A mineral used to treat heartburn is also being used to reduce odour, prevent blockages and prolong the life of Unitywater’s wastewater network.
Unitywater recently awarded a contract to Calix to supply magnesium hydroxide liquid (MHL) – a sustainable, non-hazardous, non-toxic substance – to ‘dose’ at 55 wastewater pump stations across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. Magnesium hydroxide is commonly used as an antacid to treat heartburn and indigestion.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said Calix, with support from Sunshine Coast Council, had established an operational facility in Caloundra West to expand its operations to the Sunshine Coast region.
“MHL prevents the production of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas in the wastewater network, which people commonly refer to as the ‘rotten egg’ gas due to its odour,” Mr Duncan said.
“MHL suppresses the gas, which helps reduce any odour, helps prevent fats and oils from congealing and creating blockages, and prevents corrosion in our pipes, which in turn, prolongs the life of our assets. It will also lower our operating costs and in some cases, we can also use it as an interim solution to odour issues reported by our customers while we evaluate long term capital solutions.”
Mr Duncan said using MHL was an economical and environmentally sustainable solution to control alkalinity in wastewater, and Calix and Unitywater were working on an optimisation project to manage MHL dosing rates.
“Calix has visibility of Unitywater’s SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system which monitors our water and wastewater networks and they can monitor the storage levels at each dosing site,” Mr Duncan said.
“Once levels get to 20 per cent, they can deploy a truck to top-up the levels. Managing it intelligently helps reduce truck deliveries and vehicle movement which, in turn, lowers Unitywater’s carbon footprint.”
Calix General Manager, Magnesia, Greg Holmes, said support from the Sunshine Coast Council had helped facilitate the move to the region.
“We’re delighted to be delivering more sustainable and cost-effective solutions for wastewater network management to the Sunshine Coast with Unitywater. In this partnership, a combination of Australian innovation and local services delivery, facilitated by support from the Council, is creating both environmental and economic benefits,” Mr Holmes said.
Sunshine Coast Division 2 and Resilient Economy Portfolio Councillor, Terry Landsberg, said Council was proud to collaborate with Unitywater and welcome Calix to Caloundra West Industrial Estate.
“Since first engaging with Council last year, Calix has received tailored assistance including development and site search support, regulatory guidance and talent attraction services,” Cr Landsberg said.
“Our economic modelling indicates this project will generate a broader economic impact of $7.14 million and support up to 23 direct and indirect jobs in the waste collection, treatment, and disposal services sector*.
“We welcome Calix to the Sunshine Coast and look forward to the positive contributions they will make to our economy and community.”
*Source National Economics (NIEIR) modelled by economy.ID
