-cost DSC technology for use across the built environment. We hope that the success we achieve abroad in other countries will be replicated here in Australia so all Australians can enjoy the benefits of a sustainable, clean energy from our most powerful source - the sun. ^Source: EPIA, Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics until 2016, May 2012. Dyesol Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q088

*Ms Tulloch is a materials scientist with over twenty-five years’ experience in establishment and management of high-technology business, with a particular interest in commercialisation processes and the clean technology sector. Sylvia was the founding Managing Director of Dyesol limited in 2004 and is now a Director of the ASX listed company (ASX:DYE), and a director of nonlisted companies Uniflow Power Limited and Perimeter Security Industries. Sylvia is active in government liason and a member of the Clean Technology Investment Committee, an independent expert committee assisting Innovation Australia deliver the $1 billion Clean Technology Investment programs, and of the Future Manufacturing Industries Innovation Council. Formerly President of the Sustainable Energy Industries Association of Australia, Chair of the Renewable Energy Action Agenda Implementation Group and on the committee guiding the Australian Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap, Sylvia has also been a Director of the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

Regional NSW installs mobile glass crusher A mobile glass crusher has been installed at the Wellington Resource Recovery and Transfer Station. The Komplet MT5000 mobile glass crusher will increase glass recycling rates by processing glass bottles and jars collected through kerbside recycling and drop-off facilities and re-use the recovered crushed glass (RCG) locally in civil construction applications. The project is a joint initiative funded and supported by the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Packaging Stewardship Forum (PSF), the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) and five councils of the NetWaste Regional Waste Management Group, Wellington, Cabonne, Cowra, Mid-Western and Oberon councils. Glass sand can be used for a wide range of civil construction purposes in place of natural sand, such as in asphalt and concrete pavements, kerb and guttering, pole footings, pipe bedding and in road base. It is safe to handle and has been proven to perform well as an aggregate additive in these applications. All five participating councils have also agreed to trial the use of RCG in their civil construction applications, creating a local market for the material.

22 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

The mobile glass crusher will be managed by Wellington Council for the participating councils and is one of a number of PSF and APC projects around the nation which will increase the recovery of glass for recycling and ensure sustainable and economically viable alternative uses for RCG.

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 23

case studies Quarry proves green can be gold A leading Queensland quarry operator has demonstrated that extractive industries and local ecosystems can successfully co-exist, through clever and sustainable practices. Hanson Australia has been recognised as a leader in the field, collecting the state industry’s environmental innovation award for its site rehabilitation program at Wolffdene Quarry. Under the program, just 20% of this 543 ha site is disturbed at any one time, with continuous replanting underway as work progresses.

Before and after: the quarry has undergone an amazing transformation.

As quarry benches drop down to reach their final boundaries, local trees including grevillea, acacia and eucalyptus varieties, are being planted along the worked out terminal faces. By ensuring that the tree line stays above the working area, Wolffdene has also minimised the visual impact for local residents. Today wallabies, kangaroos, dingos, frilled-neck lizards, cockatoos and carpet snakes live on the rehabilitated site and local school students regularly visit the quarry to learn about its mining activities and restoration efforts. Wolffdene quarry manager Reno Fabretto said Hanson had made rehabilitation of the site and restoration of the local ecosystem a priority, and the results spoke for themselves. “Quarry rehabilitation and environmental protection make good economic sense and we have achieved sustainable, economical and efficient quarry bench rehabilitation as part of our day-to-day activities at the Hanson Wolffdene site,” Fabretto said. “We were extremely pleased to have our efforts recognised by the industry with the 2011 Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia - Queensland award for environmental innovation and our rehabilitation program is being rolled at other Hanson sites around the country.” Fabretto said the quarry has been operating for nearly three decades and injected approximately $13 million each

year into the surrounding area, employing 30 local staff, up to 60 drivers and supporting 42 local businesses and consultants. “It is our aim to continue to support this community and the local environment with a successful operation producing essential resources for the wider region,” he said. Hanson’s Wolffdene Quarry extracts hard rock, natural gravel and different types of sands for use in construction. It has supplied materials for many major projects in South East Queensland, including the number one runway at the Brisbane Airport, the Gateway Arterial road from Rochedale to the Gateway Bridge, the Gateway extension from Eight Mile Plains to Beaudesert Road, the Ipswich Motorway, the Clem 7 Tunnel and the Airport Tunnel. Hanson Construction Materials is one of the largest producers of aggregates - crushed rock, sand and gravel - and concrete products in the world. The company employs more than 3000 staff and permanent contractors, nationally, at more than 60 quarries, more than 240 concrete plants and a network of preformed concrete product sites around the country. Hanson owns approximately 10,000 ha of quarry land in Australia but only uses 1500 for quarrying activities, while the remainder is used for buffers, future reserves or has been rehabilitated. Hanson Construction Materials Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N963

Sewage treatment for remote mining village accommodation The outcome of Ovivo’s project to install a sewage treatment system in a remote accommodation village means that every time the resident miners go to use the toilet, the water is blue. The project in Coppabella (central Queensland), to provide remote living accommodation solutions for the mining and resource industry, was installed in August 2011 for a company called The MAC, which specialises in developing, owning and operating isolated accommodation villages across Australia. Ovivo built a portable membrane treatment system to treat the raw sewage and turn it into class A+ water, which is then used for flushing toilets and irrigation on-site. Blue dye is added to the treated

24 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

water to differentiate it from fresh water; hence the toilets at the village are always blue. The ongoing job, located 150 km southwest of Mackay, has enabled the MAC accommodation village - which currently has more than 1700 ensuite rooms, leisure facilities, a restaurant and a bar - to expand by building a treatment system which can handle the waste of an additional 750 workers. Ovivo designed, built and installed the container system which was lined in stainless steel. The system consists of an anoxic/buffer tank, aeration tank using Aerostrips and a Toray MBR system with chlorine disinfection. It is sized to 1500 m3/day. Ovivo Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N730

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research & development Feathers one day, fibre the next Every year, New Zealand produces about 50,000 tonnes of chicken feathers. In the past the only options for these feathers were to process them into low-grade animal feed, incinerate them or store them in landfills. But the feathers are now being sought as extra support for biodegradable plastics. An example of this concept was announced in March 2011, when American scientists including Dr Yiqi Yang demonstrated that they could make chicken-feather-based thermoplastics which remained stable in water. A little over a year later, at the University of Waikato, a similar incident is occurring. Dr Johan Verbeek, along with his colleagues Dr Kim Pickering and Dr Mark Lay, are taking chicken feathers and turning them into a biodegradable fibre which, when added to plastic, could be strong enough to use in the marine industry. Adding the feathers to a plastic compound produces a stronger, more resilient product; Dr Verbeek aims to use this to make “something like a glass fibre that can be used on boat hulls”. Other applications could also include ceiling panels or packaging - basically anything requiring rigidity or strength. Dr Verbeek and his team are no strangers to animal products, having previously done work turning blood meal into a thermoplastic for the agricultural industry. The university’s commercialisation company, WaikatoLink, is currently working with Australian and New Zealand companies to get a product to market, Front to back: while co-product company Wallace Corporation is a strategic partner in the development of blood meal-based plastics. Dr Verbeek said, “Wallace Corporation suggested that we work on chicken feathers as well since they process most of NZ’s feathers into feather meal, which is used as animal feed. Recovering fibre from the feathers has been identified as a potential product because of that.” Dr Yang, an authority on biomaterials and biofibres in the Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has explained why chicken feathers are a suitable material. They are inexpensive, abundant and made mainly of keratin - a tough protein also found in hair, hoofs, horns and wool that can lend strength and durability to plastics. He added that the mechanical properties of feather films outperform other bio-based products, such as modified starch or plant proteins. For Dr Verbeek, an added advantage was that “chicken feathers are lighter than glass or carbon and save on weight and therefore energy”. This is important to consider, as the process of converting feathers to fibre is quite an intensive one.

