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Welcome to the inaugural BEST OF eMag.
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New publishing technologies now allow us to deliver you specially packaged eMags, featuring selected premium content published during the past 12 months, in one easy to read, share and download digital edition. This issue features your editor’s pick of the best products/case studies of 2011, and the eMag features live links back to our websites where full contact details (and in many cases links to other, similar items from that company) can be found. The BEST OF eMag is divided into Topicrelated sections to make it even easier to source the type of content you are most interested in — check out the Contents page for easy reference. It also features a powerful SEARCH function where you can enter any keyword and link straight to the most relevant items in the magazine. We hope you enjoy this special digital edition of your industry magazine and I am happy to receive your feedback and suggestions for similar products that you might find of value to your business. All the best for a prosperous 2012.
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Geoff Hird Publisher Westwick-Farrow Media ghird@westwick-farrow.com.au
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Measuring the power of the sun Energy monitoring and reporting for solar installation
Rising out of the red earth, under the blazing sun of central Australia, a ‘forest’ of solar panels stands against the horizon. This other-worldly sight is actually one of great scientific and environmental value - a project which has led to comprehensive longitudinal solar PV performance datasets that are freely available anywhere in the world. The panels are part of the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre (DKASC), a demonstration site for solar panels, that helps to promote understanding and confidence in solar technologies to the broader population. The site is an initiative of Desert Knowledge Australia and CAT Projects and is located about 9 km south of Alice Springs. Operating since 2008, the centre accommodates 33 solar panel installations and a custom-made weather station, each monitored by Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION meters with Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION Enterprise software. The technology was integrated by AZZO Automation, Schneider Electric’s energy solutions integrator in South Australia and the Northern Territory. “The client required a monitoring and reporting system which was expandable and would accurately and reliably measure the performance characteristics of each solar installation,” said James DiLiberto, Business Development Manager at AZZO Automation. “The integrity of the data was paramount. Because the upper range of Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION meters can monitor and log downstream devices, record analog and digital inputs, as well as send alerts on exception, the meters were the obvious choice to provide a single data concentration, with local display, for all conditioned device inputs.” In order to meet the project funder’s objectives of making solar technologies more accessible, CAT Projects required the collected data to be uploaded in real time to a website, where members of the general public can access it. “Monitoring the technology and disseminating the information is a key part of the DKASC project,” Lyndon Frearson, Manager CAT Projects, said. “We wanted to use a system which was familiar to the utility companies and wellknown in the industry. The accuracy of Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION meter data collection, and the ability for us to integrate the meters with the rest of the equipment, made them a great choice.”
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Schneider Electric Communications Gateways and Schneider Electric Switchgear were also used in the project. “We have really pushed the technology as far as it can go,” said DiLiberto. “Any ability which the meters have, we have utilised in this project - everything from signal conditioning and alarming input to device mastering and dashboards.” The project was completed with funding from the Australian Federal Government through the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (administered by the NT Government’s Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme). It won the 2009 Northern Division Engineering Excellence Award for Design and Innovation. Schneider Electric
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Solar farm installed at hotel New Zealand hotel wins Enviro Gold Award The family owned and operated Jet Park Hotel & Conference Centre has recently been named as the recipient of an Enviro Gold Award. Awarded by Qualmark New Zealand, the Enviro Awards recognise businesses in the NZ hospitality industry that are working to reduce their environmental impact. The award is given to the top performers in five key action areas: energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation, community activities and conservation initiatives. This year, Jet Park Hotel was rewarded for its most recent earth-friendly actions. The most notable change of the last year is the solar panel farm that Jet Park has installed, which will provide hot water for a large wing of the hotel. Another initiative is to issue guests with key cards that are designed to control the lights in their rooms, so that when they’re out, the lights are too. Jet Park has also introduced showers and toilets that use less water; systems that ensure that rubbish is separated from recyclables, so that as little as possible ends up in waste disposal; a pilot program for composting kitchen waste; and light bulbs and fittings have been fitted to refurbished rooms that use less than a third of the energy of standard ones.
Recycling was a high priority during the complete refit of 48 rooms, which resulted in producing only two skips of rubbish. The furniture from the refurbished rooms were given away to staff, and good second-hand linen was donated to help a women’s refuge.
LED lighting upgrade in car park Expected to save $26,000 pa enLighten and the City of Sydney have replaced 850 fluorescent lights with light emitting diodes (LEDs) at the Goulburn Street car park in Central Sydney. The LED lighting upgrade is forecast to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 220 tonnes per year; save 206 mWh of electricity per year - the equivalent energy used by 28 typical Sydney households annually; and save the City of Sydney approximately $26,000 in energy costs per year. enLighten’s founder and CEO, David Whitfield, said: “The cost of lighting in Australia equates to more than 20 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions generated annually, with large commercial buildings being the major culprit. Replacing all 50 million fluorescent tube lights in Australia would reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 2.5 million cars from Australian roads.” In addition, enLighten’s LED lighting can last up to 50,000 hours, compared to 12,000 hours for fluorescent lamps, therefore resulting in reduced maintenance costs of approximately $8,000 per year in the case of the Goulburn Street car park. A trial of the LED lighting was conducted by enLighten in the Goulburn Street car park in February 2010. The trials proved light levels that exceeded the Australian Standard for car park lighting and resulted in a 62% reduction in electricity. During the trial, savings increased a further 6% with the introduction of enLighten’s daylight switching feature, whereby the LED lights around the perimeter of the car park switch off after sensing sufficient natural lighting. enLighten anticipates that the energy savings for the Goulburn Street car park will further increase after installing
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56 of enLighten’s low-energy lights in the fire stairs. According to enlighten, the new lights provided an energy saving of more than 85% over traditional fluorescent lights during pilot trials. The company has also been contracted by the City of Sydney to upgrade the lighting in the gymnasium at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre and at the Andrew Boy Charlton pool in the Domain. Both projects began in January. enLighten Australia Pty Ltd wf.net.au/H660
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Broadcast site embraces renewables Wind and solar used on remote site Critical communications specialist Broadcast Australia has commissioned its first broadcast transmission site to be majority powered by renewable energy. The Mount Owen site near Queenstown in Tasmania has been recently upgraded to use sitegenerated wind and solar power, which are together expected to reliably meet the site’s 8 kW power needs for 80 to 90% of the time. The Mount Owen site broadcasts a range of national and commercial analog/digital radio and television services to the Queenstown and Zeehan area, plus supports critical radio communications for local emergency services. According to Broadcast Australia Energy Systems Engineer Gary Cafe, the power demands of new services, such as digital television, were starting to exceed the capacity of the existing mains feed. “As this is a remote facility, providing on-site renewable energy generation was a commercially viable option to enable the broadcast of digital television to the local area, compared with the cost of upgrading the mains feed,” Cafe said. “At 980 m above sea level, Mount Owen benefits from a strong prevailing south-westerly wind, making it ideal for wind turbine power generation.” A constant-output horizontal-axis wind turbine has been erected on a 15 m-high mast. The turbine is rated for maximum power generation of 15 kW for a wind speed of 12 m/s (43 km/h). The wind turbine is supplemented by 36 m2 of monocrystalline solar photovoltaic panels, rated at 5 kW peak generating capacity. The site is designed to operate primarily from wind and solar
power. Excess generated electricity charges two banks of batteries each rated at 2900 Ah - which supplement the power supply when the combination of wind- and solar-generated power drops below the site demand of 8 kW. The batteries alone can provide power autonomy for two days. During periods of limited on-site wind or solar generation, the balance of the site load can additionally be met from mains power, or from an on-site 31 kVA diesel generator. This is set up to start automatically, but can be activated remotely from the network operations centre. Equipped with a 1000 L fuel reserve, the generator can provide total site power for ten days. Engineering a system to provide a reliable power supply from such variable sources has been demanding for Broadcast Australia. “Our requirement for a reliable mid-sized wind generator was something of a niche application, for which there isn’t a great deal of expertise in the marketplace,” said Cafe. “However, we have overcome the many challenges to achieve an outcome that allows these new technologies to be evaluated with very little risk to the on-site services.” With the infrastructure successfully installed, the Mount Owen transmission site is now able to reliably provide most of its power demands from renewable sources. “This will potentially save up to 60 MWh of conventional power each year from this site alone,” said Cafe. “The experience gained here will have far-reaching implications for Broadcast Australia’s carbon footprint for the future, as renewable power options are considered for a multitude of additional sites.”
Construction of wind farm Energy produced on disused mine site The construction of Infigen Energy’s Woodlawn wind farm has commenced at Veolia’s Woodlawn Eco-precinct located at Tarago, some 250 km south of Sydney. Covering 6000 hectares, the precinct also houses the Woodlawn bioreactor. The 48.3 MW Woodlawn wind farm, currently under construction, will be owned and operated by Infigen. It will consist of 23 wind turbines and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2011. The turbines will generate enough electricity to power approximately 25,000 homes. “The development of the Woodlawn wind farm by Infigen Energy on Veolia’s property takes our Eco-precinct to the next level - as we convert a disused mine site into a first-class example of environmental sustainability,” Danny Conlon, Veolia’s Group General Manager NSW, said. “The wind farm will complement the renewable energy production from our existing bioreactor which converts Sydney’s waste gas into electricity - currently to the level of some 3000
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homes per year with plans to go to 24,000 homes.” “For Veolia, it’s another step forward with more to come, including our aquaculture and horticulture trials, as well as our future plans to build a state-of-the-art alternative waste treatment plant,” Conlon said. David Griffin, General Manager of Development at Infigen Energy, said the company was pleased to be involved with the Eco-precinct concept. “The Woodlawn Eco-precinct is very well suited for wind energy production in terms of wind and climate patterns, and topography. “This project will take Infigen’s wind energy production capacity in Australia to 556.3 MW,” he said. Veolia Environmental Services
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Trigeneration precinct for commercial buildings Reducing carbon footprint in Sydney
In April 2011, Investa Property Group and Cogent, a subsidiary of Origin, established a trigeneration facility that reduces the carbon footprints of two commercial buildings in Sydney. The trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney supplies lower-carbon electricity, hot water and chilled water to the base building and now exports surplus electricity via Ausgrid’s electricity distribution network, so the benefits can be shared with another Investa building (Deutsche Bank Place, 126 Phillip Street, Sydney). This is a first for a commercial building in Australia; paving the way for precinct-based trigeneration systems that can serve multiple buildings. This new precinct is formed via an arrangement between Cogent and Investa which overcomes operational challenges and will enable other organisations to share surplus lower-carbon benefits between buildings. Origin’s cogentpower addresses the challenges that have been limiting the use of other cogeneration plants at large commercial sites. cogentpower creates a ‘virtual private energy network’ overlaid with the Ausgrid network to balance the energy demand between the two buildings. This solution allows Coca-Cola Place’s trigeneration plant to operate at maximum capacity and efficiency all year round. Under the cogentpower model, the plant at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney runs at maximum capacity and sends surplus power to the grid, sharing the benefits with Investa’s Deutsche Bank Place Building at 126 Philip Street in the Sydney CBD. The North Sydney building can achieve its sustainability targets and also share the lower carbon benefits with the Phillip Street building. This is the first step in the creation of a precinct-based
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trigeneration system where buildings are connected within the same distribution network and surplus, lower-carbon electricity can be exported to the electricity grid. The trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place consists of: a 774 kW MWM, low NOx, gas-fired reciprocating engine coupled to a 415 V generator located on level B2 which provides power to the base building; a 650 kW single-double effect broad absorption chiller located on B1 mezzanine level. The absorption chiller uses both engine jacket and exhaust heat and can supply either chilled or hot water to the building; and control, metering and switch gear that will manage the plant and interface to the site’s main switchboards and the grid for safe operation. Other benefits include: increases the NABERS energy rating of both buildings; ‘waste heat’ captured from the plant is used on site for heating and cooling, significantly reducing the operation of boilers and electric chillers, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing energy use and CO2 emissions; in the event of a blackout, the trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place would still provide power, heating and cooling to the tenants; surplus energy is exported to the grid, maximising efficiency and allowing the benefits to be shared between buildings; as waste heat is harnessed, trigeneration provides up to 80% efficiency, a significant increase on conventional coal-fired power stations which convert only 3040% of their fuel energy into electricity; and when electricity is generated inside the CBD and shared into the grid locally, energy is not lost via the high-voltage transmission network. Origin Energy wf.net.au/P055
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Remarkable development in Queenstown
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he mountains surrounding Queenstown on New Zealand’s south island overlooking Lake Wakatipu are aptly known as The Remarkables. If you’re familiar with this part of the world you’ll appreciate the effort that went into establishing a 6.4-hectare master plan for the Kawarau Falls Station (KFS) development. The KFS development consists of four primary buildings: Reserve North, Kingston West, Reserve South and Central, and Lakeside West. Norman Disney & Young (NDY) has been an integral part of the design team for the KFS development commencing with the initial sitewide services investigations and concept designs. With the exception of Lakeside West, NDY also completed the building services for the entire development.
