Expanding water resource recovery infrastructure for Sydney’s growing northwest region

Sydney, Dörth, November 07, 2024: The North West Hub Alliance (the Alliance) – a collaboration between John Holland, KBR and Stantec – and PYREG are working together on a major project with Sydney Water to increase the city’s wastewater treatment capacity at the Riverstone Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF).

The Alliance is delivering the North West Treatment Hub Growth Program – a brownfield treatment program that will begin with upgrades to the Rouse Hill and Riverstone WRRFs.

The 10-year program will increase wastewater treatment capacity at Sydney Water’s Water Resource Recovery Facilities as north-west Sydney continues to grow to support new homes and businesses in the area.

The program will see carbonisation technology introduced at Riverstone WRRF, a first for Sydney Water. For this purpose, the Alliance is purchasing two PX1500-S plants from PYREG. Construction is scheduled to start at the end of 2024.

The PYREG carbonisation technology processes wastewater sludge into high-quality biochar, which contains valuable phosphorus, an essential nutrient for plant growth. This process offers communities in North West Sydney a solution that contributes to a circular economy with the potential to reuse the phosphorus-rich biochar in industries including agriculture and construction.

Sydney Water – Riverstone Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)

Since 2015, PYREG has been installing its scalable biochar production systems at wastewater treatment plants throughout Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the United States. This project is the first of its kind in Australia; with this project, PYREG is now entering its fourth continent.

Rob Evans, Executive General Manager – Infrastructure at John Holland, said John Holland is proud to be at the forefront of innovation in the water industry: “Thanks to an innovative solution, we are not only increasing the capacity of the wastewater network in Sydney’s North West, but also improving environmental and sustainability outcomes. We know this is an important piece of infrastructure that will leave a lasting legacy.”

Jörg zu Dohna, CEO of PYREG, said: “Sydney Water is creating the world’s largest and most advanced sewage sludge pyrolysis plant with the Riverstone project and we are proud to have been awarded the project following a global selection process. PYREG is now coming to Australia and we will put down roots there!”

Robert Kovach, CSO of PYREG, added: “The PX 1500-S plant is designed for customers who are looking for a reliable, sustainable and profitable solution for sewage sludge. We are pleased to contribute with our technology to John Holland’s approach to significantly reduce disposal costs and ensure environmental compliance.”

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Der Beitrag PYREG is heading “Down Under” with Carbonisation Systems for Sydney Water to recycle Sludge in a closed Loop erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

In the carbonization plant, residual wood is carbonized in a pyrolysis process. This produces regenerative heat and biochar. “Our carbonization plant is unique in Germany in terms of its dimensions and is the first time negative emission technology has been integrated in a German industrial group,” explains Dr. Wilfried Spintig, COO at thyssenkrupp rothe erde. “We use the heat generated in the pyrolysis process for our production site in Lippstadt and can thus cover around 40% of our on-site heat requirements.” This renewable heat replaces previously fossil fuels. By way of comparison, the heat produced in the plant is equivalent to the annual demand of almost 300 households.
The feedstock used in Lippstadt is unprocessed and uncontaminated wood, consisting on the one hand of packaging residues and on the other of suitably dried green waste. Around 2,500 metric tons of residual wood are used annually to generate over 5,300 MWh of heat and around 640 metric tons of biochar, which is used among other things as a soil conditioner in agriculture. “thyssenkrupp rothe erde will be climate-neutral by 2050, and to achieve this we are also constantly looking for new ways to implement decarbonization at our company,” explains Wilfried Spintig. “This plant is also a pilot project for us and, in our eyes, can be a building block for a meaningful jump-start on the way to decarbonization for other industries as well.”