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Dr Johan Verbeek, Dr Kim Pickering and Dr Mark Lay

“Raw feathers have to be cleaned and then the fine fibres need to be stripped from the rachis, the hard bit in the middle,” Dr Verbeek said. “It’s not a quick process and at this stage is rather energy intensive - we’ve not looked into improving the efficiency yet as it is too early for us.” But once the process is perfected, the energy payoff will be present in a variety of ways. Dr Verbeek said the ultimate aim is producing a biodegradable alternative to foam packaging. “In a compost or landfill it would be gone in six months whereas polystyrene takes centuries to decompose. Our product won’t compete with polystyrene because there will never be enough raw material but there is enough to make a viable business.” Though Dr Verbeek admitted it will “be a while” before we can expect chicken-feather-plastics on the market, it is an exciting prospect to know that previously disposable animal products are being used to improve both the performance and the environmental impact of plastic. “The second holy grail for us is plastic bags,” teased Dr Verbeek. “That’s a major thrust of our research.” By Lauren Davis

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 25

research & development Futuristic wall display shows real-time energy usage T h e r e’s mo re to th e home energy conservation system designed by Queensland University of Technology industrial design graduate Erica Pozzey than meets the eye. Her design, Triad Energy, won two industry awards, which brought work experience with Infinity Design and Prodex and helped Erica gain a valuable understanding of real-world industry practice. Triad Energy is a concept for a management system that lets people not only customise the unit to their home’s own characteristics, it also generates awareness and understanding of why energy conservation is relevant on a personal level, with clear, tangible benefits within their own environment. “Triad Energy turns energy usage into captivating infographics on a wallmounted display so that you can see at a glance how much energy you are using, how close you are to the target you have set yourself and how it compares with other similar size households nearby,” said Pozzey, who is now studying for a Masters of Applied Science (Research) at QUT. “The wall display is accompanied by a web platform so that you can send and receive from the Triad Wall and view a detailed history of your usage and gain information of others’. “Triad Energy can also send alerts to your mobile when you are nearing your

target range, which gives you the ability to further coordinate your energy use without changing established routines.” Pozzey said her design was sparked by the realisation that people needed something they could engage with to help shift awareness of the need to reduce energy use into actually doing so. She said Triad Energy drew on persuasive design principles for integrating new objects and systems into everyday life and human behaviour. “For a new design to be accepted, it should encourage self-monitoring as this allows users to track their own progress, enjoy achieving their targets and progressively guide themselves to change their actions towards the desired goal,” she said. “The capacity to compare and share your usage with surrounding homes or suburbs draws on the idea of ‘surveillance’.

When people can observe others they form judgments on how they are faring in comparison, which may prompt them to compete with or at least match their neighbours. “It also has the effect of influencing action because ultimately people behave differently when they know they are being observed. “If we can find solutions to challenges such as energy conservation that are mindful of consumers’ constraints such as deadlines, responsibilities and expectations, we can provide tools to steadily integrate behavioural change into established routine.” Pozzey received the Industrial Design Excellence award from Infinity Design and also the Product Development Excellence award from Prodex, design consultancy firms based in Brisbane.

Check out this magazine’s website.

26 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

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research & development Methane emissions under our watch Efforts to reduce livestock methane emissions in Australia received a major boost with the launch of a new research cluster drawing on Universities and leading world research organisations including CSIRO. A group of Australian and international scientists have teamed up with CSIRO’s Sustainable Agriculture Flagship to help address one of the key contributors of methane emissions - burping livestock. Australian agriculture directly accounts for 10% of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions and a new research collaboration called the Methane Research Cluster aims to reduce that impact. The collaboration, led by researchers from the University of Melbourne, aims to improve measurement and management of methane emissions for the grazing lands of northern Australia thought to be responsible for 5% of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Professor Deli Chen, Project Leader from the University of Melbourne, said the Cluster will be able to draw on the skills of world-leading research institutes to accurately measure methane emissions from livestock under real grazing conditions. “This is a critical step if we are to help agriculture reduce its emissions because

The Cluster will be able to draw on the skills of world-leading research institutes to accurately measure methane emissions from livestock under real grazing conditions.

Developing accurate methods for measuring cattle methane emissions will help inform government policy and beef producers.

if you can’t measure, you can’t mitigate,” Professor Chen said. CSIRO’s Research Project Leader, Dr Ed Charmley, said, “The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Act sets a long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 2000 levels by the year 2050. This research will help identify field-based measurement techniques and protocols that can support management actions and technologies that can help Australia meet such ambitious targets.” “The Cluster will also develop science that supports methodology development

for the Carbon Farming Initiative, an Australian Government program that enables farmers to earn ‘carbon credits’ for undertaking abatement activities on their properties,” Dr Charmley said. CSIRO’s Flagship Collaboration Fund will fund the Cluster for over three years, with support from several other Australian universities including Macquarie University, RMIT Victoria, University of New England, University of Western Australia, and University of Wollongong as well as researchers at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada and the University of Alberta.

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28 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

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research & development Water meters powered by water University of Waikato scientists are hoping to create a smart water meter, completely powered by the water running through it. Engineering Professor Jonathan Scott, PhD student Mark Jones and Summer Research Scholarship student Wayne Crump are looking at the best way to harvest power by separating electrical charge in water, without moving parts. They’re looking to create a charge separation through the use of a streaming potential cell and are hoping to harvest enough power to run a smart water meter that can wirelessly report water consumption. The cell works by forcing water through a glass microchannel that has a charge bound to its surface. As water travels through the channel, ions of an opposite polarity cling to the charged surface. When pressure pushes these ions through the channel a useful amount of electricity builds up. “In engineering terms, this is a chance to achieve something practical from an effect that has to date been no more than a curiosity from the world of physics,” says Professor Scott. Summer Research Scholarship student Wayne Crump is looking at creating the best design for the cell. “I’ve been looking at [how] the height of the channel and how much pressure we use to force water through affects how much power we’re getting - seeing what’s the best way to generate power.”

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Optimal design of a streaming potential cell is intrinsic to PhD student Mark Jones’s research, which aims to create a water meter that generates its own power. “So far we’ve recorded a total of 30 millivolts with our prototypes and, to put it into some context, a low-power microprocessor can run on 900 millivolts. “I’m investigating whether it will be possible to use these means of generating electricity to run a smart water meter,” says Jones. “If we can harvest energy from the water we’re metering then we remove the need for batteries, which is what current smart water meters need. Not only will this prevent thousands of batteries ending up in landfills each year but [it will] also save having to replace them, a much greener alternative.”