The main benefit of the system is its use of clean, renewable and sustainable energy from a natural source.
The Reserve North project is the largest of the four buildings and it is here that one of the most innovative examples of sustainability is incorporated. Lake Wakatipu plays its part in the lake water heat rejection system which is heating and cooling system. Hidden from view, the system circulates around 100 L of water per second in the lake. “What’s unique about this heat rejection system is its ability to remove the need for cooling towers and to allow for water-cooled variable refrigerant volume (VRV) condensers to be located in decentralised plant rooms around the hotel,” says NDY Auckland Director Michael Sullivan. “The method of heat rejection for the air-conditioning system is via the use of geothermal energy from the lake water, on a once-through, open-circuit basis,” he says. In fact, the main benefit of the system is its use of clean, renewable and sustainable energy from a natural source. The lakeside interface to the development is via a plate heat exchanger and therefore the only effect on the lake water is a small change in temperature. Because of its unusual shape, Lake Wakatipu has a ‘tide’ - referred to as an unusually large seiche or ‘standing wave’ - which causes the water level to rise and fall about 10 cm approximately every 25 minutes. Despite this, the water flow to the lake from the heat rejection system can be varied to limit temperature increases. The summer to winter variation in lake Wakatipu water temperature from approximately 16.5 to 8.5°C respectively is ideal for summer cooling while remaining sufficiently high during winter
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to allow the water to be used as a heat source without risk of freezing in the condenser heat exchanger coil. Sullivan says that a major selling point for the VRV system is the superior efficiency resulting from the heat reclaim system, which reduces operating costs. NDY New Zealand Regional Director Ross Legh was instrumental in designing the lake water heat rejection system and says that, apart from the obvious advantage of abundant renewable energy, there are other benefits associated with the system. “The heat rejection system is characterised by very low noise levels and an absence of ‘cooling tower plumes’, which are important considerations in this ecotourism part of NZ,” he says. “We’ve also eliminated the unsightly external infrastructure associated with conventional air-cooled condenser systems, again being sympathetic to the serenity of the surrounding area.” Norman Disney & Young wf.net.au/L711
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SHAPING THE FUTURE OF RESOURCE RECOVERY AS AN AUSTRALIAN LEADER IN RESOURCE RECOVERY, RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT, SITA AUSTRALIA HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE DAILY LIVES OF OVER 3.7 MILLION INDIVIDUALS, 43,000 BUSINESSES AND 55 MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. THROUGH OUR JOINT-VENTURE PARENT COMPANIES, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT AND SEMBCORP INDUSTRIES, WE ARE EXCITED TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW BRAND WHICH REFLECTS OUR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE. COMBINING GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE WITH FIRM ROOTS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES IS HOW WE CAN SHAPE THE FUTURE OF RESOURCE RECOVERY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND GENERATIONS OF AUSTRALIANS TO COME. SHARE THE FUTURE WITH US.
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Lighting generates revenue Energy Savings Certificates issued for energy-efficient lighting
Energy Efficient Lighting Company CEO Mat Fear and Gazal Company Secretary Peter Wood.
IPART recently endorsed energy-efficient lighting upgrades carried out by EELCO The Energy Efficient Lighting Company, by deeming many of its projects as able to generate revenue under the NSW Government’s Energy Savings Scheme (ESS). The ESS aims to encourage more efficient and productive use of electricity by allowing companies to create Energy Savings Certificates (ESC or ‘eskies’) for power savings from project investments since 1 July 2008. These ESCs can then be sold to generate revenue to help improve the return on the investments. Gazal Apparel’s energy-efficient lighting upgrade of its Banksmeadow, NSW, distribution facility (featured in
the Sustainability Matters Dec 2009/ Jan 2010 issue) had already provided a substantial return on investment from electricity running cost savings. When contacted earlier in the year to be part of the pilot program, Company Secretary Peter Wood was delighted to be involved and commented: “Gazal has always tried to do its bit for the environment and energy-efficient lighting is one of a number of our initiatives.” Low Energy Supplies & Services Pty Ltd, an Accredited Certificate Provider under the ESS with over 10 years’ experience in energy- and water-efficiency programs, partnered with EELCO in lodging this, the first of many future applications, on their
client’s behalf to access revenue under the scheme. Replacing standard power-hungry 400 W high bay lights with a quality Australian-made EELCO system boast energy savings in excess of 50% as well as considerable maintenance cost savings and good illumination levels and quality. “It’s time Australia caught up with rest of the world and mothballed the fifty-year-old inefficient HID technology still used in the vast majority of these standard high and low bay lights. Viable energy-efficient alternatives have been available in the US and Europe for some time and are now one of the most cost-effective investments Australian businesses can make,” says Energy Efficient Lighting Company CEO Mat Fear. EELCO – The Energy Efficient Lighting Company wf.net.au/K330
Lighting the way for Queensland Rail with LEDs GE recently installed three LED floodlights (F-150) in the Queensland Rail (ARC) freight areas and marshalling yards in Esperance, Western Australia. The area was originally fitted with 400 W metal halide fittings, which were replaced with GE’s 90 W LED floodlights. This transition has resulted in energy savings of over 77%. The new lighting fixtures have also improved the quality of light to create a safe working environment for employees as they work around the clock to load containers with cargo.
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The new lights have a life of over 50,000 hours compared to an average of 14,000 hours with the previous fittings. This has reduced maintenance and operating costs by up to 90%. Given the success Queensland Rail is having with the trial of the new LED floodlights, it is considering upgrading its remaining sites statewide. GE Lighting
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Masters for the future of energy University program focused on energy sector The University of Melbourne has launched a new graduate program to train future leaders in energy business and technology. The new Master of Energy Systems has been developed in close consultation with industry, in response to rapid changes to today’s global energy sector. These changes have seen the need for quick responses from industry and governments to issues such as climate change, carbon emissions pricing and regulation, increasing demand on energy resources and emerging energy technologies. As such, graduates with cross-disciplinary skills are urgently needed to work in a range of careers being opened up by the shift in the energy sector. There is a growing need for experts spanning energy technology, business and policy to: evaluate the performance of energy systems; inform energy-related investment decisions; develop and implement policy; and manage greenhouse gas and pollutant reporting, regulation and compliance. The Academic Coordinator of the new program, Associate Professor Michael Brear, said the new course integrates the study of the technology and business of energy, and is a unique offering in Australia. “The transformation of the global energy system in the coming decades will involve some very big decisions. These decisions usually require a level of technical judgment and are almost always complex. The environmental, social and commercial implications must all be considered.” An industry advisory panel has been convened by the university to consult on the new program’s curriculum. The panel includes senior representatives from GE Energy, Pacific Hydro, Origin Energy and the Australian Industry Group, along with federal government climate change advisor Professor Ross Garnaut and the former Chief Scientist of Australia, Professor Robin Batterham. Industry Advisory Panel member Tennant Reed, Principal Adviser, Environment and Energy Policy with The Australian Industry Group, said that industry had an intensifying need for skilled energy professionals who could think systemically and apply the expertise of several disciplines to meet business needs. “Electricity sector players project that retail prices are likely to at least double this decade, regardless of the carbon price debate. The prices industry pays are unlikely to be far behind. If the skills to manage and minimise those costs are to be available when prices really start to bite, courses like the Master of Energy Systems need to kick off sooner rather than later,” he said. The Master of Energy Systems course combines expertise from across three faculties of the University of Melbourne. It is taught by engineers, scientists and specialists in economics, finance and energy policy, delivering a tailored program on energy systems.
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The course is taught over 1.5 years (full-time) and features seven core units and four electives. As a core component, you will examine areas such as renewable energy, finance for decision-making and energy supply and value chains. Associate Professor Brear said the course would provide graduates with a broad range of skills. These include the ability to analyse renewable and non-renewable energy systems both technically and commercially, to understand energy markets and to audit energy systems for their carbon emissions. “Any energy technology, whether renewable or nonrenewable, has to work commercially to be implemented and thus bring about any benefit. Once in place, its performance must be monitored so that these benefits are sustained,” Associate Professor Brear said. The new program delivers the very latest in industry-relevant content, while putting students into contact with potential future employers. Because of the close industry involvement in the development of Master of Energy Systems curriculum, opportunities exist for industry projects and internships. The program is designed to accommodate working professionals. Part-time study is available, along with evening classes and intensive subjects. Commonwealth-supported places are also available to students from Australia and New Zealand. The course is open to students with a relevant undergraduate degree such as commerce, science or engineering. Documented relevant work experience is not required, but may be advantageous in selection. Some University of Melbourneequivalent mathematics subjects are required. http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/Postgrad/m-energy-sys.html
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Government office achieves 6 star for design Sustainable design uses bushfire-affected timber The Hassell-designed Government Services Office development in Dandenong, Victoria, has achieved the highest sustainability rating available from the Green Building Council of Australia. A 6 star Green Star Office Design base building sustainability rating is considered a ‘world leadership’ category. The building, which is being developed and built by Grocon, is part of the VicUrban-led Revitalising Central Dandenong urban renewal initiative and co-locates four different state government departments into a single, purpose-built workplace. Among sustainable design merits contributing to the rating is the introduction of a patterned frit element to the external glazing of the building. It acts as a veil to reduce thermal heat load and solar glare while allowing natural daylight to permeate the building’s interior. The project features more than 14,000 m2 of PCA A-Grade open-plan office space that is linked through naturally ventilated pocket atria and a landscaped roof terrace for communal use by staff and visitors. An underfloor air distribution system provides healthy indoor air quality for staff and is far less energy intensive than traditional mechanical ventilation systems. An initiative to use bushfire affected timber - sourced from trees destroyed during the 2009 Victorian bushfires - has perhaps cemented the project as a benchmark for sustainable design. Along with the 6 star rating, it is also designed to achieve a
4.5 star NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) base building rating and fitout ratings of 5 star Green Star and 5 star NABERS. The Government Services Office is due for completion at the end of 2011 and is set to be an instantly recognisable icon of the ‘new Dandenong’. HASSELL wf.net.au/L680
Be rewarded for saving energy Products approved by IPART for inclusion in ESS Ilum-a-Lite has announced that a number of its energy-saving products have been approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW (IPART) for inclusion in the state government’s Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) - meaning projects undertaken by Ilum-a-Lite can deliver substantial cash rebates. “By using our products our clients receive a double benefit,” said Mark Rutherford, Ilum-a-Lite’s Managing Director. “They’ll cut their energy bills significantly and, within a couple of weeks of installation, will also receive a payment back to them based on their projected energy savings.” Ilum-a-Lite’s Light Eco Plus, Save it Easy and Light Eco replacement fittings are all eligible for the rebate. “Our Light Eco Plus controls the amount of electricity that reaches a fluorescent lighting circuit and Save it Easy is the costeffective way to upgrade from T8 to T5 technology,” said Rutherford. “By accessing the ESS scheme, our customers stand to receive a rebate that typically works out at
between 20-50% of the capital cost, thereby reducing the payback period substantially.” The ESS has been introduced in NSW to provide a financial incentive to reduce energy use. The scheme works through a system of Energy Savings Certificates (ESC) which customers earn from Recognised Energy Saving Activities (RESA) and created through Accredited Certificate Providers (ACP) as a result of cutting electricity use. Each certificate represents a saving of approximately one-megawatt hour, which the ACP then sells to electricity retailers who must acquire or create an annual target number of certificates. An ACP can receive up to $31 for each certificate they generate and they forward a payment to the customer based on the energy savings they are making. “We’re working closely with our Accredited Certificate Provider partners who will process the claims,” said Rutherford. “The fact that several of our products have already satisfied IPART’s accreditation requirements means that they are already approved as being eligible for the rebate.