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foto / source: Christian Deutscher, thyssenkrupp rothe erde

Der Beitrag thyssenkrupp rothe erde operates largest decarbonization plant in a German industrial group erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag FAIRS & EVENTS 2020/21: Meet PYREG in Birmingham & Shanghai erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag PYREG GOES CZECH REPUBLIC: Plant for sewage sludge recycling will soon go into operation erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

The reason given for this step was ” that the substances ‘biochar’ (…) comply with the objectives and principles of organic production”. It is to be hoped that the authorisation will also soon be compatible with the objectives and principles of conventional farming. Because, whether organic or conventional: Already during the production of biochar, a large part of the carbon contained in the biomass is stably stored in the biochar and not released as CO₂. If the “green coal” is spread on the field together with manure, slurry or compost, the carbon remains bound in the soil for centuries, nutrient leaching into the groundwater is reduced, and instead it accelerates the humus formation and thus the storage of a multiple of CO₂. It is not without reason that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has declared the use of biochar in conjunction with humus formation to be an important strategy in the fight against global warming.

Der Beitrag BIOCHAR: Approval for organic farming throughout the EU erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

In addition to the German Biochar Association Fachverband Pflanzenkohle and the International Biochar Initiative (IBI), the new consortium aims above all to bundle the interests of the (biochar) industry and further promote market development for the production and use of biochar. PYREG is one of the founding members of the EBI and is of course also a member of the Fachverband Pflanzenkohle and IBI. Because only together can great things be achieved.

Der Beitrag NEW ASSOCIATION: PYREG is a founding member of European Biochar Industry Consortium erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

The advantage: Untreated manure such as liquid manure consists largely of water and sometimes contains high concentrations of endocrine disruptors or drug residues. Separation, drying and carbonation drastically reduce the amount of liquid manure and result in a hygienised, dry, storable and transportable recycling fertilizer. In addition, large quantities of CO2 emissions are saved.

Greenhouse trials have already shown that the fertilizing effect of carbon fertilizers is just as good as that of conventional mineral fertilizers. Two field trials with maize near Bingen (Germany) and Bell (Germany) should now confirm these results.

German Television has reported about our project. The report, unfortunately only in German language, can be viewed here in the media library of the SWR.

Der Beitrag MANURE-PROJECT: Recycled carbon fertilizer spread for field trials erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

→ VIDEO: Impressions from the first joint conference in Baden-Baden, where our first activated carbon plant recently went into operation, can be found here on Youtube.

Der Beitrag VIDEO: Activated Carbon from local biomass waste erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

PROJECT DETAILS “RE-DIRECT”, Baden-Baden

• • Customer: City of Baden-Baden, Department of Environmental Technology
  • Location Site: Baden-Baden, Germany
  • System: PYREG Unit A500, in operation since 2019
  • European Research Project RE-DIRECT (part of the European Research Program INTERREG North-West Europe NWE): Regional development and integration of unused biomass wastes as resources for circular products and economic transformation, 2016-2019.
  • Aim of project: Converting residual biomass into biogas & activated carbon at smart regional decentralised units. The project involves 11 partners from Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland and UK.
  • The PYREG plant A500 will be used to refine the press cake that is produced from the biomass during biogas production into activated carbon. The activated carbon will then be used in wastewater treatment.

→ LINK: Here you can find out more about the project, the partners involved, the current project newsletter and much more…

PYREG is also involved in another regional activated carbon research project:

PROJECT DETAILS “CO-ACT”, Lake Constance District

• • The research project “CoAct” is part of the German Funding Measure „Stadt-Land-Plus“, funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), coordinated by the University of Kassel
  • Aim of the project is to be carried out how energy and activated carbon can be obtained from green waste from municipal landscape management (leaves, grass cuttings) or agriculture (fruit tree cuttings) at Lake Constance District. 2018-2023
  • Project partners: University of Kassel, Competence Centre for Climate Protection and Adaptation (CliMa), Institute for Energy and Environment (ifeu), Institute for Rural Structural Development Frankfurt, DVGW Water Technology Centre, Lake Constance Foundation, Krieg & Fischer Company, Lake Constance District, City of Friedrichshafen

→ LINK: Here you can find out more about the project here on the official project website of the Lake Constance Foundation.

Der Beitrag PREMIERE: First PYREG plant for production of activated carbon is in operation erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.