Here are the main technologies currently used in Australia to convert waste or biomass residues into fuel, heat or power. Click (i) to see the technology scheme and a case study.
The Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant is an $18 million green fuel game changer being developed by Southern Oil Refining at its Northern Oil Refinery at Yarwun, near Gladstone, Queensland. The pilot plant, opened in June 2017, is using biomass material such as sugarcane bagasse and prickly acacia as feedstock for the production of bio crude oil, which will be refined into saleable kerosene and diesel products. Within three years of opening, the pilot plant aims to have produced one million litres of fuel for use in field trials by the US navy as part of its Great Green Fleet initiative, by the Australian Defence Force, by Australian heavy road transport operators and possibly for the aviation sector.
Licella’s proprietary ‘catalytic hydrothermal’ technology uses water, pressure and heat to convert biomass to bio-crude oil. The biomass is made into slurry, continuously pressurised, heated, reacted and then cooled to create the bio-crude oil. The process can convert a range of feedstocks. Licella has tested wood products (eucalypt, Pinus radiata), agricultural residue (bagasse, wheat straw), grasses and algae. Unlike techniques such as pyrolysis, hydrothermal upgrading with Licella’s Cat-HTR™ platform produces a stable biocrude which can be easily shipped, is not acidic and is miscible (blendable) with conventional oil. The pilot plant, located at Somersby, north of Sydney, demonstrates the continuous-flow process from slurry preparation, pressurisation, heating and reacting through to cooling and final separation of the bio-crude oil. Heavily automated, partly for safety reasons, the pilot plant has the capacity to process 10,000 tonnes of slurried biomass per year. Supported by government funding of $5.4 million from ARENA, Licella is developing a de-risked feasibility study for a commercial plant that can handle 400,000 green tonnes of wood. The study includes selecting the plant location and the type of biomass, and signing up agreements with biomass suppliers and bio-crude buyers, essentially de-risking the business case for potential investors.
Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Power Plant
Licella – A bridge to a lower carbon future
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
The Drysdale Landfill Biogas Renewable Energy Facility (REF) is located at the Drysdale landfill which is the principal landfill for Geelong. The landfiill site takes in approximately 90,000 tonnes of mixed solid waste per annum. The REF collects the biogas generated from the contaminated organic portion of the waste stream and uses it to generate baseload, renewable electricity. The facility generates 8500MW’s of renewable energy per year, which is enough to power over 1,500 homes.
https://www.lms.com.au/projects
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
Australian Paper (AP) is proposing to develop a 225 megawatt thermal Energy from Waste (EfW) plant adjacent to the existing AP Maryvale Pulp and Paper Mill site on land owned by AP in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria. The aim of the proposed $600m EfW plant is to allow AP to attain a sustainable, long-term and stable alternative base load energy source to provide steam and electricity for the existing Maryvale Mill, which has been manufacturing paper since 1938. For this 225MWth EfW plant the operating waste feed requirement is estimated to be 650,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of non-hazardous residual waste which would otherwise be sent to landfill. It is proposed to use Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) for approximately 80% of the fuel input to the EfW plant. MSW is waste from household rubbish collections (not recyclable collections). Some Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste (approx. 20% of fuel input) would also be used, with the non-hazardous C&I waste being similar to MSW, but sourced mostly from manufacturing facilities, shopping centres and office buildings.
https://www.australianpaper.com.au/about-us/creating-energy-from-waste/
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
The Drysdale Landfill Biogas Renewable Energy Facility (REF) is located at the Drysdale landfill which is the principal landfill for Geelong. The landfiill site takes in approximately 90,000 tonnes of mixed solid waste per annum. The REF collects the biogas generated from the contaminated organic portion of the waste stream and uses it to generate baseload, renewable electricity. The facility generates 8500MW’s of renewable energy per year, which is enough to power over 1,500 homes.
https://www.lms.com.au/projects
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
Starting mid-2022, the East Rockingham WtEs will convert 300,000 tonnes per year of residual waste from non-recyclable materials in the Perth metropolitan area to deliver baseload electricity, recycle aggregate and metals ,and divert 96% residual waste from landfill.
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
Australian Paper (AP) is proposing to develop a 225 megawatt thermal Energy from Waste (EfW) plant adjacent to the existing AP Maryvale Pulp and Paper Mill site on land owned by AP in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria. The aim of the proposed $600m EfW plant is to allow AP to attain a sustainable, long-term and stable alternative base load energy source to provide steam and electricity for the existing Maryvale Mill, which has been manufacturing paper since 1938. For this 225MWth EfW plant the operating waste feed requirement is estimated to be 650,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of non-hazardous residual waste which would otherwise be sent to landfill. It is proposed to use Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) for approximately 80% of the fuel input to the EfW plant. MSW is waste from household rubbish collections (not recyclable collections). Some Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste (approx. 20% of fuel input) would also be used, with the non-hazardous C&I waste being similar to MSW, but sourced mostly from manufacturing facilities, shopping centres and office buildings.
https://www.australianpaper.com.au/about-us/creating-energy-from-waste/
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
Landfill Biogas + Power Generatori
The Drysdale Landfill Biogas Renewable Energy Facility (REF) is located at the Drysdale landfill which is the principal landfill for Geelong. The landfill site takes in approximately 90,000 tonnes of mixed solid waste per annum. The REF collects the biogas generated from the contaminated organic portion of the waste stream and uses it to generate baseload, renewable electricity. The facility generates 8500MW’s of renewable energy per year, which is enough to power over 1,500 homes.
https://www.lms.com.au/projects
Check the Biomass Producer Website for more Bioenergy case studies.
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