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This means it’s simple and easy for our customers to access this financial incentive whilst securing long-term reductions in energy costs as a result of using our products.” Rutherford believes that because the approvals are already in place, Ilum-a-Lite is positioned to offer ESCs. “It’s my belief that customers who act quickly will get the greatest return,” he said. The scheme is modelled on the enduse energy efficiency component of the Demand Side Abatement component of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS), which ceased with the introduction of the ESS. Rutherford said there is a high level of interest in the scheme amongst facilities managers, property managers and others who are responsible for property portfolios. Ilum-a-lite Pty Ltd
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Sydney printing company achieves sustainability gold
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ydney printing company Focus Press started out in 1994 with only four people, but has since grown to 100 people at two locations. Now it has another achievement to be proud of - becoming one of the few printing companies that can claim to be truly environmentally sustainable. This achievement in sustainability leadership has been recognised by the NSW Government, with Focus Press being awarded with Gold Partner status in the Sustainability Advantage program of the Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water (DECCW), in January 2011. Focus Press has been in the Sustainability Advantage program since 2007, and achieved Bronze and Silver recognition in 2009 and 2010 respectively. CEO David Fuller has been working towards making the company more sustainable since 2001, but by entering the Sustainability Advantage program Focus Press was able to gain the skills and the knowledge needed to make significant changes. “Initially, DECCW came out and performed a Sustainability Management Diagnostic, and then over the next few years we undertook projects based on a series of Sustainability Advantage modules,” said Louise Pastro, Sustainability Manager. They completed the Resource Efficiency, Supply Chain and KPI modules, and they also completed a Climate Change module equivalency with a private consultant. “In each module we learned about what we needed to do to become more sustainable in that particular area of our business. DECCW tailored each module to the specifics of our business, providing a focused, hands-on approach that was relevant to our manufacturing operations.” By the time Focus Press achieved Silver recognition it had most of the physical operational changes in place to achieve sustainability. Achieving Gold recognition now meant changing the company culture.
DECCW tailored each module to the specifics of our business, providing a focused, hands-on approach that was relevant to our manufacturing operations.
Louise Pastro, Sustainability Manager, Focus Press
“The biggest thing for us about Gold was really making changes at the management level of the company and in the company culture,” said Pastro. “We took all our sales staff off-site and taught them about sustainability, the new measures we had incorporated into our business and how to communicate these to clients, as well as how they have benefitted our business. We made sure that we included sustainability in our marketing plan and we looked at our strategic business plan to make sure that it included further sustainability goals - such as producing a sustainability report by the end of the year, or to further reduce energy consumption by 10%. We wanted to make sure that our commitment to sustainability was firmly embedded in the core of our company.”
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Some organisations might still see sustainability as something that would place an extra load on their business, but not Focus Press. “Achieving sustainability has helped our business economically, by helping us to save on energy consumption and reduce our landfill,” explains Pastro. “But it has also provided an important benefit in the way the company culture and the way we present ourselves has changed - our sustainability achievements have become a real point of difference for us in the printing market.” In addition to the management, behavioural and business changes that helped them achieve Gold Partner status, some of the physical measures that Focus Press has taken in its drive to sustainability have included replacing toxic petroleum-based inks with vegetablebased inks, replacing non-recyclable ink containers with recyclable ones, replacing toxic volatile solvents with citrus-based solvents and ceasing to use toxic isopropyl alcohol. They have also taken measures to recycle heat from heat-producing equipment to warm their building in winter and to duct it out in summer, as well as heat-reflective windows coatings and air conditioning that ducts cooler air from outside when appropriate. “The Sustainability Advantage program has been wonderful in giving us the support and the skills we need to become more sustainable. The sort of achievements we have made would have been very difficult without the support we have received from Sustainability Advantage. The program has been crucial in helping us get to where we are today.”
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Transforming a thirsty, power-hungry business Using the Sustainability Advantage program In an industry known for its voracious use of water and power, Edstein Creative Stone is showing how eco-friendly manufacturing practices respect our environment and save money. Located at Taree, Edstein uses technology, software and modern machinery to manufacture traditional stone for monuments and architectural stone for building. Everything is computerised. The downside of this cutting-edge approach is high energy consumption. “We knew we could improve,” says Edstein Creative Stone CEO, Nigel Ferguson. “We just needed the right strategy.” In 2009, Edstein joined Sustainability Advantage to reduce waste, cut its use of water and power and save money. Electricity and water were the biggest expenses. Following an increase in charges, Edstein was facing 16% annual growth in water costs over the next five years. “Apart from the fact that we have an environmental conscience, and it was wrong to simply use more water, we wanted to reduce our consumption to save money,’ said Ferguson. Edstein exceeded expectations. Initially, the firm cut its water use by 97% - from 24.5 ML per year to 0.6 ML. Now, the company does not draw any water from the main water supply. This is possible by harvesting rainwater from the large factory roof into a 250,000 L tank - the company’s new water source. Edstein consumed about 280 MW hours of electricity in 2009 at a cost of $66,000. An Energy Saver audit revealed ways for Edstein to reduce this by 105.7 MW hours per annum - a saving of $28,600. The main areas where Edstein will save energy are through its compressed air system and lighting. For quality control, the craftsmen require high lighting levels to detect blemishes in the stone they manufacture and prevent flawed product leaving the factory. Edstein will replace its 400 W mercury vapour high-bay lighting with more energy efficient 85 W compact fluorescent fittings to save $10,000 per year. Also, Edstein has installed power factor correction to save $6000 annually. Instead of sending 32 t of stone offcuts to landfill every month, the company recycles all of its stone waste for re-use as decorative aggregate. Paper, cardboard and plastic wrap from process generated waste is also recycled. All of the company’s internal information
systems are also paperless. The improvements in water, electricity and stone waste recycling alone equates to an annual saving of more than $75,000. “The light bulb moment for us came with completing the Sustainability Advantage Environmental risk and responsibility module,” Ferguson said. “When we looked at the Protection of the Environment Operations Act, the ramifications of causing environmental damage far outweigh any other risk to our business. Few businesses appreciate what this means.” Ferguson is proud of the company’s achievements. “We thought we could save some water and a bit of power and it would all be driven by management,” he said. “But the changes have been driven by every person in the company and the results are staggering. “The entire Sustainability Advantage team has been awesome. The program has made change easy for us. The meetings are delivered on site, they are relevant to our company, they deal with real life experience and they show how you can develop solutions. It’s invaluable.” Department of Environment Climate Change and Water wf.net.au/L620
Energy and water audits
Retrogreening council-owned sites Blacktown City Council (BCC), in conjunction with VDM Consulting, has successfully audited, designed and managed the upgrade of the energy and water efficiency of 40 of the largest council-owned energy- and waterconsuming sites throughout the region, from showgrounds and leisure centres through to transport facilities and sports grounds. The project was completed between July to September 2010 and involved audit and upgrade design of major energy and water consuming items such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, lighting, water heating, tap
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ware, WCs and irrigation. This, together with installation of sufficient solar photovoltaic power at each site designed to neutralise the carbon emissions associated with the remaining electricity consumption. VDM Consulting conducted the AS3598 Level 3 energy and water audits at each site on behalf of BCC, using advanced value stream mapping techniques to ensure maximum return on investment from the recommended energy- and water-efficiency upgrades. Outcomes included: capital works valued at over $1m; energy and water savings of over $200,000 per annum; carbon-neutral and ‘futureproofed’ facilities; and reduced operating costs hence lower rates. VDM Consulting - Belleng
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SUSTAINABILITY
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6 stars for office complex
The lighting system allows zone switching and dimming flexibility, to ensure no areas of the building are overlit or illuminated when not in use.
Macquarie Group’s iconic headquarters in Sydney’s Darling Harbour has set high standards in environmental sustainability and workplace functionality, achieving a coveted 6 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. Owned and managed by Brookfield Multiplex, the $316 million complex incorporates a range of technologies such as harbour water cooling, passive chilled beam air conditioning and an innovative lighting control system. Architecturally, the 11-level 33,000 m2 complex makes a dramatic statement, comprising two window-dressed buildings separated by a central atrium. Internally, the building has a strong focus on workplace functionality and environmental sustainability with large open-plan office areas and meeting rooms jutting into the sunlit atrium cavity, taking advantage of natural light. One of the key sustainability initiatives required to reach a 6 Star Green Star rating was an intelligent centralised lighting control system that would manage lighting energy consumption for the entire building. The client specified that the lighting control system must be able to feed information to the building management system (BMS). The innovative design of the building allows natural light to flow into the building,
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which is complemented by the Philips Dynalite advanced lighting control and energy management system. Importantly, the lighting control design incorporates several strategies to optimise energy consumption. The lighting system allows zone switching and dimming flexibility, to ensure no areas of the building are overlit or illuminated when not in use. The lighting system is programmed to operate in two distinct modes - ‘trading’ and ‘after hours’ - which are timer based. While timing and functionality is individually configurable for each floor/zone, ‘lights on’ begins at the start of trading, followed by a timed sequence of dimming to ‘lights off’ when the system goes into after-hours mode. In after-hours mode, motion sensors in amenities areas and lift lobbies switch on lighting if movement is detected. In trading mode, daylight harvesting sensors dim perimeter lighting, taking advantage of natural light. To ensure lighting flexibility in the openplan office areas, the digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) was chosen. A single DALI network can control up to 64 individually addressable DALI devices including fluorescent ballasts. These 64 ballasts can be configured into an unlimited combination of areas, by using the Philips Dynalite system.