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 29

research & development Harnessing nature’s solar cells Photovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells. David L Chandler, MIT News Office

Within a few years, people in remote villages in the developing world may be able to make their own solar panels, at low cost, using otherwise worthless agricultural waste as their raw material. That’s the vision of MIT researcher Andreas Mershin, whose work is an extension of a project begun eight years ago by Shuguang Zhang, a principal research scientist and associate director at MIT’s Center for Biomedical Engineering. In his original work, Zhang was able to enlist a complex of molecules known as photosystem-I (PS-I), the tiny structures within plant cells that carry out photosynthesis. Zhang and colleagues derived the PS-I from plants, stabilised it chemically and formed a layer on a glass substrate that could - like a conventional photovoltaic cell - produce an electric current when exposed to light. But that early system had some drawbacks. Assembling and stabilising it required expensive chemicals and sophisticated lab equipment. What’s more, the resulting solar cell was weak: its efficiency was several orders of magnitude too low to be of any use. Now Mershin says the process has been simplified to the point that virtually any lab could replicate it - including college or even high school science labs - allowing researchers around the world to start exploring the process and making further improvements. The new system’s efficiency is 10,000 times greater than in the previous version - although in converting just 0.1% of sunlight’s energy to electricity, it still needs to improve another tenfold or so to become useful, he says. The key to achieving this huge improvement in efficiency, Mershin explains, was finding a way to expose much more of the PS-I complex per surface area of the device to the sun. Zhang’s earlier work simply produced a thin flat layer of the material; Mershin’s inspiration for the new advance was pine trees in a forest. Mershin, a research scientist in the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, noticed that while most of the pines had bare trunks and a canopy of branches only at the very top, a few had small branches all the way down the length of the trunk, capturing any sunlight that trickled down from above. He decided to create a microscopic forest on a chip, with PS-I coating his ‘trees’ from top to bottom. Turning that insight into a practical device took years of work, but in the end Mershin was able to create a tiny forest of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires as well as a sponge-like titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructure coated with the light-collecting material derived from bacteria. The nanowires not only served as a supporting structure for the material, but also as wires to carry the flow of

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electrons generated by the molecules down to the supporting layer of material, from which it could be connected to a circuit. As a bonus, both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide - the main ingredient in many sunscreens - are very good at absorbing ultraviolet light. That’s helpful in this case because ultraviolet tends to damage PS-I, but in these structures that damaging light gets absorbed by the support structure. Mershin thinks that progress towards improving their efficiency should be rapid. Ultimately, once the efficiency reaches 1 or 2%, he says, that will be good enough to be useful, because the ingredients are so cheap and the processing so simple. “You can use anything green, even grass clippings” as the raw material, he says - in some cases, waste that people would otherwise pay to have hauled away. While centrifuges were used to concentrate the PS-I molecules, the team has proposed a way to achieve this concentration by using inexpensive membranes for filtration. No special laboratory conditions are needed. Because the system is so cheap and simple, he hopes this will become a “way of getting low-tech electricity to people who have never been thought of as consumers or producers of solar-power technology”. He hopes the instructions for making a solar cell will be simple enough to be reduced to “one sheet of cartoon instructions, with no words”. The only ingredient to be purchased would be chemicals to stabilise the PS-I molecules, which could be packaged inexpensively in a plastic bag. Essentially, Mershin says, within a few years a villager in a remote, off-grid location could “take that bag, mix it with anything green and paint it on the roof” to start producing power, which could then charge mobile phones or lanterns. Today, the most widely used source of lighting in such locations is kerosene lanterns - “the most expensive, most unhealthy” form of lighting there is, he says. “Nighttime illumination is the number one way to get out of poverty,” he adds, because it enables people who work in the fields all day to read at night and get an education. Babak Parviz, an associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington who specialises in bionanotechnology, says: “This shows a very promising and creative first step toward building organic photovoltaic cells that can use biologically (naturally) produced cores.” He adds that while the present system still needs further development, “further work in the field can perhaps improve the stability and performance of these devices”. Reprinted with permission of MIT News (http://web.mit.edu/ newsoffice/).

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research & development Increasing efficiency of thin film solar In a boon for the local solar industry, a team of researchers from Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech Power Holdings has developed what is claimed to be the world’s most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells. In a paper published in Nano Letters, the researchers describe how they have manufactured thin film solar cells with an absolute efficiency of 8.1%. The research was conducted under the auspices of the VictoriaSuntech Advanced Solar Facility (VSASF) at Swinburne, a $12 million program jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Swinburne and Suntech. The group is working to dramatically increase the efficiency of thin film solar technology. According to Swinburne Professor Min Gu, Director of the VSASF, thin film cells have attracted enormous research interest as a cheap alternative to bulk crystalline silicon cells. However, the significantly reduced thickness of their silicon layer makes it more difficult for them to absorb sunlight. “Light-trapping technology is of paramount importance to increase the performance of thin film solar cells and make them competitive with silicon cells,” Professor Gu said. “One of the main potential applications of the technology will be to cover conventional glass, enabling buildings and skyscrapers to be powered entirely by sunlight.” The VSASF group has been improving thin film cell efficiency by embedding gold and silver nanoparticles into the cells. This increases the wavelength range of the absorbed light, improving the conversion of photons into electrons. In their most efficient cells yet, the researchers went one step further, using what are known as nucleated or ‘bumpy’ nanoparticles. Senior Research Fellow at Swinburne Dr Baohua Jia said: “The broadband plasmonic effect is an exciting discovery of the team. It is truly a collaborative outcome between Swinburne and Suntech over the last 12 months.” Dr Jia believes that this new technology will have an important impact on the solar industry. “What we have found is that nanoparticles that have an uneven surface scatter light even further into a broadband wavelength range. This leads to greater absorption and therefore improves the cell’s overall efficiency. Professor Gu applauded the quick time frame in which the research group has been able to achieve 8.1% total efficiency; however, he believes there is still considerable scope to improve the cells and transform the way the world sources energy. “We are on a rapid upwards trajectory with our research and development. With our current rate of progress we expect to achieve 10% efficiency by mid 2012,” he said. “We are well on track to reach the VSASF’s target to develop solar cells that are twice as efficient and run at half the cost of those currently available.” Professor Gu said that another advantage of the group’s approach is that nanoparticle integration is inexpensive and easy to upscale and therefore can easily be transferred to the production line. “We have been using Suntech solar cells from the outset, so it should be very straightforward to integrate the technology into mass manufacturing. We expect these cells to be commercially available by 2017.”

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 31

Green energy generation from industrial wastewater does not always get as much attention as more traditional renewables such as solar and wind. In fact, there lies a huge, often hidden potential in using industrial wastewater as a source of renewable energy. Mr Jean Pierre Ombregt* encourages businesses with organic content in their wastewater and waste streams to investigate the anaerobic potential for their specific case.

