Sydney Water has awarded a key contract for the delivery of its North West Treatment Hub Growth Package, which includes upgrades at Castle Hill, Rouse Hill and Riverstone Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs).
As part of its circular economy initiatives and to diversify reuse products generated from the wastewater, Sydney Water’s Riverstone WRRF will be provided with a carbonisation process to produce biochar from the digested sludge stream produced from the treatment process.
Hydroflux has been awarded the design, engineering and delivery of a thermal dryer package, which will dry waste-activated sludge before the carbonisation process, on behalf of the North West Hub Alliance.
Sydney Water Program Director, Darren Wharton, said the initiative is part of a series of staged works to expand wastewater treatment capacity in Sydney’s north-west.
“We are excited to be part of such an innovative project that will result in the circular use of biosolids. The process involves thermally treating the organic and inorganic solid material captured when treating wastewater to remove contaminants such as microplastics,” Mr Wharton said.
Hydroflux will provide a HUBER BT16 Belt Dryer capable of processing up to 18,700t/a of dewatered sludge. This dryer will produce a final dried product of approximately 90 per cent that will be further treated in the downstream carbonisation process.
Sydney Water said that this is the first belt dryer of this kind to be delivered to Australia. It marks a shift in wastewater treatment towards new technologies that support circular economy and sustainability.
Featured image: the Riverstone WRRF. Image: Sydney Water.