The Philips Dynalite DDBC320 DALI controller - which can control up to three DALI networks per controller - made it possible to install a single controller in each quadrant to allow all DALI ballasts to be individually dimmed or switched. The controller also powers down the DALI networks when not in use to conserve energy. The Philips Dynalite EnvisionManager graphical user interface provides a visual overview of the entire lighting system, which makes it easy to reconfigure zones on each floor and temporarily or permanently adjust scenes. The easy-to-use system allows the building manager to access any part of the system with a click of a mouse. Importantly, employees can control the lighting in their workspace via the Philips Dynalite touch screens installed on each floor of the building. The touch screens are also used to put the lighting system into after-hours cleaning mode when required. The lighting control system is based on the Philips Dynalite DyNet, a peer-to-peer communications serial bus network which links all the controllers with over 300 multifunction sensors and 75 touch screens throughout the building. Not only has the system optimised energy consumption, it has also delivered a lighting power density of just over 5 W/m2, significantly below the targeted 9 W/m2. Using a combination of motion and light sensors along with timed events, the flexible lighting control system delivers optimum lighting to enhance workplace productivity and energy efficiency. Philips Dynalite wf.net.au/K294
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Trigeneration at the new Royal Children’s Hospital
ESD features in apartment building
Carbon savings and energy efficiency
Greenery design community
Rapid developments in medical technology, the paradigm shift to patient and family-centred care, and the inability of aging hospitals to accommodate the latest models of care, have all contributed to the current worldwide boom in hospital redevelopment. M e l b o u r n e ’s n e w R o y a l Children’s Hospital (RCH) is not only regarded as a world-class facility by virtue of its design and cutting-edge medical technology, but it also incorporates the very latest building services technology and sustainability initiatives. The trigeneration plant and technology engineered by Norman Disney & Young (NDY) is one of the cornerstone ESD initiatives implemented for the hospital. Apart from the carbon reduction benefits provided, it will also produce electricity and heat energy with a system efficiency of around 78%. This higher efficiency level is far in excess of the 35-40% system efficiency associated with grid power. The poor efficiency of grid power is largely due to the traditional coal-fired generation plant currently employed as well as transmission and distribution losses which account for around 8%. RCH has a heat-led trigeneration system comprising two 1160 kW gas reciprocating engines and two 1267 kW two-stage absorption chillers. The system generates 25% of the RCH base building electrical demand, plus a contribution to chilled water and heating hot water for air conditioning, and a heating contribution to domestic hot water. Carbon reduction from the trigeneration system is said to be around 37%, with a further 10% reduction in carbon emissions from the use of a renewable technology biomass boiler (burning compressed timber pellets from forestry waste) and solar preheating of domestic hot water serving the inpatient unit. The two trigeneration engines also contribute to the 100% overall standby capacity which operates in the event of a grid power failure. There are significant environmental gains from the on-site generated electrical contribution which offsets the need for the equivalent capacity in much less-efficient grid power and effectively reduces the electrical demand by 25%. Further benefits accrue from the recovery of otherwise wasted heat for use in space heating and cooling, which means that the equivalent capacity of heating and cooling is saved from needing to be generated via gas-fired boilers and electrically powered chillers. While trigeneration is not ‘a replace all’ solution, it does mean that the overall capacity of the conventional electric chillers and gas boiler plant can be somewhat reduced in capacity.
The latest addition to Melbourne’s thriving arts precinct in Southbank, Triptych, is setting a benchmark for apartment living by delivering innovation in green space and dedication to high-end environmentally sustainable design. From street level, the apartment features a vertical green living wall, spanning 1 8 7 m 2, a s a n e x t e r n a l entrance feature. Rising above t h e b u i l d i n g ’s K a v a n a g h Street entrance, from level two to level six, the green wall, installed by Fytogreen, is a tapestry of grasses and plants specifically selected to thrive within this vertical garden setting. A rooftop garden is also being included which is designed by Jamie Durie and his team at Patio. Developed by RI Investment Development Trust, the building has been designed in conjunction with ESD firm Cundall ,with the 29-storey building’s engineering plan scrutinised to ensure ‘green’ is the ultimate theme. The design of the apartment complex includes natural cross-flow ventilation, co-generation, water harvesting, ‘low e’ double glazed windows and sustainable flooring material. Floor to ceiling windows that open are featured to allow the flow of fresh air into both the central communal areas as well as each individual apartment. Unlike traditional apartment buildings where hallways and communal spaces are often dark and air conditioned with little or no natural airflow, the building’s common areas or ‘vertical villages’ are light, glass-encased spaces which include 9 m ceilings, motorised louvered windows allowing for airflow and a growing creeper wall. The windows will open and close automatically in relation to outside weather conditions. Inspired from an old European design, each apartment has a dedicated private foyer with a lockable gate which allows airflow throughout the apartment while maintaining a secure entrance. Triptych will also reduce its impact on the electricity grid by generating its own electricity through co-generation, and the heat by-product of this process will be used to warm the building’s vertical villages via a hydronic heating system, as well as supplement the heat for the domestic hot water system and swimming pool. Rainwater will be collected from the rooftop and level six podium, for storage on site and swimming pool replenishment as well as for indoor and outdoor garden irrigation. Each apartment will also feature high water efficiency taps, showerheads and dishwashers. Strand-woven bamboo flooring is featured in the interior. The flooring is durable, resilient to changes in temperature, has an elevated UV resistance and is claimed to be more renewable than traditional hardwoods.
Norman Disney & Young
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Grocery retailer monitors and manages energy Demand-response program for energy in the US
The OptoEMU Sensor and other Snap Pac System hardware is wired to Supervalu’s refrigeration system components and gathers consumption data that is then made available to both the company and the curtailment service provider, Net Peak.
US-based grocery retail company Supervalu has installed energy monitoring hardware and has enrolled in a demand-response program with Net Peak Energy Group. The program organises payment to the retailer for effectively ‘selling’ their electricity back to their utilities when demand is high. Additionally, the program can call for the retailer’s distribution centres to shed up to 1.2 MW of power. Net Peak is typically able to provide one to two hours of advanced notice to initiate the emergency load shed. The dispatch specialists use custom designed interfaces for real-time monitoring of Supervalu’s energy consumption. Detailed data comes from a hardware device called an OptoEMU sensor, developed by Opto 22. The sensor provides the physical connections needed to remotely monitor and acquire real-time energy data, from a variety of systems, equipment and metering devices, and then sends the data to network databases and web-based applications. The sensor monitors both pulse-emitting devices (such as utility meters and sub-meters) and the voltage and current of several load panels, chillers and refrigeration units. All communication takes place over the internet via standard TCP/IP, providing a simple and standards-based way to interface to the monitoring hardware. Once notified, the company needs to quickly take action and begin curtailment of energy. To achieve this, an Opto 22 SNAP PAC system (programmable automation controllers and I/O) uses integrated circuit temperature detector (ICTD) sensors to monitor temperatures and analog and digital output signals to expertly manage compressors, control solenoids on evaporators, switch relays and provide immediate response to the Net Peak dispatch centre demand-response trigger. The system handles about 1500 inputs and 500 outputs in total, enabling full demand-response automation of Supervalu’s industrial refrigeration and ventilation. The HVAC and lighting systems will also be handled soon. The SNAP PAC system also carefully maintains specific refrigeration temperatures and is programmed to send alerts if these ever deviate from a predefined range. This ensures that food is always stored and preserved properly and no spoilage occurs. The return on investment, resulting from the energy management initiatives, is twofold. Firstly, payments and savings for the demand-response participation and curtailment are estimated to generate approximately $75,000 to $115,000 in annual revenue. Secondly, the monitoring and control systems have led to more efficient cooling and overall reduction in the facilities’ energy consumption during everyday operations. This has resulted in an estimated energy savings of over $155,000 per year. The control system has also identified several refrigeration system inefficiencies that could push this figure even higher. Systems 22 Pty Ltd
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Lighting upgrade at distribution centre Providing improved LUX and reduced running costs 3M recently commissioned The Energy Efficient Lighting Company (EELCO) to replace the standard power-hungry high bay lights used throughout its Pemulwuy medical goods distribution centre. Faded light output from the standard 400 W bell-shaped high bays originally installed in the custom-built facility meant that lighting levels (LUX) fell well short of minimum levels detailed in the Australian Standard AS1680 for interior lighting. New energy-efficient EELCO 1848A_5LT5 high bays were installed as a one-for-one replacement and have resulted in a dramatic improvement in illumination levels throughout the facility. The significant reduction in electricity running costs of the EELCO lights, along with minimal maintenance requirements due to increased lamp longevity means that 3M’s new lighting system will pay for itself completely in well under three years. The Australian-made EELCO range of light fittings are designed specifically for commercial and industrial applications and include energy-efficient replacements for standard high and low bay lights as well as office fluorescent systems. Most of the EELCO fittings claim to provide energy savings in excess of 50% and use standard long-life lamp configurations which is said to result in maintenance cost savings of between 50-80%. To date, 400 W HID high bays, either mercury vapour or metal halide, are the most common form of indoor industrial lighting in Australia. Although inexpensive to purchase, running costs often make up more than 70% of a business’s annual electricity costs. Factories, maintenance centres, large superstores, warehouses and distribution centres, where these fittings are typically installed, often either put up with poor-quality lighting or alternatively face substantial annual maintenance bills for lamp replacements. 3M’s Engineering Manager, John Short, said that the lighting levels had improved and the lights produced a better colour which was not patchy. “For any organisation wanting to improve light and save energy, [it’s] worthwhile to investigate these fittings,” he said. Energy Efficient Lighting Company
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wf.net.au/H700
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Shopping centre set to recycle 250 tonnes every year Waste management aerobic composting technology
Two hundred and fifty tonnes of waste will be recycled per year at Erina Fair through an on-site organic waste management system, taking the retail centre one step closer to achieving its ‘zero net waste’ goal. The Central Coast retail centre is claimed to be the first commercial development in the world to implement an on-site organic waste management system which uses an in-vessel aerobic composting technology. The Australian developed Hungry Pig in-vessel composting technology has the potential to recycle up to 40% of the centre’s total food waste. The recycled waste - transformed to organic compost - will be used to maintain the landscaped environment of the centre and donated to local schools. In addition to reducing odours and pests from rubbish bins and risks associated with poor waste handling, the Hungry Pig technology will address waste-related sustainable objectives including a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that arise from transport and landfilling of organic wastes. The process undertaken to recycle waste involves the collection of food waste in wheelie bins from fresh produce and food service retail outlets. The wheelie bins are then tipped directly into the loading hatch of the organic waste management system - Hungry Pig - using an electronic bin lift. Dry sawdust,
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shavings and paper waste is added to balance the moisture content. The hot, aerobic composting conditions ensure all materials are pasteurised by heat to destroy any human and plant pathogens in the waste materials. Compost is harvested from the bottom of the unit via a discharge hatch. All chopping and mixing of food waste occurs inside the compost unit to minimise spillage or odour generation. Lend Lease’s CEO - Australia, Rod Leaver, said Erina Fair is setting a global benchmark for green retail centres, helping to leave a positive legacy for future generations. “We are very excited to be the first retail centre in the world to implement this cutting-edge composting technology which will address a range of long-term waste management issues at the centre,” said Leaver. Co-owned by the GPT Group and the Lend Lease managed Australian Prime Property Fund Retail, Erina Fair’s commitment to sustainability was further recognised after recently being awarded a $652,000 water grant from the NSW Government. With the grant, the centre is installing water harvesting systems which will conserve the equivalent of 27 million 600 mL bottles of water per year. This will reduce the centre’s annual water usage by more than 15%. In addition, the centre’s LED lighting, installed in the car park and emergency exits, will improve lighting efficiency by up to 90% in refit areas. Angus Campbell from the Recycled Organics Unit has worked closely with Erina Fair to develop a system that meets the centre’s waste management needs. “The current capacity of the facility is five tonnes of food waste per week but we plan to expand this to manage the centre’s waste disposal costs and to further increase environmental benefit,” said Campbell. “The important aspect of the technology is that all the size reduction of food waste and mixing occurs inside the composting chamber, so there is no spillage or mess that would otherwise attract pests or cause odour.” Chairperson at Harris Farm Markets Cathy Harris said the company is thrilled to collaborate with Lend Lease on the waste recycling project and will be encouraging other Erina Fair retailers to do the same. “We will strongly encourage other centre retailers to get behind this program by composting their leftover waste. The project will result in high-quality compost being returned to help sustain soil health, and importantly will also divert organic waste from ending up as landfill,” said Harris. Lend Lease Corporation wf.net.au/J643
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Dust suppression at recycling plant Finer droplets generated by CAY cluster nozzles