Green power from wastewater with anaerobic technologies

he concept of using wastewater to create green energy is much more widely applicable than often realised. Any factory with a biological waste stream or wastewater with high COD (chemical oxygen demand) can easily use this model to generate energy. Some companies making the investment have achieved payback within a year. Most typically achieve it within two years. But most industries have not realised the potential of this green energy cash cow. They have mainly been focusing on treating their effluent to meet local discharge standards at the lowest possible investment costs. By doing so, wastewater treatment installations have only generated additional operating costs and have never been seen as revenue generators. However, applying anaerobic wastewater treatment sheds a whole different light on the cost structure of wastewater treatment infrastructure. It can now actually become a substantial additional source of income for many factories and processing plants throughout the world, including the food, beverage and agro industry and other primary product processing plants throughout the world - including, particularly, the expanding primary production businesses of vigorously growing areas such as Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and South America.

Power from effluent In realising the value by anaerobically treating organic effluent and waste material, a whole series of benefits come into play. The first benefit is of course the clean effluent, efficiently dealing with an important waste stream many companies have to contend with. On average the removal efficiency of GWE’s anaerobic wastewater treatment installations is as high as 90-95%, bringing the organic load down to regulatory discharge standards for some types of wastewater. For more

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heavily loaded wastewaters, relatively small extra post-treatment steps can further purify the effluent, meeting even the most stringent discharge regulations for water re-use. Besides cleaning the wastewater (which other processes can ultimately achieve), by far the greatest advantage of anaerobic wastewater treatment is the controlled, continuous production of valuable biogas that occurs during the wastewater treatment. Other types of treatment, such as aerobic and physicochemical processes, do not provide this benefit. Closed anaerobic reactors generate large quantities of methane (CH4) from the organic materials in the wastewater that can diminish or even completely replace the use of fossil fuels in the production process. To bring some perspective to the value, one tonne of COD digested anaerobically generates 350 Nm3 of methane, equivalent to approximately 312 L of fuel oil, or generates about 1300 kWh of green electricity. For specific industry applications with high organic loads, enough biogas can be generated to fully cover a factory’s fossil fuel needs and still have a biogas surplus to feed into power generators to produce electricity for the owner’s use or for sale to the national grid. A project recently completed for a 300 tonne/day tapioca starch factory in Thailand illustrates this. The fossil fuel equivalent of the biogas generated in the anaerobic digestion of the starch factory’s wastewater is approximately double what is required for the mill’s production, making the factory 100% self-sufficient for its fossil fuel needs. The surplus biogas is used to generate green electricity, which is sold back to the grid, generating additional revenues.

For a greener footprint But it doesn’t end there. The GWE closed anaerobic process systems prevent large

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Energy from wastewater

quantities of CH 4 being emitted into the atmosphere. With CH 4 being 21 times more harmful than CO2, GWE’s anaerobic wastewater solutions can also qualify for Emission Reduction Certificates for projects in countries listed under the United Nations Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) programs. Besides the economical advantage of GWE’s anaerobic wastewater treatment, there is clearly also the environmental advantage, significantly reducing factories’ carbon footprints. Not only by supplying renewable energy and thus reducing or even eliminating the use of fossil fuels, but also by replacing more traditional, CH4-polluting, open lagoons and by replacing power consuming and waste sludge producing traditional aerobic WWTPs.

Can I also apply it to my factory? Anaerobic wastewater treatment with biogas recovery is possible for a very wide range of industries. The main criteria for energy-generating projects to become viable is the COD content of the effluents. The higher the organic load of the wastewater, the more biogas and thus renewable energy can be generated from it. Cost of fuel also plays a significant role. As the world is learning to live with higher petroleum prices, currently peaking well over US$100 a barrel, choosing anaerobic technology now holds the key to immediate and future safeguarding of power supply for many industries.

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Typical industries that are suitable for anaerobic wastewater treatment are: • beer and beverages (beer, soft drinks, tea, coffee- and milk-based drinks, fruit juices) • food processing and canning (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seafood) • snacks, confectionery, dairy industry • fermentation industry (alcohol, yeast, monosodium glutamate)

• biofuels (ethanol, biodiesel) • pulp and paper • agro and agroprocessing industries (vegetables, beet sugar, starch, palm oil) • petrochemical (PTA, PET, glycol and polyester factories) Global Water Engineering www.globalwaterengineering.com

*Jean Pierre Ombregt is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Water Engineering. With more than 35 years’ experience and more than 300 successfully completed projects in more than 60 countries, GWE is one of the market leaders for anaerobic industrial wastewater treatment and for the transition of biosolids into green energy. GWE’s range of technologies covers solutions for water recycling, digestion of biomass and sludge and slurries, biogas production and re-use, bioenergy and carbon credits.

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 33

n products & services

Infrared thermometer

Centrifuges

The Fluke 62 Max and 62 Max+ infrared thermometers have been released. These easy-to-use test tools are dust, water and drop resistant, making them suitable for the harsh conditions faced by technicians in electrical, service, HVAC, process, industrial and facilities maintenance applications. The Fluke 62 Max/62 Max+ delivers: rugged performance - survives 3 m drops to wood floors; water and dust resistance: IP54 rated to withstand rain, splashing liquids, dust and dirt; small and easy to use: small enough to carry comfortably on a tool belt all day, the digital thermometers measure with a trigger click and their multiangle, backlit display make them easy to read; and dual lasers (62 MAX+): dual, rotating lasers to accurately identify spot size. The Fluke 62 Max is suitable for quick temperature scans of systems to look for anything from unusual hot spots that signal electrical and electromechanical malfunctions to undesirable air intake/output patterns in the building envelope. Because infrared measurement does not require making contact with the surface being measured, technicians can make the measurements from a distance, away from moving machinery or live electrical connections. The 62 Max has a distance-to-spot ratio of 10:1 and measures temperatures from 30 to 500°C with an accuracy ±1.5% of the reading. The 62 Max+ has a distance-tospot ration of 12:1 and measures 30 to 650°C with an accuracy ±1.0% of the reading. Both IR thermometers operate on a single AA battery.

Rowe Scientific has introduced the Centurion range of centrifuges from the UK into Australian laboratories. The desk top centrifuge is suitable for many applications, ranging from micro through to 3 L capacities.

Fluke Australia Pty Ltd

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q084

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N588

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Features include induction (brushless) motor, stainless steel bowl, alloy and steel main frame and rotor recognition technology (select models). Rowe Scientific Pty Ltd

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Office and school recycling containers Sulo Australia has launched a practical, versatile and stylish range of containers designed for recycling and waste collection in offices and schools. They are suitable for the canteen, staffroom, kitchen, workshop, library, photocopying room, common room, conference room and more. The Waste Watcher containers allow users to design and create their own recycling station. There are three sizes to choose from (60, 76 and 87 L) with multiple lid styles and colours to suit specific recycling requirements. The lids are correctly colour-coded and labelled to meet the Australian Standards for recycling. With the aid of an optional connector kit users can secure several of the containers to create their own sturdy recycling station in house. The product uses internal bag hooks and ‘perfect-fit’ biodegradable bags. The internal hooks keep the bag hidden from public view so that the container or system looks tidy and ready for recycling. Other features include easy-grip handles, optional wheel dollies and optional sign frames that fit on either side or on the top at the rear of the container. The company can assist users with standard signage or custom signage to suit office or school requirements. If space or access is an issue, the Billi Box is a suitable option for deskside recycling and waste collection. It is a compact container available in two sizes (27 and 39 L) with multiple lid configurations and colours to choose from to suit the recycling program and surroundings.

