Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed $3 million in funding to support Barwon Water’s Green Oxygen for Wastewater Treatment project.
Conducted over two stages, ARENA’s funding will support Barwon Water to first conduct a front-end engineering and design study to determine the technical and commercial feasibility of using pure oxygen captured from an electrolyser in its wastewater treatment process, which currently employs an oxygen-based aerobic treatment process.
The oxygen will come as a by-product of hydrogen production at a new hydrogen refuelling station at the Viva Energy Hub in Corio, which is deploying a 2.5MW electrolyser. The hydrogen will be produced by using recycled water supplied from Barwon Water’s Northern Water Plant, and renewable electricity.
Outcomes of this project will also help to quantify a potential ancillary revenue stream for renewable hydrogen producers through the sale of oxygen, which may otherwise be discarded.
ARENA CEO, Darren Miller, said Barwon Water’s project will highlight how hydrogen producers and water utilities can work together to achieve an overarching decarbonisation objective, illustrating mutually beneficial opportunities between sectors through the clean energy transition.
“This will highlight the application for green oxygen and enhance the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen, offering unique learnings in navigating the regulatory, technical and commercial aspects of renewable oxygen offtake,” Mr Miller said.
Barwon Water Managing Director Shaun Cumming said the project reflected Barwon Water’s strategy to enable regional prosperity through innovation, strategic partnerships and renewable energy.
“As part of our Strategy 2030, we aim to produce zero waste and reach zero net emissions. This innovative project aims to enhance wastewater treatment efficiency by using oxygen-enriched air. By doing so, our plants can operate more efficiently, consume less energy, and have longer lifespans, ultimately leading to cost savings at every stage.”
Mr Cumming said that a big part of the wastewater treatment process was biological, with bacteria used to breakdown the human and industrial waste.
“To help those organisms do their job, we oxygenate the water in a process called aeration.”
“Aeration blows air into the water. That air, the air we breathe, has an oxygen concentration of about 21 per cent, but if we add pure oxygen, which we will have available onsite as byproduct of the hydrogen production, we can get a fivefold increase in the efficiency of the oxygen supplied to the bacteria.
“Between 50 and 70 per cent of the energy used for wastewater treatment is used by the aeration process, so we hope to reduce that considerably.”
Mr Cumming said this project is another important step towards a circular economy at the utility’s Northern Water Plant.
“The circular process involves treating wastewater at the Northern Water Plant, which is then used by Viva Energy to produce renewable hydrogen. Pure oxygen that would ordinarily be released to the atmosphere is then used by Barwon Water to enhance the treatment of wastewater which ultimately ends up as recycled water.
“The Oxygen for Wastewater Project adds to our partnership with Viva Energy on hydrogen production at the new service station.”
In further exciting news, Mr Cumming announced that Barwon Water had signed a sales agreement with HDrive for a hydrogen-powered prime mover, which would be the first of its kind in Victoria.
The truck is being purchased as part of the Viva Energy Hub hydrogen refuelling station project, which received $34 million of ARENA funding and $1 million from the Victorian Government to support the construction of the station and the purchase of 12 hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles for diverse industry partners that would refuel there.
Mr Cumming said the funding for the vehicle was a key step towards Barwon Water’s goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.
“As well as producing and buying renewable electricity, Barwon Water is decarbonising its fleet of maintenance and service vehicles,” Mr Cumming said.
“The hydrogen-powered prime mover will be used for the collection of organic waste for recycling at our water reclamation plants.
“This project demonstrates the benefits of strategic partnerships, and we are thrilled to lead the way with the purchase of this hydrogen vehicle and to help deliver Geelong’s first ever hydrogen refuelling station.”
Viva Energy Chief Strategy Officer, Lachlan Pfeiffer, said this acquisition puts Barwon Water at the forefront of companies working towards a more sustainable future where Australia’s heavy vehicles produce lower carbon emissions.
“It is exciting that we are looking to develop our own circular economy where we take recycled water from Barwon Water, turn it into hydrogen for their truck and could even return the byproduct oxygen to them for use in wastewater treatment,” Mr Pfeiffer said.
“This is what can happen when companies with strong relationships collaborate on future visions.”
For more on Barwon Water’s hydrogen initiatives, visit https://www.yoursay.barwonwater.vic.gov.au/green-oxygen-wastewater-treatment.
For more on the Viva Energy Hub’s hydrogen refuelling station, see https://www.vivaenergy.com.au/energy-hub/new-energies-service-station-project.
Featured image: ben bryant/Shutterstock.com