Traditional methods of dust suppression proved ineffective for a building material recycling plant. Tecpro Australia collaborated with Jeff Hill Plumbing to create a solution that surpassed the site operator’s environmental obligations. Dust suppression is a critically important consideration in many types of industries including construction, mining, agriculture and manufacturing. Without appropriate measures in place, dust particles can pose serious respiratory health risks to people in the vicinity. Airborne dust also creates significant pollution problems in neighbouring areas. A building material recycling plant in Sydney had tried several traditional methods of dust suppression but found them unsatisfactory. Existing nozzles were often ineffectively located and the water droplets produced were too big to suppress dust particles. A new solution was required to prevent dust being carried by the wind onto adjoining properties. Tecpro Australia engineers worked with Jeff Hill of Jeff Hill Plumbing, and suggested the installation of low-flow, CAY cluster nozzles on the site. CAY cluster nozzles were recommended because they produce a mass of very fine water droplets. And while the nozzles contain an in-built filter, Tecpro suggested improvements to the water filtration system to further enhance reliability and effectiveness. The nozzles were deployed at conveyor drop-off points and on the primary crusher drop chute. Installed in a single line, they form a highly effective screen of mist. Cobra Head deflection fan nozzles were also installed to wash conveyor belts and to wet the product, where it was possible and practical to do so. Dust disturbance in vehicle movement areas had been suppressed using water carts. This option was, however, expensive, and it also created site safety problems. To reduce dependence on water carts, a Skipper water cannon was deployed. It can be set to sweep and wet a selected arc, and with a throw length of 35 m, it only needs to be turned on for very short periods to suppress dust over a large area. The introduction of the CAY and Cobra Head nozzles and Skipper water cannon significantly improved dust suppression on site, well exceeding the site operator’s obligations. Tecpro Australia
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wf.net.au/F355
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Improving air pollution in Iraq Air quality monitoring stations installed With growing concerns in Iraq about the heavy air pollution, the country’s Ministry of Environment took a decisive step in the direction for improved monitoring, control and prevention of air pollution, and announced a tender to procure five fixed and one mobile air quality monitoring stations to monitor SO2, NOx, NH3, O3, SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, methane, non-methane, BTEX and VOCs. Ecotech participated through its local Iraqi representative OMA International Trade, Baghdad, and was awarded this project in January 2011. The analysers are manufactured by Ecotech Australia, including system engineering and shelter design. The project was managed under special attention and supervision of Ecotech’s system Project Manager, Chris Fowler,
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who has a wealth of experience in managing similar project deliveries within Australia and internationally. The air quality monitoring stations were rigorously qualitytested as per ISO17025 and NATA standards to ensure that each monitoring station will accurately satisfy the client’s monitoring requirements. Findings from a recent study funded by the US Army Research Laboratory that began in 2008 discovered that much of the air pollution in Iraq is harmful - the minute dust particles that can make their way deep into the lungs and stay there, causing long-term health risks. Some air quality readings in Iraq found that the fine particulate matter was nearly 10 times higher than the levels generally considered acceptable in the US. Some of the particles are generated by large dust storms, which happen about twice a month. Others come from man-made sources like vehicle exhaust (leaded gasoline is still used in Iraq), factories and trash fires, and may contain lead, arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals that could be toxic. Ecotech Pty Ltd
w: www.eelco.com.au 26 Sustainability Matters - BEST OF 2011
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wf.net.au/L036
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Remediation of industrial site Mercury-contaminated waste
Virotec Global Solutions is conducting one of its largest environmental remediation projects to date: the demolition, sorting, treatment, stabilisation and disposal of mercurycontaminated waste at a large recently closed industrial site owned by Tas Paper in Australia. A significant water treatment project was completed at the site in 2003-2004. In 2010 Virotec was engaged to complete the larger task of demolishing the contaminated sections of the building, excavating concrete and disused tanks, sorting all forms of contaminated waste, which included concrete, steel, timber, bricks, soil and other contaminated solids, pulverising concrete and bricks on site, and then treating the waste solid, due to the high levels of leachable mercury bound tightly into the solid matrix of the demolition waste. Asbestos management was also a key aspect of the project. The process of waste sorting on site was of particular interest, such that the different waste streams were carefully
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graded and grouped in order to maximise and facilitate treatment and recycling regimes and methods. Virotec had a team of six professionals on site for the duration of the project, and heavy equipment, such as a 45 t excavator. I n t h e p a s t Vi r o t e c h a s completed similar projects, h o w e v e r, t h i s i s o n e o f t h e larg est p rojec ts o f i ts k i n d , where the company has been contracted to manage all facets of the demolition, treatment and disposal of a building on this scale. Virotec believes that several projects of a similar scale will be secured in Australia during the next 18 months and is particularly gratified to add the safe management of asbestos, along with large-scale mercury stabilisation, to its suite of services. Virotec Global Solutions Pty Ltd wf.net.au/H707
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ocated an hour north of Brisbane, in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, Maleny Cheese is a family-owned business that first opened its doors in 2004. With its fine range of cheese products and on-site cafe, it is a popular spot with tourists and locals alike. The presence of residential and commercial activities on the same site presents a unique challenge in terms of wastewater treatment, and one beyond that of the current aerated system which performed poorly during cheeseprocessing activities. The problem with the current set-up was so bad that the client had reverted to an arrangement with Sunshine Coast Regional Council to cart the cheese waste away. As well as being a costly exercise, this approach had an expiry date, meaning Maleny Cheese had to investigate other options. “The solution we came up with needed to be one that is robust enough to deal with the high-strength waste, and flexible for expansion later, if required. The Orenco system was the only system we could find that meets with our design criteria and demand of a difficult site,” said Tom Johnstone, Alliance Water Solutions. Key selection criteria for the project were: • A system that can deal with the cheese factory process waste; • A system which allowed integration with existing infrastructure; and • A modular system for future expansion as needed. Alliance Water Solutions and Innoflow designed a system that used existing infrastructure on site in conjunction with Orenco’s AdvanTex recirculating textile filter. Following storage and digestion in an existing 45,000 L tank, the AdvanTex system treats the water to a level suitable for re-use in the existing irrigation system.
The presence of residential and commercial activities on the same site presents a unique challenge in terms of wastewater treatment
The system will also be maintained by Alliance Water Solutions, and testing will be undertaken after a few months of operation to assess system performance. “The Orenco products were very easy to work with, both where we were fitting equipment to existing tanks and for the new system,” said Ben Moore, Alliance Water Solutions. Maleny Cheese presents an example of fit-for-purpose wastewater design,
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a n d d e m o n s t r a t e s I n n o f l o w ’s a n d Orenco’s ability to design solutions on a case-by-case basis for any number of situations, including other process-waste applications such as dairy operations, wineries and light industry. Innoflow Australia Pty Ltd wf.net.au/H471
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BEST OF 2011 - Sustainability Matters 29
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Grit washing sewage treatment
Rural waste-disposal solution
Reducing waste to landfill
Feed bags now recyclable
HUBER RoSF4 grit washing is an economic and innovative sewage treatment technology which produces up to 90% dry solids with less than 3% of residual organics. The sewage treatment plant, which runs 100m below North Bondi, has been in existence since the early settlement of Sydney. It was removing naturally occurring sand in grit traps but once the slurry was removed from thousands of litres per hour of sewage, plant operators were left with large quantities of a foul smelling soil which had to be transported for disposal at landfill. To make the plant more efficient, Sydney Water contacted Ovivo to deliver three HUBER RoSF4 grit washing plants to replace the 25-year-old conventional classifiers, which were producing just 50% dry solids. Ovivo was contracted to achieve more than 80% dry solids at the Bondi plant but they consistently and significantly exceeded the performance guarantee, achieving 90% solids, all of the time, with residual organics under 3%. This resulted in half the amount of grit having to be trucked out of Bondi, and accordingly, less disposal costs and fewer truck movements in a busy urban area. Since the completion of the Bondi plant, most Australian water authorities have adopted the technology. Ovivo, the sole agent for Huber in Australia, has supplied two more plants to Sydney Water and a large plant to Melbourne Water. South Australia Water has also bought the equipment and the Water Corporation in WA, as well as numerous authorities in Queensland, have also adopted the Huber technology. The key to the HUBER RoSF4 design is the dimensioning of the conical settlement tank, Coanda inlet system, fluidised bed mechanism for washing and the control strategy for operation of the discharge screw. The unit is available in a number of sizes, typically 8-32 L/s, to cover a range of hydraulic and solids throughput. Fabrication is from 304 or 316 stainless steel. Ovivo wf.net.au/L717
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Fiber Fresh Feeds has taken a further step towards becoming 100% clean and green by becoming the first stock feed company able to recycle its bags using the Agrecovery Wrap recycling program. The company became a brand owner of the Agrecovery Wrap recycling program in January and is encouraging their customers to use the program to dispose of their empty feed bags. Fiber Fresh Feeds’ Managing Director, Michael Bell, says, “The Agrecovery Wrap recycling program provides our customers with a convenient and efficient waste-disposal solution, which also helps protect our environment. The only thing unnatural about our products is the packaging and we are very pleased that it can now be so easily recycled.” Customers can recycle their empty Fiber Fresh bags by purchasing a small or large Agrecovery Wrap recycling bag from their rural retailer, or by using their existing Agrecovery Silage Wrap recycling bags. The bags are made from a virgin plastic laminate and, for convenience, Agrecovery has agreed that both farm silage wrap and Fiber Fresh bags can be collected together. All a customer needs to do when a Fiber Fresh bag is empty is shake all the loose feed material from the bag, roll it up and stuff it into the Agrecovery bag. When the Agrecovery bag is full, customers can book its collection. After booking, small bags are directed to a nearby collection site while all large bags are collected on farm at no extra cost. Michael Bell says, “Fiber Fresh is very committed to sustainable production and is very pleased that Agrecovery has enabled us to provide our customers with a very simple way to minimise the environmental impact of our packaging.” Agrecovery was established in 2005 to address persistent on-farm waste issues. The organisation now provides New Zealand farmers and growers with nationwide agrichemical container, silage wrap and crop protection net recycling as well as a program for the collection of unwanted chemicals. www.agrecovery.co.nz
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Upgrade wastewater recycling system Low-impact and reliable technology required
An Orenco AX60 textile filter, multiple-barrier disinfection process and captive dispersal system has replaced the failing sand filter at Gallery Walk.
Situated on Mt Tamborine in the Scenic Rim Region, Gallery Walk is one of the premier arts and craft centres of south-east Queensland. The collection of galleries and craft shops attracts hundreds of visitors each and every week. The single public toilet block servicing the area had been served for the last eight years by a sand filter treatment system, the performance of which over time had slipped to the point of almost-complete failure, with water recycled from the system a very low quality. Recognising this, Scenic Rim Regional Council called tenders for the upgrade of the system, and Alliance Water Solutions was successful in their bid to provide a solution. “We needed to consider a design that would meet the high demands in terms of wastewater flow and strength from the s i t e , y e t o n e w i t h l i t t l e impact on the surrounding area,” said Ross Atkinson, Alliance Water Solutions. Key considerations for the Gallery Walk project were as follows: a system with very low impact in terms of odour and noise, given the proximity to tourist attractions; a system with the ability to cater for large fluctuations in loading; and a system of proven technologies to provide a consistent,
reliable source of Class A+ water. Rather than replacing the media in the existing sand filter, the solution proposed was an entirely new system using, where possible, existing infrastructure but with new treatment elements. A three-stage solution was installed by Alliance Water Solutions: • Passive primary treatment using the existing treatment tanks • Secondary treatment through Orenco’s AdvanTex textile filters • Quadruple-barrier disinfection with membranes, ozone, chlorination and UV for full public health protection. Taking the innovation one step further, Alliance also developed a captive dispersal system for the excess water not recycled to the toilets; as such, Gallery Walk is one of the few no-release treatment systems in operation in Queensland. “The system has to be robust enough to cope with low to no flows in the winter through to peaks of 8000 L a day for up to six weeks in summer,” said Daryl Crank, Scenic Rim RC. Innoflow Australia Pty Ltd wf.net.au/H698
Water savings at chicken plant 70% of process water transformed to drinking water quality Ovivo has recently completed an advanced water treatment plant (AWTP) facility for Inghams Enterprises at its Murarrie p r o c essi n g pl a nt i n Brisb ane . The facility currently treats the equivalent of two Olympic-sized swimming pools of process water per day and when it reaches its full potential, it will treat close to three. The design of the plant enables more than 70% of all the process water to be transformed into drinking water of an internationally recognised and approved quality. The water, however, is not used for drinking. It is re-used in combination with town water to supply increasing water demands. This will mean a saving
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of 3.15 million litres of water each day for the city of Brisbane by the time the plant reaches full capacity in 2011. Project and process engineer for the job Peter Fraser said that the project was “one-of-a-kind”.