Atmospheric visibility sensor The CS120 is an infrared forward scatter visibility sensor for road, marine and airport-based weather stations. It uses infrared forward-scatter technology with a 42° scatter angle that provides accurate measurements in fog and snow. The scatter angle allows the product to accurately measure atmospheric visibility for the range of 10 to 30,000 m. The product uses continuous high-speed sampling, which improves the accuracy of measurements taken during mixed weather such as rain and hail, while providing reliable readings during more stable events such as fog and mist. High-speed sampling also allows the sensor to better respond to suddenly changing conditions. The product has several design features that keep its optics clean. Downward-facing optics minimise dirt and snow build-up. Low-powered heaters prevent the formation of dew and a higher-powered heater prevents the formation of ice. Campbell Scientific Aust Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N450

Sulo MGB Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q006

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Multiparameter controller for water treatment Bürkert’s multiparameter controller mxControl 8620 is designed to automate the control of process variables within a water treatment system, reducing controller and instrument costs by as much as half. The product integrates all control, monitoring and display features as well as data and event logging functions into one compact unit. It is suitable for primary water treatment processes or ancillary processes in manufacturing, mining and general industry. The product is claimed to be the first modular control system designed for seamless integration into countless chemical or skid control applications. It is easily configured to display, transmit and record flow, pressure, pH/ ORP, conductivity, turbidity, O2, O3, Cl2, level and temperature. It accepts standard 4-20 mA inputs from the field instruments and provides high-level computations to optimise the water treatment process. It is designed for use in water treatment, cooling towers, RO applications and boiler systems. The system is capable of processing up to four analog, two RTD, eight digital inputs as well as five relays, four digital transistor outputs and four optional analog outputs simultaneously. Sophisticated electronics and control algorithms ensure optimum process control is maintained with minimal operator intervention. Parameters are loaded by SD card or from a standard PC via the USB interface. An optional ethernet interface can be used to configure and parameterise the controller remotely or be used to send email or SMS alerts in the event of an alarm situation. All important variables and parameters may be raised via five soft-touch keys, with the operator able to grant varied access via the built-in security system. The product provides continuous online monitoring and process control, achieving high precision, improved reliability and QA reporting.

Downlight The Azelite Azsence 6 and 8″ dimmable recessed downlights are a suitable replacement for conventional PLC and PLT downlights (compact fluorescent downlights). The product changes a standard PL fluorescent downlight from twin 26 W PL with conventional ballasts to a 30 W Azelite Azsence downlight which is claimed to provide a saving up to 32 W of energy per fitting. Lower wattage versions are available to meet most retrofit situations with similar energy savings. The Azelite Azsence is suitable for a range of applications such as offices, shopping centres, retail stores, hospitals, medical clinics, commercial and public areas, hotel rooms and foyers, kitchens, bathrooms and living areas. For NSW customers, the product is registered with IPART for the NSW Energy Savings Scheme. Ilum-a-lite Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N363

Personal protective equipment

Three moisture meters with external probes have been added to Domosystem’s Humitest range, allowing for the measurement of water content and temperature of turf, hay, compost, sand and substrate. The oven dry method is the reference test to measure water content, but it is costly and time-consuming. Designed for instant and reliable measurements on-site, the three moisture meters are calibrated according to this method. Fitted with an external probe (0.6/1 m long), they measure the water content and temperature of straw and hay, bales and piles, and turf. The user inserts the probe in the bale or the pile of matter to be measured, then selects one of the available calibrations corresponding to the measured material. Precise moisture content and temperature display instantly.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has united with Honeywell Safety Products, a manufacturer of safety equipment that includes eye, face and welding protection, hand and hearing protection as well as fall and respiratory protection. The company’s respiratory protection provides solutions for a wide variety of respiratory hazards and industry applications. The range includes both disposable and re-usable respirators, as well as air purifying masks and breathing apparatus. The eye and face protection range includes safety and laser eyewear, eyewash and face shields. There is also an extensive range of safety gloves that boasts innovative features and design, providing good protection, comfort and durability. The company’s earplugs and earmuffs are designed to comfortably fit every employee in every application. The company provides fall protection products to suit a wide range of industry applications. Harnesses and lanyards are tested in accordance with the guidelines of the Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1891.1 2007. Every product is subjected to strict testing and a quality assurance program.

Domosystem

Thermo Fisher Scientific

http://www.domosystem.fr/en

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q053

Burkert Fluid Control Systems Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q068

Moisture meters with external probe

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High barrier packaging Plantic Technologies, supplier of biopolymers, is partnering with petrochemical company Braskem, to add sugar cane derived ‘I’m green’ polyethylene to its Plantic eco Plastic product range. The addition of Braskem’s PE will increase the renewable content of its plastic range to above 90% and further improve the carbon footprint without compromising the ultrahighbarrier properties offered by Plantic eco Plastic. Plantic eco Plastic GPE trays and roll stock require no investment in new processing or packaging technology. They are a drop-in replacement for a range of traditional plastics used in modified atmosphere and high-barrier packaging. The rigid trays and roll stock are offered in a transparent form as well as a variety of colours and even multicolour formats. Plantic Technologies Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N953

Environmental management software Epicor Carbon Connect is a software solution that provides organisations with transparent auditable control and reports of resources consumed and expended by an organisation - including energy, water, waste, transport, carbon and natural gas. The software enables organisations to manage their environmental record and leverage best practices in order to improve efficiency, manage risk and maximise shareholder value. The software aids efforts to better track, manage and reduce a company’s overall carbon footprint. The software draws on information that will assist companies to calculate their expected emissions output and budget for their environmental cost factors. Epicor Carbon Connect is a fundamental part of an overall financial management and accounting system to enable companies to engage in emissions accounting for regulatory, public relations, marketing and operational efficiency purposes. Features include providing a verifiable way for organisations to: evaluate and demonstrate ROI in energy and resource reduction investments; position organisations to respond quickly and efficiently to new regulations; manage, track and report environmental and energy impact to a variety of reporting agencies and protocols; gain transparency into carbon and resource liabilities and potential assets; and create new revenue streams for an organisation. Epicor Software Aust Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N196

One Company, Unlimited Solutions NOV Mono globally provides engineering solutions within the solar, waste water, chemical, food, beverage, paper, mining, mineral processing, marine, agricultural, oil and gas sectors as well as aftermarket servicing.

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Heavy-duty pipe supports

The Velorum range of LED troffers is designed to replace existing fluorescent lighting in grid ceiling applications. Available in a range of standard and non-standard sizes, the troffers can deliver energy savings of up to 70%. The lights are suitable for a broad range of applications including: commercial office tenancies, schools, hospitals and data centres. Prefitted features include: decentralised intelligence; self-test; and radio frequency occupancy sensing (RFOS) enabled. These features are upgradeable, which allows for flexible light management into the future. The trotters are available in four different models - model EN450VE-30-X has a total energy of 30 W and 2361 lumens; model EN450VE-35-X is 34.5 W with 2715 lumens; model EN450VE-40-X is 39 W with 3070 lumens; and model EN450VE-45-X is 43.5 W with 3423 lumens.

