Lara Olsen, Managing Director, South East Water, said the disposal of biosolids was a challenge across the water industry.
“South East Water is continually looking for ways we can work with others to create innovative solutions to important challenges such as protecting our environment,” Olsen said.
“This technology is really important as it can be scaled to any size, making it a possible solution for both urban and regional water utilities.”
The unique PYROCO technology uses a new type of hyper-efficient reactor developed at patented by RMIT.
The fluidised bed technology is based on slow pyrolysis - a process for splitting up organic materials into their chemical components by heating them in the absence of oxygen, so they do not combust.
The novel reactor radically optimises heat and mass transfer, while shrinking the technology to make it highly mobile. As well as being used in wastewater treatment, the reactor has potential applications in the biomass, plastics and coating industries.
Dean Barnett, Program Director, Intelligent Water Networks said: “At IWN, we are very excited to be part of this innovative technology trial – turning a waste product into a useable resource, which meets our objective of a circular economy for our members and the broader water industry.”
Maree Lang, Managing Director Greater Western Water, said the project was an excellent example of like-minded organisations working together with a shared commitment to sustainable solutions.
"By reusing and adding value to biosolids, we recover local resources, reduce landfill and create renewable energy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.