“It is the first of its kind and it is saving Brisbane around 2.1 million L of water a day running at well below its design capacity,” he said. The securing of a guaranteed water supply will enable Inghams to expand its processing facilities without relocating or having to purchase water from private sources. The plant has now been running for almost a year and it has been so successful that Inghams has just approved the construction of a second advanced water treatment facility in the Australian state of Victoria. Ovivo
wf.net.au/H630
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Treating wastewater for food manufacturers Trial reduced BOD by 92%
For many Australian food manufacturers there is increasing pressure from government agencies to reach higher standards of wastewater treatment for environmental discharge. In fact, throughout the western world, food manufacturers are facing similar challenges. One of the big problems is that the pipe networks, particularly sewage pipes, are aging. Industrial wastewaters with high sugar-nutrient loads can cause serious damage because fermentation occurs within the wastewater, eroding and degrading the pipes, causing cracks and fractures. In turn, this leads to water ingress which puts a strain on the treatment plants because of the higher volumes of water, especially in wet weather. A large fruit-juice manufacturer in
regional NSW was facing this issue. The NSW Office of Water was set to significantly increase its discharge fees, unless the company could reduce its biological oxygen demand (BOD) effluent levels from around 2500-4000 to below 600 and preferably below 300 for flexible discharge to sewer. An Australian-invented technology, called BioGill, which uses microorganisms in a unique bioreactor is used to treat wastewater. According to BioGill chief executive John West, the technology is groundbreaking and radically different from conventional bioreactors because the gills are not submerged. Instead the ‘gills’, composed of membrane sheets arranged vertically in pairs, are suspended in the air, above ground, with wastewater travelling down between them. “Fungi and bacteria, known as biomass, grow on the membranes in direct contact with the air, eating nutrients much faster than other systems. The high levels of oxygen available means nutrients are removed very rapidly. Old biomass peels off the membranes and is replaced by new, healthy cells, so the system never fouls and
is constantly self renewing,” explained West. The result of this approach is said to be treating biomass of 10 to 15 times that of conventional biological wastewater treatment systems. A BioGill trial system was recently installed at the juice manufacturing plant. “The results have been very impressive. Over a 24-hour period, the BOD was reduced from 3500 to 270, that’s a whopping 92% reduction,” said West. Planning and engineering for the installation of BioGills to treat up to 180,000 L of wastewater per day is now underway, with the system due to be operational later this year. BIO-GILL Environmental Pty Ltd wf.net.au/K977
Wastewater upgrades gain favour Until recently, Local Authorities in Queensland and Tasmania owned and operated their wastewater treatment facilities. Many of these plants were old, undersized and provided substandard levels of treatment. In most cases, the smaller plants used trickling filters or facultative ponds. By the 1970s, extended aeration package plants and oxidation ditch-type activated sludge plants became more common. In Tasmania, regional water authorities have taken over control of the state’s water and wastewater treatment facilities and in Queensland local authority amalgamations were undertaken state-wide, followed by a further amalgamation into three regional authorities in the south-east corner. Spending priorities resulting from these amalgamations have been severely aggravated by recent extreme weather and the subsequent budget constraints imposed. Water and wastewater quality can’t be put on hold. The serious question must
now arise: “What to do with these legacy facilities to ensure water quality standards and equipment reliability?” A variety of upgrade options can provide practical, cost-effective solutions. • Screening water-borne weeds and debris in major reservoir water intakes is a serious consideration, particularly in times of flood. • Screening of sewage plant intakes benefits downstream processes. • Sludge settling can be improved by refurbishing existing clarifier mechanisms or adding additional units. • Nutrient reduction can be achieved by the installation of a correctly sized RBC unit as the biological stage. If nutrient removal is not required, refurbishing of trickling filters is worthy of consideration. • A purpose-designed, solar-powered mixing device can provide odour capping, aeration and prevention of
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blue-green algae in facultative ponds. Alternatively, they can become settling/polishing ponds if led by a biological stage such as an RBC. • Undersized packaged plants can be improved by adding additional settling tanks and upgrading aeration systems. • Oxidation ditches with horizontal aerators may need augmentation of their aeration capacity with a floating high-speed aerator. • ‘A’ class effluent (less than 10 CFU) can be achieved with a sound biological treatment regime followed by a disc filter. • ‘A+’ class waters (less than 1 CFU) can be produced from the addition of an ultra-filtration (UF) MBR or package plant followed by UF filter. EPCO Australia wf.net.au/K752
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Sewage more than just waste
M
elbourne’s biggest sewage treatment plant, the Western Treatment Plant, has, for the first time, used sewage to produce more than enough biogas to power the entire plant for the last two months. The Western Treatment Plant in Werribee (outer West Melbourne) treats about 60% of Melbourne’s sewage and has been leading the way in renewable energy since 2005. Electricity is generated from biogases captured in covered treatment lagoons. Biogas, mainly methane, is a by-product of sewage treatment. Melbourne Water General Manager of Asset Planning Paul Pretto said that the latest achievement at the Western Treatment Plant signals a big step forward
Methane gas burn-off
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for the organisation in how it produces and uses biogas. “We’ve been producing about 95% of our power needs for a little while and are on track to do this for the year, but to have produced in excess of what we need to operate for two months in a row is better than we aimed for. It’s tremendous,” he said. “The community has traditionally viewed sewage as a waste product, but that view is changing with improvements in technology meaning it can now be used to create energy.” “We expect to increase the production of renewable energy by replacing and extending the covers that go over the lagoons and trap the methane gas.” The new covers are part of a $43 million project focusing on increasing biogas production which also included two new power generators to increase renewable-energy generation from 52 gigawatt hours per year to almost 72 GWh/yr. “This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a further 24,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent to taking about 5600 cars off the road,” Dr Pretto said. Since 2005, 270,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity have been generated at the Western Treatment Plant, preventing the emission of about 330,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. Melbourne Water has beaten its own goal of making the plant energy selfsufficient for two months but hopes to produce at least 100% of its needs consistently by 2013. “We can now look into what other aspects of our business we can supply biogas for in the future, reducing our carbon footprint across our many sites,” added Dr Pretto. As part of this commitment, Melbourne Water has signed a 20-year contract with energy company AGL. AGL currently owns and operates the biogas-fired power plant at the Western
Lagoon covers catch methane
Methane covers
Treatment Plant and supplies the corporation with renewable electricity at sites that can’t produce enough of their own renewable energy. A focus on producing renewable energy can also be seen at the Eastern Treatment Plant in Bangholme. “We have upgraded the power station and outfall pumping station at our Eastern Treatment Plant to improve biogas utilisation to generate electricity for the plant in the same way it is at the Western Treatment Plant. “At the Eastern Treatment Plant better utilisation of the renewable energy source will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing imported electricity and by almost eliminating the use of diesel fuel at the plant,” said Dr Pretto. “Across Melbourne Water we’re aiming to meet all of our energy needs from renewable sources and have zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2018.” Melbourne Water wf.net.au/K857
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Sydney Water & Ku-ring-gai Council join forces Sewer mining project on golf course Ku-ring-gai Council and Sydney Water have joined forces to switch on a new water recycling plant that will ensure Gordon golf course is always green. Ku-ring-gai Mayor Ian Cross said the innovative project, worth $2.2 million, involved tapping into three Sydney Water sewer pipes underneath the golf course to extract wastewater, which is then treated at the plant and used for irrigation. “We expect the project to harvest up to 110,000 kilolitres of water each year - enough to fill 44 Olympic-size swimming pools,” Cr Cross said. “Water from the plant will be used for the greens and fairways. The fairways have not previously had irrigation so this will provide an added benefit for the course. “The plant will allow the golf course’s irrigation supply to be totally self-sufficient, saving precious drinking water.” Sydney Water recycled water strategist Ian Hammerton congratulated Ku-ring-
gai Council for initiating the project and increasing the amount of water recycled in Sydney. “Recycling plays an important part in the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Water Plan, with 35.8 billion litres of water recycled last financial year in Sydney and the Illawarra for residential, business, irrigation and environmental purposes. This figure will rise to 70 billion litres by 2015,” Hammerton said. Cr Cross said the plant, built by Innaco Pty Ltd, used membrane bioreactor technology, a biological treatment and filtration process that produced high-quality recycled water. “This is really cutting-edge technology that further builds on Ku-ring-gai Council’s success in reducing water consumption,” Cr Cross said. “The recycled water will be stored in two large tanks which feed into the golf course’s irrigation system.” Cr Cross said the NSW Government’s
Climate Change Fund had contributed $830,000 to the project, with the remaining $1,370,000 coming from the Council’s Golf Course Improvement Reserve. “Council has worked closely with Sydney Water, Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW Public Works and Water and NSW Health,” Cr Cross said. Hammerton said sewer mining was an innovative way to re-use wastewater which would otherwise be discarded. Sydney Water Corporation wf.net.au/J402
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Waste into green energy Primary producer uses wastewater technology
Clean water and green energy technology from Global Water Engineering (GWE) has been used by Chokyuenyong Industrial in Thailand to cut effluent COD pollution levels at its cassava production plant by more than 95%. The gas from its wastewater has also been extracted to power its boilers and generate electricity for its own use and to sell back to the provincial grid. Processing 1200 tonnes of cassava roots a day, Chokyuenyong Industrial uses GWE anaerobic technology with a capacity of 3200 m3 effluent a day. Commissioned and refined over the past three years, the Chokyuenyong installation: • C u t t h e C h e m i c a l O x y g e n D e m a n d ( C O D ) p o l lution level of influent wastewater from 22,500 mL/L (14,525 mg/L biochemical oxygen demand, BOD O22) to less than 1125 mg/L, resulting in cleaner discharges to treatment ponds (and in the process dramatically reducing odour from typical ponds); • Returns up to 2.7 MW of electricity a year to a provincial power grid, PEA; • Saves the equivalent of up to 21,000 L a day of fuel oil by producing up to 34,000 Nm3 of bio gas, which is used to power the boilers and heating equipment used extensively in cassava drying and processing and to generate electricity for the large amounts of rotating equipment used in processing; • Generates carbon credits under the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change, through which it earns internationally tradeable CER certificates, representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide equivalent. Chokyuenyong’s process involves an equalisation basin (total volume 1600 m3) with submerged agitators, degasifying basin with agitator (24 m3) inline pH adjustment, NaOH storage tank (25 m3) UASB methane reactor (active volume 4800 m3) and biogas flare (standby, for use if required). The technology is all above ground for simplicity and ease of maintenance. GWE’s anaerobic treatment significantly reduces the plant’s carbon footprint by avoiding the release of methane gas into the atmosphere. The wastewater passes through several pre-treatment steps before entering a GWE methane reactor in which the wastewater’s organic content (COD) is digested by bacteria in a closed reactor, degrading the compounds and converting them into valuable biogas and cleaned effluent. Biogas from the process is collected and re-used as renewable
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fuel in the plant’s thermal oil boiler, saving money that would otherwise be spent on bunker oil. Chokyuenyong’s excess biogas is used in electrical power generation. Results achieved at Chokyuenyong can be even further improved by also converting its solid wastes (residual pulp from the roots, after starch extraction) into biogas as well, using GWE’s Raptor treatment system for solid organic residues, says GWE. CST Wastewater Solutions
wf.net.au/J652
Above-ground pump upgrade For over 14 years, the Moe Wastewater Treatment Plant has been effectively and successfully processing sewage. Located in Gippsland, Victoria, the medium-sized plant serves an equivalent persons population of 22,000. Its average daily flow is 5 ML per day. Starting in February 2010, the plant’s wastewater treatment engineers noticed that its two submersible pumps (one duty pump and a standby pump) at the inlet station were blocking up with increasing regularity. To deal with the problem, the plant operator would call in their maintenance contractors to isolate the obstructed submersible pump, lift it using a crane, and then clean it before lowering the pump back into the wet well. Hydro Innovations provided the plant with a Gorman-Rupp T8A3S-B above-ground self-priming centrifugal pump in December 2010. According to Garry Grant, General Manager of Hydro Innovations, the Gorman-Rupp pump is a purpose-built sewage pump fitted with an aggressive self-cleaning wear plate. The wear plate has been specifically designed to change the shape of solid waste and stringy material so that the pump does not clog. If choking does occur, the pump can be unclogged quickly and easily via the removable cover plate, without the need to disconnect piping. This can be done with only one operator and without a lifting device. The design of the pump allows users to adjust the clearance between the impeller and wear plate without having to pull it apart. This eliminates the need to realign belts, couplings or other drive components. A unique collar and adjusting screw allow for incremental adjustments of the wear plate clearance. Once made, the collar locks in place maintaining the clearance setting. After the three-month trial period, Gippsland Water was impressed with the Gorman-Rupp pump’s performance and purchased the machine. Gippsland Water is now planning to replace its other submersible pump at the Moe WWTP with a self-priming pump. Hydro Innovations
wf.net.au/L515
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Sustainable water supply for mid-coast NSW Using digital technology saves resources The $82 million Bootawa Water Treatment Plant in New South Wales treats all water distributed in the mainly residential region from Coopernook in the north to Tarbuck Bay (south of Forster). MidCoast Water built and opened the plant in 2010 to provide for the future sustainable water supply of the area. The water treatment plant, located next to the Bootawa Dam, is capable of processing up to 60 million litres of water per day. It was designed to address the water quality problems of the past such as elevated iron and manganese levels, the presence of algae and dirty water after rain in the catchment. Water, which can now be sourced from the Manning River or the Bootawa Dam via a raw water balance tank, is treated through a microfiltration process, ozone treatment, carbon filtration and chlorination before going into the reticulation system. During the filtration process, water is drawn through fine polymer membranes which remove fine particles and provide a physical barrier to achieve reliable removal of cryptosporidium, giardia and other harmful microorganisms without the need for chemicals. The fully automated Bootawa DamTreatment Plant is monitored and run by SCADA technology and uses Allen-Bradley PLCs. Due to its compatibility, ifm efector’s AS-interface was used with the Ethernet IP gateway. AS-i is a patented protocol design optimised for digital signals. The advantage in using this protocol is that users are not restricted to using one product or brand, they can be mixed and matched. UGL Infrastructure’s Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer, Arjan Koolhaas, was involved with the construction of the project and implementing the digital network equipment. “The use of networks like Profibus, ethernet, DeviceNet and in particular the AS-i network has provided a sustainable solution for such projects,” he says. “The digital equipment has allowed the project to be more sustainable by saving resources, allowing for better maintenance at the plant and also providing the ability for easy expansion in the future.”