Swift Metal Services has expanded its range of customdesigned, heavy-duty pipe supports. The supports are produced in accordance with client specifications and available in sizes ranging from 300 mm up to 2 m in diameter. The company provides a complete steel manufacturing service including material procurement, cutting, stamping, pressing, forming, rolling, punching, drilling and repetition fabrication of all types of metals. Materials include stainless steel, mild steel, copper, brass and aluminium. A full coating service is provided for the heavy pipe saddles, with galvanizing and powder-coating the most common finishes selected. Swift Pipe Supports are available with linings such as neoprene, to prevent abrasive wear points where vibration of pipes and tube may be an issue. The company has the capacity to produce 20 pipe brackets through to thousands. Short lead times remain unchanged with this expansion.

enLighten Australia Pty Ltd

SWIFT Metal Services Pty Ltd

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q225

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N720

LED troffer lighting

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Particle counter for indoor air quality Fluke Corporation has introduced the Fluke 985 Particle Counter, a rugged, accurate meter that measures airborne particles to troubleshoot and monitor indoor air quality (IAQ). The product is suitable for HVAC and IAQ professionals to verify cleanroom classifications and conduct HVAC filter testing and IAQ commissioning and investigations in hospitals, labs and other sensitive environments. It meets ISO 21501, JIS B9921 and CE standards. The meter features: six particle-size channels with a range of 0.3-10 Âľm, assuring accurate measurements; a rugged, lightweight, ergonomic design for easy, single-hand operation; in-device storage of 10,000 records for easy access to historical data; 19 hours of standard-use battery life to last a full workday. The unit has a large 8.89 cm QVGC colour display with backlight and intuitive icons, plus a large font option for easy navigation and viewing. It features configurable settings for the display, sample methods and sample size alarm. Data can be presented in traditional tabular or as a trend graph and exported to a USB memory stick or directly to a PC via a USB or ethernet cable. The product comes with a cradle for charging and USB and ethernet communications, ENet Cat5E cable, USB-A to Mini-B cable, 12 VDC power supply, zero count inlet-filter, filter adapter, sample inlet protective cap, hard case, getting started manual and user manual CD. Fluke Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N812

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Chlorine analyser The CLF10 sc analyser is an amperometric analyser which leverages Hachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-diagnostics to alert users whenever the process has changed or the instrument needs servicing. Diagnostic features include the Cal Watch algorithm for warning of pH and chlorine calibration deviation and a noncontacting flow sensor for notification of insufficient sample flow. Chlorine measurements with an amperometric analyser, such as the CLF10 sc, do not require reagents, eliminating the need for routine reagent replacement and waste stream management. The CLF10 sc analyser allows for real-time control of disinfection processes by providing continuous readings that indicate when treatment conditions have changed. Static applications are best suited with the CLF10 sc, where sample pH, flow, temperature and chlorine concentration are stable. Hach Company Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q308

HORIBA U-50 MULTI-PARAMETER WATER QUALITY METERS

pH Oxidation Reduction Potential Dissolved Oxygen Conductivity Salinity Total Dissolved Solids Seawater Specific Gravity Temperature Turbidity Water Depth GPS

AUSTRALIAN SCIENTIFIC Pty Ltd

PO Box 335 Kotara NSW 2289 - Ph 1800 021 083 - Fax 02 4956 2525 sales@austscientific.com.au - www.austscientific.com.au

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Power meter Schneider Electric has added the PowerLogic PM5350 power meter to its line-up of entry-level meters. The product is suitable for demanding applications, where accuracy is paramount. With a simple setup, the product displays meter data in a number of languages. Readings in English are not truncated and, therefore, easy to understand. The meter does the work of several devices. Its two high-performance relay outputs eliminate the need for an additional relay switch to command circuit breakers and, due to its four wetted digital inputs, it does not need an external power supply. A compact design of 44 mm makes it suitable for areas of limited space, such as panel instrumentation. Installation is fast and easy with only two mounting clips and one push of a button will start installation from scratch. Flexible parameter resets allow users to choose between a global reset and a single parameter reset.

Suitable for applications where increased product functionality is required, the product offers an extensive measurement package. Measurements include: total harmonic distortion, volts, current, neutral current, power (real, apparent and reactive), power factor, frequency, demand, active and reactive energy, per cent voltage unbalance and per cent current unbalance. Its accuracy and extensive measurements help users reliably participate in load shedding activities, sub-billing and cost allocation efforts, remote monitoring of electrical installations and circuit breaker monitoring and control. A robust, secure design means users can have increased confidence that measurements will be accurate, even in demanding environments. Its single PCB design improves the meterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longevity and sealable wiring covers protect wiring connections and personnel from live connections. A revenue seal secures meter settings and helps guard against tampering. Schneider Electric (Australia) Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N477

Solar pump range

Lead acid battery recycling service

Farmers, irrigators and other water users can now benefit from reliable, above ground solar-powered water supply with the Grundfos CRFlex. This range of surface-mount solar pumps provides a sustainable, reliable and costefficient alternative to irregular water supply problems in remote locations. The benefits of the range include easy installation, low maintenance and cost-efficient pumping. The product offers flexibility for rural users and communities as the pumps can be used on solar, mains or generator power. Installation costs are reduced when compared with submersible pump systems. The system can be tailored to various applications and to suit local conditions. Typical applications include small-scale irrigation, stock watering and agricultural water transfer. The range can also provide pressure boosting for homes and businesses in rural areas. The CR pump is driven by an MGFlex motor, which has built-in protection features that protect the pump itself, including dry running protection and motor overload and overheating. The pumps are built to last, with their robust construction ensuring that they can handle the harsh conditions across Australia. All wetted parts are made from 316 stainless steel to ensure high corrosion resistance.

Century Batteries has launched a nationwide recycling service for used lead acid batteries with over 900 locations around Australia where businesses and households can drop off used lead acid batteries free of charge and know that they will be handled safely and recycled into a host of different products. Lead acid batteries are traditionally used as starting batteries in most vehicles, primary power for many forklifts, golf carts and other small electric vehicles and for energy storage for solar and backup power supplies. Used lead acid batteries contain materials which, if not handled correctly, can be harmful to humans, wildlife and the environment. The good news is that 98% of a used lead acid battery is recyclable. The lead, acid and plastics can all be reprocessed and used in the manufacture of new products. The Century Yuasa used lead acid battery collection program provides motorists, homeowners and businesses with the outlet and resources to dispose of and recycle their used batteries correctly. Through a national network of approved battery recycling centres, users are encouraged to return their used automotive batteries for recycling and responsible disposal. For organisations which consistently produce quantities of used lead acid batteries, the Battery Recycling Program provides a total battery solution with a free used battery collection service and processes to alleviate the environmental issues and regulatory requirements associated with the handling and storage of used lead acid batteries. Century will provide a collection bin and signage and account customers can earn discount credits to bring down the cost of new Century battery purchases. Users of the website, www.recyclemybattery.com.au, can type a postcode into an easy-find service and locate the closest Century Yuasa Battery Recycling. The company is a proud supporting sponsor of National Recycling Week and Planet Arkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s www.recyclingnearyou.com.au.

