Directly transforming sewage sludge into high-value liquid bioenergy

Project Member(s): Wei, W.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC DECRA Scheme)
Australian Research Council (ARC DECRA Scheme)

Start year: 2022

Summary: This project will develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to gain renewable energy from sewage sludge in a more economical and safe platform and realize sludge reduction, by directly transforming sewage sludge into high-value liquid medium chain fatty acids, allowing for easy collection, storage and transportation. Wastewater treatment is generating an increasing quantity of carbon-rich sewage sludge, which typically represents a substantial, but largely untapped, renewable resource. The intended outcome of the project will transform sewage sludge from a troublesome waste stream to a valuable resource that can be applied in existing sludge treatment infrastructure for addressing Australia’s escalating energy demands.

FOR Codes: Waste management services, Expanding knowledge, Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences, Expanding Knowledge in Technology, Chemical engineering, Environmental engineering

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.