According to ifm efector, installation and wiring of AS-i is where the main costs savings can be achieved due to fewer connections, no input/output cards and less cabling required. Koolhaas agrees saying: “During installation there was a significant reduction in the amount of cabling, which provided a saving in the use of valuable resources. “The use of a fibre-optic ring network around the plant provides an energyefficient solution for the transfer of data to/from the control system. Control loops are tuned in such a way that no unnecessary adjustments are made when process conditions are within a predefined deadband. This extends the life span of equipment such as valves, drives, etc and also saves on energy consumption.”
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ifm efector pty ltd wf.net.au/K450
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Wastewater facility saves energy and water Tim Mahony, Manager - Electrical Engineering
The pristine waters of the scenic Fraser coast, about 250 km north of Brisbane, are a popular playground for migrating humpback whales and dolphins. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fraser Island is the largest coastal dune system and sand island in the world and home to myriad rare and protected wildlife species. And Hervey Bay, an internationally renowned holiday destination, has an aquatic environment teeming with marine life. It was against this backdrop that Wide Bay Water Corporation (WBWC), the first local government-owned corporation in Queensland, was tasked to build a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The $33 million project was undertaken to provide the additional wastewater treatment capacity required to keep pace with the area’s rapid population growth. In planning its seventh WWTP, to be its largest and most complex to date, Wide Bay Water Corporation set out to build a facility with a capacity equivalent to the water use of 10,000 homes, or 4.8 million litres per day. The facility, situated beside an 800 ML effluent lagoon at Nikenbah, also needed to be able to expand its capacity nearly three-fold in line with population growth to 14.4 ML/d. Using sophisticated new filtration technologies, the wastewater would be treated to a standard above EPA levels with the aim of recycling 90% of the treated wastewater from the plant. The quality of the treated water would be so high that it could be used as a supplementary water source for irrigation or potable water substitution in future drought situations. Acting as the principal contractor in order to gain maximum leverage from their experience and knowledge and benefit from substantial cost savings, WBWC sought to avoid issues they had encountered previously when multiple vendors all used different equipment, consequently requiring a large number of spare parts. This time, they looked for a single supplier that would be able to deliver a fully integrated, high-availability process automation solution cost effectively in order to ensure a lower TCO. They also wanted an installation that met the following criteria: robust; quick to commission; easy to maintain; quick to fault find; and able to provide extensive operational data.
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Schneider Electric’s PlantStruxure solution helped WBWC achieve: reduced overall project costs - it was delivered for $2 million under budget; smoother, faster commissioning using Unity Application Generator (UAG) reduced engineering integration time by 20%; reduced commissioning time by 25% as the engineering software suite allowed efficient configuration of the Altivar VFDs and TesysT motor starters from the control room - over 100 motors were commissioned in only a few days. Each VFD & TesysT motor starter has established protocols and control blocks so they easily integrated with the plant’s quantum controllers, saving considerable engineering integration time; reduced energy consumption - the use of variable speed drives to control the majority of the motors greatly reduced energy consumption as the pumps and mixers can operate at their duty points. Energy consumption has been reduced by approximately 12.5% compared to a similarly sized plant; reduced operating costs - the high level of automation at the plant and its robustness means that only one operator is needed on site. A similar sized plant operated by WBWC requires both an operator and an assistant. The reduced manpower requirement means a saving of $50,000 per year - fault detection time is greatly reduced as the entire plant can be interrogated from the control room thanks to the SCADA system; reduced technical risk - a reliable system utilising proven technology and architectures means less downtime and simplified maintenance; improved output quality - the integration of the PlantStruxure solution with the state-of-the-art filtration technology enables the plant to produce effluent of a quality 130 times better than other similar plants (turbidity of less than 0.15 NTU vs 20 NTU); and simplified procurement and documentation from a single provider for optimised profitability. Schneider Electric (Australia) Pty Ltd
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Peristaltic pump technology for wastewater treatment Technology replaces timer-controlled valves Two Watson-Marlow SPX50 hose pumps have been installed at Dwr Cymru - Welsh Water’s Lavister Waste Water Treatment Works in North Wales in the UK, significantly improving system performance at the site. The pumps were installed during October 2006 and have delivered trouble-free operation since installation. Prior to the installation of the pumps, auto desludging of the primary tanks at the site was operated by timer-controlled automatic actuated valves. Engineers at Lavister, which serves a population of 5500, found the valve technology difficult to control and sludge quality was far from consistent. “By their very nature, the timer-controlled actuated valves opened fully for the set time period resulting in variable sludge consistency. Either too much water content resulted at the primary sludge holding tank or insufficient desludging resulted in blanket carry over at the primary tanks,” said Dave Hughes working on behalf of Dwr Cymru - Welsh Water. “We took the decision to replace the valves with two SPX50 hose pumps, one for each tank - each of which currently produces approximately 7 m3 of sludge/day.” The mechanical installation was carried out by Smart Liquid Systems, the electrical by Lloyd Morris Electrical, and the civil work by E Jones and Son, all local contractors. Since installation, the SPX50 pumps have not only required minimal routine maintenance, but have desludged at the specified rate without interruption to flow or ‘rat holing”. The hose pumps installed at Lavister handle 3-5% dry solids content primary sludge at a transfer rate of 2500 L/h. Each pump runs at 16 rpm and has a discharge pressure of less than 5 bar. They are also fitted with WIMES Efficiency1 1.5 kW cast iron frame motors with fixed-speed gearboxes. The pumps were installed complete with associated pipework and valves, and are fitted with automatic cutout switches to protect against blockages in the suction or discharge lines and burst hose protection. Suction and delivery lines are also fitted with surge dampers. The success of the pumps on abrasive sewage sludge pumping, and other similar applications, stems from a combination of the gentle peristaltic pumping action, low operating speeds, and the abrasion-resistant characteristics of the hose itself. Designed to deliver continuous flow rates of up to 5000 L/h and pressures up to 16 bar, the Watson-Marlow SPX50 hose pump is suited for auto desludging applications. Its composite, braided nylon reinforced hose element is designed to handle sewage sludge as well as other viscous, fibrous and abrasive materials. It also incorporates an internal reinforcing element for enhanced mechanical strength, and its elasticity is maintained by passing it continually through a bath of lubricant.