Grundfos Pumps Pty Ltd

Century Yuasa

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N475

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q083

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Angle seat valve

Portable water sampler

Burkert has released a modular-concept angle-seat valve designed to streamline custom manifold blocks. Customised solutions such as mixing, distributing and multiway functions can be achieved by a special modular valve body with highly compact dimensions. The Type 2000 Inox valve and block assembly is designed so that block ports are quickly drilled out into any configuration, for virtually immediate assembly and turnaround even on customised blocks. The pneumatically operated angle seat valve consists of a pneumatic piston actuator and a two-way valve body. Both parts are manufactured from stainless steel 316L and therefore can be used with media at temperatures of up to +180Â°C. In addition to high-temperature resistance, the high-quality material offers optimal protection against corrosion and is suitable for applications with high requirements for hygiene. The valve is suited to media including water, alcohols, oils, steam, air, fuels, hydraulic fluid, saline solutions, alkaline solutions, organic solvents and neutral gases.

The PVS4150C portable water sampler can be used for stormwater, wastewater or other water-quality applications. It has a watertight enclosure constructed of strong, lightweight, HPX resin. Designed for easy transport, the enclosure includes four press-and-pull latches, three soft-grip handles, inline wheels, telescoping handle and flush hinges. It also has two hasps that can be padlocked and quick connectors that facilitate intake hose removal. The enclosure has cavity space for two Zero-Pak gel ice packs (#12396) to control the sample temperature. The sampler uses an external vacuum pump to draw water through intake tubing, instead of the traditional peristaltic pump that induces flow by squeezing flexible tubing. Advantages of the vacuum pump method include faster sampling rates, longer sampling distances and less maintenance. Because the vacuum method disturbs the water samples less, they better represent the original water solution, especially if the solution has high concentrations of suspended solids. The pump in the PVS4150C is smaller than the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s larger models. Its lightweight pump is able to take samples at over 1.52 m/s for horizontal draws of up to 7.62 m. An optional pressure/vacuum gauge shows users that the pump is functioning properly.

Burkert Fluid Control Systems

Campbell Scientific Aust Pty Ltd

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N676

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/M383

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 41

NEW White Papers

now available online! Eliminate impulse piping, heat trace and purge lines on DP level measurements Measuring level with differential pressure is a well understood and reliable method, although accurately measuring differential pressure on tall towers and tanks has always been challenging. For information on a possible solution to better enable operators to control tank level and pressure, download this paper.

Alarm rationalisation Alarm rationalisation is a systematic process to evaluate potential or existing alarms, qualify which are legitimate, specify their design and capture rationales which can be used to guide operator response. This paper describes the SILAlarm solution and other tips for setting up and sustaining an effective alarm rationalisation process.

Implementing OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) measures in the packaging hall Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a globally recognised best practice measure to systematically improve your processes for higher efficiencies and better productivity - ultimately leading to lower manufacturing costs and higher profitability. This application paper examines OEE metrics and how to capture them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; download now!

Building a storage environment for super-efficiency The growth of stored data is being driven by a need to leverage new data sources (web-based social media, for example) to create new business opportunities. The current ways of managing data in this environment are not sustainable, however, so IT administrators must therefore respond by becoming more efficient.

For these and more White Paper downloads, visit www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au/white_papers

42 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

n products & services

Analysis of organic acids in wastewater Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced a combined method for the accurate determination of organic acids in a wastewater sample. Application Note 291: Determination of Organic Acids in Wastewater Using Ion-Exclusion Chromatography and On-Line Carbonate Removal demonstrates that ion-exclusion chromatography excludes the inorganic anions present in the sample. A Thermo Scientific Dionex Carbonate Removal Device (CRD 200) is also needed to remove carbonate online. Inorganic anions and carbonate can interfere when determining organic acids in wastewater using anion-exchange chromatography. Inorganic anion interferences can be eliminated easily by using ion-exclusion chromatography because they are excluded from the column (ie, not retained). Carbonate is naturally present in wastewater and can interfere with organic acid determinations, even using ion-exclusion chromatography, due to the fact that carbonate is a weak acid that is retained by the column. This application and many others can be found at www. thermoscientific.com/dionex under the Documents tab. Thermo Fisher Scientific Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N725

Pumps APEX pumps from Bredel are designed to suit all dosing, metering and transfer applications from 2.8 to 1200 L/h across a broad range of applications for processing plants. With cast aluminium housing providing good heat dissipation, robust direct-coupled technology and precision machined hose elements, the pumps provide low maintenance, operation and inventory costs, extending uptime and process continuity. While the product provides optimum performance for low flow transfer applications, should process requirements change, easy upgrades are achievable without having to buy a new pump. This is because the model is three pumps in one, with a single pump body adjustable for three hose sizes (10, 15 and 20 mm) when production volumes rise. The pumps are claimed to offer the best performance on the market for pressures up to 8 bar, along with reliable and stable flow up 1200 L/h (with 20 mm diameter hose), making them suitable for ongoing, precise dosing. This is boosted by long-lasting hoses that also support repeatable accuracy when dosing additives, while continuous pump speeds up to 100 rpm provide a wider capacity range in comparison with alternative hose pumps. The performance of the pumps means they are suited to applications ranging from lime dosing and slurry transfer, through to handling food and beverage products. Unlike other pump types, hose pumps have no expensive wearing components such as seals, valves, membranes, stators, rotors or glands. Subsequently, they are suitable for handling â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;difficultâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fluids - abrasive, corrosive, viscous, shear-sensitive, crystallising or even fluids presenting a combination of these properties. Watson-Marlow (Pty) Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N447

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Vibration meter Solar inverters Solar Energy Australia (SEA) is now the distributor of Sunways Solar Inverters in Australia and will also provide the customer service for these devices. Comprising the AT, NT and PT device series, the agreement with SEA covers the entire Sunways product range for solar inverters. From smaller on-roof systems for private use through to large-scale commercial plants, Sunways hasÂ a device suitable for virtually any application. The Heric high-efficiency topology and three independent MPP trackers per device ensure maximum efficiency and therefore good electricity yields. An extensive range of communication options and convenient graphical display mean than both commissioning and operation are user friendly. Solar Energy Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/Q087

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Fluke Corporation introduces the Fluke 805 Vibration Meter, a portable multifunction vibration screening tool that provides quantifiable information on the bearing and overall health of motors and other rotating equipment. The instrument is suitable for frontline mechanical troubleshooting teams that need reliable and repeatable measurements of rotating equipment to make imperative go/no-go maintenance decisions. The instrument measures: overall vibration from 10 to 1000 Hz and provides a four-level severity assessment for overall vibration and bearing condition; bearing condition (CF+, or Crest Factor Plus) - the 805 Vibration Meter detects peaks in the vibration signal readings of roller bearings from 4000 to 20,000 Hz and uses a proprietary algorithm to interpret severity to determine if the bearing is going bad; and an infrared sensor automatically measures contact temperature and displays it along with the vibration reading for a broader understanding of machine health. The handheld meter has a sensor tip design that minimises measurement variations caused by device angle or contact pressure. This reduces operator error and improves the accuracy and repeatability of quick vibration screening. The meter also provides a severity scale for both overall vibration and bearing condition readings. Logged data can be uploaded into Excel to create trending reports. Fluke Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N591

June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 43

Australian Sustainability is coming. Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre 8 & 9 November 2012

Combining a diverse exhibition with a multi-stream conference and seminar program, Australian Sustainability is an innovative new event dedicated to improving the sustainability of Australian businesses.

Be a part of it. The essential business event for a smarter, brighter future.

