Working with the Water Industry to Recycle Biosolids

Working with the Water Industry to Recycle Biosolids

Finding better ways to manage and re-purpose polluting biosolids, sewage sludge from wastewater, is a pressing issue for the water industry. Current management processes are labour intensive, take up large amounts of land and risk polluting adjacent land and water tables.

Finding better ways to manage and re-purpose polluting biosolids, sewage sludge from wastewater, is a pressing issue for the water industry. Current management processes are labour intensive, take up large amounts of land and risk polluting adjacent land and water tables.

Finding better ways to manage and re-purpose polluting biosolids, sewage sludge from wastewater, is a pressing issue for the water industry. Current management processes are labour intensive, take up large amounts of land and risk polluting adjacent land and water tables.

Research lead: Associate Professor Kalpit Shah

Group of people in construction clothes smiling in front of machinery Left to right: Maree Lang (Managing Director, Greater Western Water), Steve McGhie (Member for Melton), Lara Olsen (Managing Director, South East Water), Dean Barnett (Program Director, Intelligent Water Networks), Associate Professor Kalpit Shah (RMIT). Photo: Shawn Smits Photography

RMIT partnered with South East Water and Intelligent Water Networks to tackle this problem. The partners designed, constructed and commissioned a pilot PYROCO processing plant capable of converting 75kg/hr of biosolids into value-added smart carbon materials (biochar). RMIT’s interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, social scientists and economists assisted in trialling the social and commercial viability of this disruptive conversion technology.

This partnership has the potential to yield far-reaching social, environmental and economic benefits, including cutting the energy needed to manage biosolids by up to 85 per cent; reducing capital and operating costs by up to 40 per cent, and reducing overall biosolids management costs by over 30 per cent. 

This project was initially funded by RMIT’s Platform Opportunity Fund and our project partners, and led from the School of Engineering.

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RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

More information