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The SPX design allows rapid hose changing when required, as well as simple maintenance. The pumps also feature overload protection and enhanced corrosion resistance. The ability to achieve and maintain accuracy to within ±1% and to handle additives such as lime slurry and easily damaged filamentous flocculants, has led to the pump’s widespread adoption for dosing duties in sewage and water-treatment processes. Watson Marlow Pty Ltd wf.net.au/K344
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UV disinfection For drinking water for semi-arid island
A Berson InLine UV disinfection system installed on one of Aruba’s drinking water storage tanks
Advanced ultraviolet water treatment technology being introduced to Australia by CST Wastewater Solutions has demonstrated its potential for applications here after being installed on a semi-arid Caribbean island. Ten of Berson’s InLine UV disinfection systems were installed on the island of Aruba, where eight systems are used to disinfect drinking water and two are used to treat greywater prior to discharge. The island opted for UV instead of chlorine as part of its ‘non-chemical’ approach to water treatment, says CST Wastewater Solutions Managing Director Michael Bambridge. Five of the Berson UV units are installed at the Balashi water treatment plant, the site of gold mill ruins near Aruba’s capital, Oranjestad. Operated by WEB Aruba, which supplies drinking water and electricity to the island’s residents and businesses, Balashi also houses the world’s second largest desalination plant. Because Aruba has a semi-arid climate, desalination is necessary to supply its growing population with much-needed water. Following the desalination process, the water passes through the UV systems before being transported to seven storage
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tanks situated at elevated locations around the island. The UV units, which are installed outdoors and controlled by DGtronic microprocessors, each disinfect 400 m3 of water per hour, rising to 600 m3/h during peak flow conditions. No chlorine is used at any stage of the water treatment process. Chlorine was originally considered as an alternative to UV but was rejected after concerns over costs and safety. WEB Aruba also has an anti-chemical policy. Two of the seven storage tanks situated around the island are also fitted with Berson’s InLine UV systems, providing an additional disinfection step prior to distribution. It is expected that all the tanks will eventually be fitted with UV. One of the storage tanks is situated in the harbour and supplies cruise ships with UV-treated drinking water. In addition to disinfecting drinking water, two Berson UV systems are also used to treat greywater. One unit is installed at each of the island’s two wastewater treatment plants and the treated greywater is used to irrigate the island’s two golf courses. Berson’s compact InLine mediumpressure UV systems use MultiWave lamps, which emit a wide spectrum of
UV wavelengths with a very high energy output, causing the total and permanent deactivation of microorganisms. The small size of the lamps means that they are positioned perpendicularly to the flow of liquid, increasing disinfection efficiency and reducing the overall size of the disinfection unit. Berson’s InLine+ medium-pressure closed vessel UV systems recently became the first in the world to gain formal approval for wastewater re-use applications. They underwent extensive third-party testing by Carollo Engineers in the US before being formally approved for post-filtration and reverse osmosis applications by the California Department of Public Health (Title-22 validation). The systems are now validated for wastewater reuse applications in accordance with AwwaRF/NWRI guidelines, which are internationally respected and some of the toughest in the world, says Bambridge. The guidelines are also the only ones offering guidelines on sewage treatment, which is a key factor in Australia. CST Wastewater Solutions wf.net.au/E092
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WATER
Ambitious water re-use strategy for luxury development
S
alacia Waters, one of the largest urban developments on the Gold Coast, Queensland, is setting regional benchmarks in both community planning and environmental responsibility. The $650m residential development is located on the last undeveloped peninsula at Paradise Point, on a long-vacant 10.8 ha site. The first stage includes five apartment buildings with 131 luxury apartments, as well as commercial space and landscaped recreational areas. The development will ultimately comprise 470 apartments and villas, as well as a private marina, shopping and dining precinct and residents’ facilities. A strong emphasis on sustainability and water-sensitive urban design was incorporated into the master planning. A state-of-the-art water re-use strategy was designed by principal civil engineers Hyder Consulting to reduce loading on the Gold Coast City Council infrastructure and provide maximum use from harvested rainwater. At the heart of the re-use system is a series of Rocla underground concrete water storage tanks providing a total of around 600,000 L of storage capacity, installed by civil contractors Peachey Constructions. Rainwater harvested from the roofs of apartment buildings and villas will be stored in the tanks for toilet flushing and vehicle washdown. In total, 230,000 L of Rocla ecoRainPlus tanks are located beneath the pavement of the private road system in a combination of 40,000 and 30,000 L units. In addition, a stormwater treatment train has been designed that not only complies with performance criteria, but does so aesthetically through the use of underground collection tanks, gross pollutant traps and bioretention zones incorporated into landscaped areas with pressurised discharge heads delivering stormwater for treatment. As a back up, the roadway rainwater storage tanks are provided with metered cold water top-up from the potable water supply.
Villas not serviced by the roadway collection tanks will be provided with 5000 L rainwater harvesting tanks located beneath or within the building’s garage. Overflow from these tanks will discharge to the stormwater drainage system and then to the trunk stormwater drainage system, where it will be conveyed back through a bioretention system before discharge to the waterways. Collectively, the stormwater tanks will provide the site with a volume of internally re-usable water above the council’s standard requirements. Excess capture from the roadway tanks will not be wasted, but will be conveyed via a separate network to central Rocla ecoRainPlus tanks with a capacity of 120,000 L for re-use as irrigation. All open space and landscape areas will be irrigated from rainwater harvested from the site. The stormwater reticulation network will receive stormwater from the entire site, including overflow from the re-use systems and general site run-off. The reticulation system will drain the site via a network of Rocla reinforced concrete pipes and Rocla Q-KIS pit inlet structures and maintenance holes before ultimately discharging to a total of four outlet locations at each of the four ‘corners’ of the site. At each of the four outlets a diversion structure will divert flows through one of four Rocla CDS Unit gross pollutant traps (GPTs). After removing the necessary levels of litter, sediment, suspended solids
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and hydrocarbons, the stormwater will be captured via one of four 63,000 L Rocla EcoRainPlus collection tanks. Pumps and pressurised pipe networks in the four 63,000 L tanks carry water to bioretention areas at a rate equivalent to the hydraulic capacity of the bioretention system. This network has been carefully designed to ensure that treatment of the run-off is equivalent to a system without pumps. In total, three bioretention areas are included in the treatment train, which receive stormwater from all four 63,000 L tanks. The total contributory area of the bioretention is more than 880 m2 and is incorporated into a landscaped area with walkways. After adequate treatment for stormwater quality from the combined treatment train of re-use tanks, gross pollutant traps and bioretention areas, stormwater is discharged from the site to the adjacent Coomera River and Broadwater waterways. Backflow prevention devices ensure the performance of the stormwater treatment system in all tidal conditions. With the assistance of the Rocla stormwater collection tanks, CDS Unit GPTs, reticulation and bioretention areas, all environmental values and water-quality objectives are being satisfied. Rocla wf.net.au/K379
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WATER
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Water for good Desalination plant for SA
A huge new desalination plant in Lonsdale will provide South Australia with up to 100 billion litres of water each year for decades to come. Adelaide Aqua (a consortium of four Companies, United Utilities, Acciona, Abigroup and McConnell Dowell) has been contracted to design, build, operate and maintain the plant for the next 20 years. The project, part of South Australia’s ‘Water for Good’ plan, will cost $1.83 billion and the plant will deliver up to 100 billion litres of water each year (100 GL) - about half of Adelaide’s annual water supply. O’Donnell Griffin is responsible for all the electrical installation associated with the process works. “We are installing the cabling and cabling management systems for the motors, the controls and all the main switchboards,” said Richard Lane, SA State Manager. This process-related electrical work includes installation of plantwide HV/LV reticulation, HV/LV switchgear, cable management systems and process power and control cabling. Adelaide Aqua has been pleased with O’Donnell Griffin’s performance, particularly with respect to occupational health and safety (OHS)said Lane. Adelaide Aqua holds a monthly safety
breakfast which key supplier groups attend, and O’Donnell Griffin were asked to present. “Subcontractors have rarely been asked to present, but because we demonstrated strong OHS management, we were invited to lead a session,” said Lane. Rick Cassab, Construction Director for Adelaide Aqua, paid tribute to O’Donnell Griffin’s safety performance on the project. “A multi-disciplined project such as the desalination plant brings with it the challenge of blending different construction cultures in an accelerated and congested environment.” “O’Donnell Griffin has been a key subcontractor in developing the OHS culture on this project and actively participated in the Safety Improvement Program,” said Cassab. As well as coordinating many different subcontractors, some of the key OHS issues on the project were its sensitive environmental location, erosion and sediment control, work in confined spaces and work at heights. “As a head contractor, we always want to align with subcontractors who believe in improving OHS cultures,” said Cassab. “From the outset, it was evident that O’Donnell Griffin took safety seriously and lived by their principles. The company brings a mature, professional approach to OHS. They have the highly skilled and trained workforce required to deliver.” The desalination plant will be completed in December 2012. O’Donnell Griffin
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Stormwater harvesting could ease mains water demand Council investigates diversifying its water sources Gosford City Council has been investigating the feasibility of using harvested stormwater for non-potable water use to diversify its water sources. Using eWater’s urban stormwater modelling software MUSIC (model for urban software improvements conceptualisation), a project team from the University of Technology, Sydney, assessed the viability of stormwater harvesting to supplement the existing water supply. Applying MUSIC to the water balance modelling of the existing catchments allowed the researchers to determine the size of stormwater storage required to meet the projected demand. Not a detailed design tool in itself, MUSIC rather aims to set out the alternatives for improving stormwater quality. The software is allowing planners to assess the pros and cons of various engineering systems for improving stormwater quality - biofilters, swales,
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wetlands and the like. It includes major advances to the science and enhances the ability to model new stormwater technologies like porous pavements. It also includes raw rainfall data for 50 major population centres in Australia. Gosford City Council is engaged in compiling year 2050 plans projecting expected growth and required infrastructure as a condition for receiving ongoing federal funding to help meet its responsibilities for supplying water to its residents. The project shows harvested stormwater could reduce mains water consumption by up to 38%. However, further investigation
will be required to determine the viability of implementing these stormwater harvesting schemes. The researchers warn the current price of recycled water is too low for stormwater harvesting schemes to be financially competitive, meaning subsidisation may be required. They also suggested future investigations should focus on stormwater harvesting schemes for catchments of at least 30 hectares, in order to achieve the greatest economies of scale. The results are playing a valuable role in helping the council with water recycling planning as it seeks to balance water demand and supply, while ensuring future water security. Being able to harvest stormwater for re-use would give the council an alternative water source to add to the mix. eWater Limited wf.net.au/J392
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WATER
I/O solution helps provide safe drinking water Water plant modernises control system Moore Industries-International has helped a water plant in central New York to maximise its effectiveness while reducing costs. The company’s NET Concentrator System helped the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) modernise the control system at its water treatment plant in Marcellus, NY. Through the use of this distributed I/O and remote I/O solution, the OCWA has achieved improved efficiency. The Marcellus facility treats and distributes water from Otisco Lake to roughly half of the OCWA’s nearly 350,000 residential customers. Automation systems at the facility control processes which ensure the quality of the treated water and compliance with state health department and EPA regulations. In order to update its operations and increase efficiency, the OCWA decided to switch from analog remote terminal units to digital control systems through an online SCADA system powered by ethernet and MODBUS network communications. Moore Industries assisted the OCWA in implementing its new system by delivering isolated I/O modules which eliminate potential signal loop interference from the ethernet control network. The I/O modules within the NET Concentrator System contain ground loops or other individual aberrations locally, stopping them from impacting other readings at the site. The new system also reduced total wiring by transmitting process control and monitoring signals across a single digital communications link. Installing the NET Concentrator System helped the OCWA solve several data collection problems. The ability to monitor the water filtration beds in real time has improved operator reaction time and
increased efficiency. In addition, it is a reliable solution in reducing overhead related to hard wiring and maintenance. “With modern I/O modules, there’s no reason for plants to rely on analog signals which require expensive wiring that often fails,” said Moore Industries Senior Field Applications Engineer Jim McConahay, PE. “Working with the OCWA, we’ve developed a solution that is scalable, cost effective and improves the ability of engineers to receive and analyse data and make mission-critical decisions.” wf.net.au/J516
Moore Industries Pacific Inc
Water treatment for coal seam gas industry Construction in SW Queensland QGC, an Australian coal seam gas explorer and producer, has signed a contract with a consortium of GE and Laing O’Rourke for the construction of a water-treatment plant in south-west Queensland that will support the region’s rapidly growing coal seam gas industry. Coal seam gas is a form of natural gas trapped in coal beds by water and ground pressure. High salinity water is produced as part of coal seam gas extraction, which must be treated in an environmentally responsible manner. The Kenya water treatment plant will use GE’s advanced membrane and thermal water treatment technologies to desalinate water produced during the extraction of gas from the coal seams. This process will produce water that is suitable for beneficial reuse in a variety of applications, such as irrigation for farmers and process water for industrial customers. The facility, to be built near the town of Chinchilla about 290 km west of Brisbane, will have the capacity to treat up to 72 million L per day. Rising global demand for energy and the increasing pressure for cleaner fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are spurring the development of Queensland’s LNG industry, using coal seam gas as the feedstock.
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“GE will provide the technical expertise and the process equipment for the project, while we will bring our design experience and construction skills to the job,” said Stephen Wilson, Infrastructure General Manager for Laing O’Rourke. “Our engineering expertise, complementing GE’s expertise, was critical in securing the contract.” “Advanced treatment processes will enable the Kenya water treatment plant to convert coal seam gas water to a quality suitable for beneficial re-use. This supports both QGC’s objectives and the Australian Government’s water management policy for this growth industry,” said Tim Rourke, CEO GE Energy Australia and New Zealand. The new water treatment facility will feature its own powergeneration plant, which will be powered by coal seam methane. The project builds on an existing relationship between GE and Laing O’Rourke; the two companies worked together on the recently completed Darling Downs power station. The Kenya water treatment plant is expected to begin commercial operation in the final quarter of 2011. GE Energy
wf.net.au/H702
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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
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