AUS - 0032

Strategic Advisory Partner

Carbon Offset Partner

Event Partner

www.australiansustainability.com.au

Resource centre Legislation, governance, programs and industry links to help guide your sustainability development.

Carbon farming handbook

Farmers, landholders, waste operators and other clean energy businesses seeking to take part in the Gillard government’s Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) can now access information in a new handbook released by the Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Mark Dreyfus. The Carbon Farming Initiative opened for business last December and encourages farmers, landowners, local government and other stakeholders to generate extra revenue by reducing agricultural and landfill waste pollution. Several methodologies have already been approved under the CFI, including reducing methane in piggeries, flaring landfill gas, planting native tree species and reducing pollution from savanna fires. CSIRO, universities and other research bodies are developing a number of other methodologies with the federal government, including dairy cattle food supplementation, enhanced efficiency fertilisers, manure management and soil carbon. www.climatechange.gov.au/cfi.

The 'Workforce Development/e-learning Plan for the Renewable Energy Industry' is designed to promote career pathways in the renewable energy industry and will also provide access to e-learning resources and participation in workforce development activities. The project is being supported by $100,000 from the Australian Government’s National VET e-Learning Strategy’s Peak Industry Bodies Programs. The Clean Energy Council (CEC) is matching this contribution and leading the project. For more information, refer to: http://apps-10.edna.edu.au/industry/index. php/Business-Examples/renewable-energy-industry-2012.html

Editor Carolyn Jackson email: sm@westwick-farrow.com.au Chief Editor Janette Woodhouse

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E-learning strategy for renewable energy industry

Enviro 2012

The Enviro conference and exhibition, which is a joint venture of the WMAA and AWA, is being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, 24-26 July 2012. Program highlights include a technical tour of the Barossa as well as talks on sustainable business, waste and resources, water and wastewater, energy from waste and organics. Keynote speaker Scott Vitters, General Manager of PlantBottle Packaging Innovation, The Coca-Cola Company (USA), is presenting on the Thursday. http://www.enviroconvention.com.au

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 45

In my opinion

Timber towers and social sustainability The second of the three little pigs built his house out of wood and although in the fairytale the wolf blew it down, the head of UniSA’s Zero Waste Research Centre - Professor Steffen Lehmann - says piggy number two may have been onto something.

U Professor Steffen Lehmann is head of UniSA’s Zero Waste Research Centre and co-author of The Earthscan Series on Sustainable D e s i g n ’s f i r s t b o o k Designing for Zero Waste: Consumption, Technologies and the Built Environment – which was launched in February.

Social sustainability is one of the key themes explored in the new book, which develops ideas on how future cities can consume less and function more efficiently.

sing more sustainable materials such as timber in city building construction is just one of the hundreds of ideas explored in the new book edited by UniSA’s Professor Steffen Lehmann and Dr Robert Crocker. Designing for Zero Waste: Consumption, Technologies and the Built Environment is the first in a series and narrows in on themes around creating a sustainable city by implementing an array of construction and design techniques/ideas. Professor Lehmann says Australian cities, including Adelaide, have many poorly designed and inefficient buildings and he is currently working on a research project that would see more timber used in construction. “My big passion at the moment is about constructing buildings differently in the future,” Prof Lehmann says. “Instead of steel and concrete we would have timber construction that goes up seven, eight or even 10 storeys that would store carbon and provide the opportunity for timber to replace these traditional carbon-intensive materials. “We can build 10-storey buildings for urban use in the city that have no steel or no concrete except for in the footings. This is possible and desirable. “We can reduce the damage and the impact of construction by having carbon-positive buildings and that’s very, very exciting. We have the opportunity to reverse some of the environmental damage our existing buildings have caused.” Professor Lehmann says the timber used in such constructions would be of equal strength to the material it

46 Sustainability Matters - June/July 2012

replaces and wouldn’t mean damaging the environment. “It doesn’t involve cutting down rainforests with pristine timber in Indonesia - we are not talking about that type of timber. This timber needs to come from a sustainably harvested source with a 12-year cycle, so we could set up a green supply chain with Mt Gambier pine trees for instance,” he says. Social sustainability is one of the key themes explored in the new book, which develops ideas on how future cities can consume less and function more efficiently. “The centre is very interested in cities and how to transform cities to use fewer materials to produce less waste and use less energy, water, and to grow food locally. Then if you add a greater focus on recycling - that is my idea of a more sustainable city,” he says. Prof Lehmann says a lot of the waste issues faced in urban areas are centred around the attitudes of people who consume too much. “Why do people want a second fridge? Why do people want big cars like Hummers? Why can’t people drive less? We see a lot of young people have a limited relationship with nature and do not value tree planting. “Attitudes are changing too slowly; in fact, we see people wanting bigger houses to fill with stuff. We now have the largest homes in the world - bigger than the US - and they are badly designed and heavily dependent on air conditioning. These are things we can change but they require education and attitude change as well.”

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case study

Gas powered retrofit improves building efficiency

MSA recently completed an environmental retrofit of its office building in North Melbourne, which included installation of three 85 kW Yanmar gas powered air conditioning systems. This helped to reduce its energy usage and energy costs while improving the efficiency of its building. FMSA is a Melbourne-based firm offering comprehensive architectural, interior design, urban design and professional construction management services. Its building has three office floors, each approximately 400 square metres, plus a basement car park. FMSA worked with Greater Pacific Engineering on a design and construct basis. The project incorporated several energy-saving initiatives, such as an environmentally efficient building management system (BMS), in addition to the Yanmar gas powered air conditioning system. The BMS shuts down the air conditioning system when the windows are open. Michael Fooks, FMSA Director, explained: “The choice of the gasfired system meant a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ... while also creating a counter-cyclical effect on peak demand.”

“The choice of the gas-fired system meant a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ... while also creating a counter-cyclical effect on peak demand.” The firm previously used electric air conditioning, so there were no power constraint issues in upgrading to the Yanmar gas powered variable refrigerant flow (VRF) solution. FMSA now saves on energy usage and costs and has added to the quality and efficiency of its building in the long term. Preliminary calculations, such as energy use comparisons and carbon emissions, were undertaken by Umow Lai, a sustainability and engineering services consultancy. FMSA completed the project with the assistance of the Green Building Fund which is an Australian Government initiative that aims to reduce the impact of Australia’s built environment on carbon emissions by cutting operational energy usage, focusing on retrofitting existing commercial office buildings. Accessing the Green Building Fund did not require the project to have a formal NABERS or Green Star rating performed. FMSA was required to model a green building design and show energy

cost savings through implementing environmental efficiencies that reduced energy use. Prior to the retrofit, FMSA’s building was assessed and awarded the equivalent of a conventional 2 stars. Fooks suggested the installation of Yanmar’s gas powered air conditioning units was a major contributor to improving the environmental efficiency of the office building. While no formal NABERS or Green Star rating has been targeted, 5 star modelling has been implemented throughout the building retrofit. Fooks said the primary reasons for implementing gas powered air conditioning were sustainability factors and improving energy efficiency. “It is worth giving serious consideration to gas-fired climate control, as opposed to more conventional electric systems. We are certainly pleased with the installers and the result,” Fooks said. Origin Energy Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/N931

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June/July 2012 - Sustainability Matters 49