Municipal Biosolids Drying Facilities – Is This Part of Australia’s Future?

Building a pathway to sustainable biosolids management is a key topic amongst many Australian and New Zealand Water Authorities.

Consideration of technology, legislative change, public perception, circular economy thinking and emerging contaminants all form part of a roadmap to managing biosolids.

But there are many options on how to deliver such infrastructure within a large country such as Australia.

Biosolids management is a key topic around the world. Some nations have moved towards centralized digestion with hydrolysis pre-treatment to exploit higher gas yields and green energy. Others have mandated fertilizer recovery from sewage biosolids.

Regardless of which path is taken, exploiting the hidden energy potential of biosolids is common. For thermal processes and fertilizer recovery – a drying step is typically employed. HUBER have now delivered over 50 thermal drying projects around the globe using their RotaDisc and BT Belt Dryer technology.

Their installations provide either fully (90%DS) or partially (45%DS) dried biosolids. Selecting full or partial drying comes down to short and long-term goals. Full drying can provide Class A Biosolids quality for unrestricted use whereas partial drying is ideal when incorporating further downstream processing such as incineration or pyrolysis.

HUBER’s client base highlights the need for short- and long-term management strategies. Dryer selection requires whole of life cost assessments but completing these tasks can be challenging due to the uncertainty in regulatory change and disposal costs.

The European experience has resulted in some never seen before collaborations between industry and water utilities, who are both aligned to circular economy thinking. HUBER are currently involved in several projects where a drying facility for municipal biosolids is used as heat sink for a power plant, as an example. The sustainability outcomes for both water utility and industry are significant.There is a place for biosolids drying in the Australian market.

The challenge is to select a dryer technology that forms part of a Water Utility’s future plans. The benefits include reduced biosolids disposal costs, greater reuse opportunities of the final dried product, exploitation of waste gas, and the associated sustainability outcomes.

Hydroflux Epco is a significant driver of ANZ’s future resilience in biosolids handling and disposal with exclusive access to some of Europe’s leading biosolids technology, case histories and knowledge.

Click Here to view the full range of Biosolids Dryers that Hydroflux Epco can provide.

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