Publications

The Role of Energy from Waste in a Circular Economy – Creating a stable project structure

In August 2019, the Australian Industrial Ecology Network (AIEN) issued a communiqué urging State Governments, the resource recovery industry and all stakeholders to find a unified voice on the issue of Energy from Waste (EfW) in Australia, and its importance in the context of a circular economy.

Within the concept of a circular economy, the AIEN recognises the need for recovery of materials prior to assessing opportunities for EfW technologies, with already well-established and emerging processes and supply chains available for the recycling/reuse of mixed plastics, rubber, glass, timber and aggregates – among others – as valuable resources in higher value-added product markets. In this report, the AIEN sets out a number of recommendations in relation to the requisite ‘five pillars’ for success for an EfW project in Australia.

To download the communiqué, click here.

Accelerating the Transition to a Circular Economy: A blueprint for action on plastics and packaging

In October 2018, the Australian Industrial Ecology Network (AIEN) issued a communiqué calling for prioritised action with respect to facilitating circular economy in Australia.

Accelerating the Transition to a Circular Economy: A blueprint for action on plastics and packaging calls for a shift in existing resource management frameworks and policies to encourage manufacturers, distributors, importers and others closely involved with the waste and resource management sector to accept “waste” as a valuable resource in higher value-added product markets rather than, a negative value problematic substance destined for landfill.

To download the communiqué, click here.

The Potential for Generating Energy from Wet Waste Streams in NSW – A project commissioned by the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority

Prepared by the UNEP Working Group for Cleaner Production in the Food Industry (1999)

This study was commissioned by the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) to investigate the potential for recovering energy from wet waste streams in NSW.  SEDA’s intentions in commissioning this project are to determine if there are any feasible methods of utilising wet waste streams as renewable fuel sources, thereby replacing fossil fuel sources and reducing overall greenhouse emissions.

The study has found that anaerobic digestion to produce biogas is by far the most technically and economically feasible method of harnessing energy from wet waste streams. This report therefore places a focus on the application of anaerobic digestion, however other conversion technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis are also reported, as they have applications in some specific areas.

All biomass-based wet waste streams have an energy value due to the presence of organic carbon compounds. The extent to which this energy value can be recovered depends on the availability of the carbon, its concentration and total quantity present in the waste stream.

Click here to download the document