The Liberal National Government is supporting the development of an Australian-first waste to energy project in Queensland.
The Logan City Council project will see a demonstration ‘gasifier’ built at the wastewater treatment plant in Loganholme, with the capacity to reduce the volume of sewage sludge – known as biosolids – produced by around 90 per cent, with by-products of use to the agricultural sector.
Through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Government has committed $6.2 million in funding towards to the project.
The project will involve construction of a facility where the biosolids are dewatered, dried and treated at high temperatures. Heat created from the process is captured and used in the drying phase.
It is expected the gasification process will run alongside Loganholme’s existing operation and will reduce the plant’s operating costs by $500,000 each year, as well as creating a new revenue stream from biochar. Biochar is an output from the process that can be used as an environmentally friendly soil conditioner to increase soil carbon sequestration, water efficiency and agricultural yield.
This project is in line with the Government’s commitment to improving how we manage our organic wastes, both to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas and ensure our farm soils benefit from additional organic material.
