wastewater resources
Advancing resource recovery
T
he report Wastewater — An
operations in Australia (dried and pelletised
Untapped Resource?, fund-
biosolid for fertiliser by Barwon Water, Victo-
ed by the Australian Water
ria) and overseas (struvite and other fertiliser
Recycling Centre of Excel-
production by Ostera partners in Oregon, USA,
lence, was launched by
biomass production for fertiliser by Milwaukee
Professor John Thwaites,
Metropolitan Sewerage District, USA, and
Chair of Melbourne Water and former Deputy
energy co-generation by East Bay Municipal
Premier of Victoria, in December 2015.
Utility district, USA).
©samopauser/Dollar Photo Club
An international report that takes an investor’s perspective to recovering resources from wastewater has been welcomed by the water industry as an important step towards sustainability of water management in Australia.
“This report will be influential with organisa-
In addition, operations in Germany by Ham-
tions like Melbourne Water but also hopefully
burg Wasser, in the UK by Scottish Water and
with the private sector here in Australia, and
in the Netherlands by TU Delft and DHV were
government,” Professor Thwaites said. “It is
considered as well as assessing the impact
also being noticed overseas because the is-
of technology breakthroughs on value creation
ated at the plant and the sales of nitrogen and
sue of resource recovery is something many
using existing Australian research to identify
phosphorus resource recovery products also
countries are grappling with, but translating
resource recovery options for Australia over
add to the economic viability of the option, as
that into action is the big challenge.”
the next 20 years.
does the revenue stream from the disposal
Undertaken by the Australian Academy of
The report made key recommendations to
Technology and Engineering (ATSE), the report
convert industry interest in resource recovery
At the Melbourne launch, Pamminger, on
finds that increased pressure from population
to practise detailing a ‘real options approach’
behalf of the Water Services Association of
growth, higher demand for natural resources,
to assessing resource recovery projects that
Australia, said the report was an important
rising costs and growing community expecta-
incorporates a wide range of avoided costs
building block towards integrating resource
tions will require the water industry to develop
and economic uncertainties, using probabilistic
recovery into water businesses.
innovative and more efficient processes to
methodologies.
of organic waste in the co-digestion case.
He said the report looks at successful
optimise resource recovery from wastewater.
Other recommendations include focusing on:
operations from around the world and from a
The report was developed by a working
• innovative business models that include
water industry perspective sought to address
group led by Dr John Burgess, a chemical
private sector involvement;
the question “why can’t we do it here?”
engineer who has more than 20 years’ ex-
• ongoing participation in the development
He commended the financial model in the
perience as a research leader and industry
of new wastewater treatment technologies;
report to water authority engineers as a way
senior executive with BHP Limited, where he
• regulatory recognition for resource recovery
to approach complexity and variability when
held responsibilities for research and com-
operations in the form of feed-in tariffs for
undertaking project options analysis in the
pany strategy. It included Professor Damien
energy generation and renewable energy
modern day.
Batstone, deputy director of the Advanced
incentives.
Water Management Centre at the University of
The report concluded that emerging energy-
researchers coming together with industry and
Queensland, Dr Tim Muster, a senior research
efficient process technologies, such as the
presenting results, together with a business
scientist from CSIRO Land and Water, and Mr
generation of biogas from sewage and waste
focus, that allows us to go forward,” he said.
Francis Pamminger, manager of research and
and cogeneration of electricity, appear to be
innovation at Yarra Valley Water.
economically viable for larger scales of waste-
Part of the research identified key reasons for the success of a number of successful
water treatment plant operation, nominally above 50 ML/day.
resource recovery initiatives by undertak-
The report also concluded that in some
ing economic analysis of resource recovery
cases the sales of surplus electricity gener-
www.SustainabilityMatters.net.au
“The importance of this project has been
The project was undertaken by Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) with funding and support from the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence.
Feb/Mar 2016 - Sustainability Matters 23