RACE FT B5 - Mapping organic waste in Sydney [21084]

Project Member(s): Nghiem, D., Madden, B., Turner, A., Jazbec, M.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)
Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)

Start year: 2021

Summary: This RACE2030 fast track project under theme B5 aims to investigate and map the C/I urban organic waste volumes within a specified area within Sydney to examine the potential for use as a feed stock for AD energy generation. It will concentrate on an area where Sydney Water currently have AD WWTP capacity to showcase the potential for water utility AD energy generation and the waste and wastewater industries working together to achieve multiple sustainability benefits. Organic waste disposed to landfill is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As we face the challenge of transitioning to a circular economy (CE) andachieving multiple associated cross-sectoral targets, anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a key opportunity not yet harnessed. Sydney has only one commercial organic waste AD plant, which notoriously suffers operating and reliability issues. However, an additional 14 AD plants are operated by SydneyWater (SW) for wastewater sludge management. These wastewater AD plants, with varying levels of spare capacity, could potentially be used for co-digestion of selected urbanorganic waste (UOW) streams that are currently disposed to landfill, via soil injection or other lower order CE recycling. This project will bring together key stakeholders in the typically siloed waste, wastewater and energy sectors to begin to geospatially map the multiple layers of UOW in Sydneyand assess its bioenergy potential. The project is expected to help demonstrate the potential of AD as a climate change solution that generates bioenergy, cuts waste GHGemissions, recovers nutrients and potentially saves millions of dollars through existing AD infrastructure optimisation.

Publications:

Jazbec, M, Turner, A, Madden, B & nghiem, DL Race for 2030 CRC 2023, Mapping Organic Waste in Sydney: Advancing Anaerobic Co-digestion, Sydney.

FOR Codes: Wastewater treatment processes, Waste management, reduction, reuse and recycling, Electrical energy generation (incl. renewables, excl. photovoltaics), Water and waste services, Waste management services, Waste recycling services, Water recycling services (incl. sewage and greywater)

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.