• October 10, 2022
• By Jackson
• Articles, News

Byron Shire Council in May 2022 received development approval for the Byron Bioenergy Facility. The facility will use dry anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting to recycle organic waste from the region and create green energy.

The project brings internationally proven Eggersmann/Bekontechnology to Australian Local Government for the first time and is approved to accept up to 28,000 tonne per year of organic waste for processing. The project is a first because it uses dry fermentation to generate electricity from a wide range of organic feedstocks.

Mr Simon Toal of SKALA Australasia sourced the technology proposed for the Byron Bioenergy Facility, noting that the technologies proposed are similar to other international best practice bioenergy facilities that have been successfully implemented.

Food and garden organic waste (FOGO), along with commercial food waste and grease trap waste will be processed in four dry anaerobic digestion tunnels. The resulting material is combined with garden organics and biosolids from the adjacent Byron Bay sewage treatment plant (Bryon Bay STP) and processed in three aerated (in-vessel) composting tunnels.

Biogas is harvested from the anaerobic digestion process through a combined heat and power plant to produce electricity. Electricity is used at the Byron Bioenergy Facility and at the Byron Bay STP.

The facility will create a variety of soil amendments suitable for use in landscaping and agricultural production whilst reducing organic waste disposed to landfill. The biogas derived from the waste processing displaces the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity.

The innovative project will make a significant contribution towards local and state government net zero emissions targets.

NSW EPA has provided in principle approval for a Specific Resource Recovery Order and Exemption covering the compost that will be produced by the facility. Once the facility is commissioned, products generated by the facility will require testing and verification.

Jackson Environment and Planning Pty Ltd worked closely with Byron Shire Council in preparing the the planning application. The regionally significant development project has been approved by the Northern Regional Planning Panel.

Mr John Hart with Byron Shire Council said, “The project is a great example of a local integrated solution for sewage and solid waste that avoids export of waste out of the shire and related costs and transport impacts.”

The best practice facility was designed to be fully enclosed and with a small footprint. The site is adjacent to constructed wetlands used by the Byron Bay STP, and biodiversity was a key issue in the assessment process. The wetlands are used by threatened bird species and by the local and NSW environmental community for birdwatching and wildlife monitoring.

“The facility is designed to recover Byron Shire’s municipal organic waste and supply all the energy needs for the Byron Bioenergy Facility and the Byron Bay STP for the next 20 years or more,” Mr. Hart said.

More information on the project is available from the Byron Shire Council website, https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Council/Council-projects/Ongoing-projects/Bioenergy-facility.

To see how we can help you to gain approvals and licenses to build your industrial facility, please contact us on (02) 8056 1849 or email us at admin@jacksonenvironment.com.au. More info at http://www.jacksonenvironment.com.au.