Novel biosolids processing routes for next generation, high quality products

Project 1A

The agricultural application of biosolids is likely to remain a major beneficial use option. The major risk is the presence of odour, heavy metals, micro-plastics, emerging contaminants, drugs and pesticides that pose a risk to adoption. Also, biosolids are bulky in nature, have very high moisture content and are difficult to dewater.

Research is needed to reduce the (currently) high transportation costs, high diesel consumption, and related carbon dioxide emissions. Industries are actively looking for alternative technologies that can reduce biosolid volume as well minimise/eliminate undesirable characteristics.

The project will focus on:

Developing low cost, innovative biological and additive drying, hydrolysis and pyrolysis technologies with/without blending with other organic food or meat industry waste streams, and
Characterising and determining transformations that occur during biological and additive drying, hydrolysis and pyrolysis in the inert fractions contributed from both primary and activated sludges, with an aim to produce high quality next generation products for agriculture applications.

The ICPD working on this project will perform experimental investigations and detailed techno-economic comparison of biological and additive drying, hydrolysis and pyrolysis technologies.

Our team

Prof Damien Batstone

Lead Chief Investigator
University of Queensland

Dist. Prof Andy Ball

Chief Investigator
RMIT University

Dr Philip Keymer

Industry Centre Post doc
University of Queensland

Seyedali Tabatabaei

PhD Candidate
RMIT University

Dr. Stephan Tait

Industry Centre Post doc
University of Queensland

Bushra Upoma

PhD Candidate
University of Queensland

Members of the Centre attending the Two-Day Ignition Meeting at RMIT University in February in 2020

Directors Update

Author Prof. Andrew Ball
Date July 13, 2020

Since the Ministerial announcement regarding the award of the Centre much has happened. However, everyone involved in the Centre has continued to work towards the establishment of the Centre. I am pleased to report that following the execution of the grant agreement in November 2019 and a Centre Ignition Meeting held just before the lockdown at the end of February 2020, all Participating Organising Agreements have been executed. I am delighted to confirm that the ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource will formally commence on 1 August 2020.

The Centre will operate until 31 July 2025 and this presents us all with a unique opportunity to develop new ways to manage biosolids that will help transform the agriculture and manufacturing industries through capability and knowledge building, creating new business opportunities as well as providing an environmental dividend.

Due to current events that have unfolded over the past few months, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide an update on behalf the Centre Leadership team and confirm the next steps to be undertaken as we begin formal operations.

Centre Projects

All 10 research projects (under 3 themes) are now being finalised with our industry partners on terms of review and sign-off to allow us to commence research activity within the Centre.

Centre Manager Recruitment

The process of recruiting a Centre Manager is nearing completion. We expect to announce the outcome at the beginning of July, with the Manager in position for the formal Centre commencement date (1^st August 2020).
Industry Centre Higher Degree Students and Industry Centre Postdocs has been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
We expect that the first 6 months of any PhD which commences in the first year of the Centre is likely to be undertaken remotely, with literature reviews and other scoping activities the focus during this period.

New Centre Partners

Since the Centre was awarded, there have been numerous requests from organisations to join the Centre, a testament to its central role that we will be playing in transforming industry sectors. To date, we have taken the position of holding off on onboarding new partners until such time that all existing participants had signed on. With this now complete, the Centre Leadership team will now begin discussions with these parties.

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