ECT plans Victorian waste innovation hub development

Environmental Clean Technologies and Calleja Group have signed a binding MoU to jointly develop a waste innovation hub capable of producing hydrogen and carbon products from wastes at the JBD Industrial Park in Bacchus Marsh in regional Victoria.

ECT is developing its COLDry process commercial demonstration project which dries lignite or brown coal with zero direct-CO2 emissions at the site, while Calleja subsidiary Maddingly Brown Coal operates a nearby lignite mine.

Once operational testing of the COLDry plant is complete in December this year, ECT plans to follow this with a commercial demonstration of its Viridian Hydrogen process which produces hydrogen onsite and on demand during 2023.

The aim is to transition the Bacchus Marsh site into a sustainable commercial operation including waste materials sorting, processing and recycling, energy generation and production of value added products.

ECT Managing Director Glenn Fozard said: “The Viridian Hydrogen process at JBD Industrial Park…aims to establish ECT as one of the earliest producers of clean hydrogen, amongst other valuable products.

“This will ultimately complement a fully integrated waste management and resource recovery solution at the site.

“As part of this waste innovation hub…our plant will process hard to manage waske like biosolids and plastic contaminated compost and convert these into valuable energy and agricultural products with a net zero emission footprint.”

Products envisaged include hydrogen from lignite and biomass, agricultural char, battery active carbon and the site will also feature a hydrogen vehicle refuelling station.

The waste hub aims to fill a gap in processing of waste streams such as single use plastic products and old tyres, as well as providing a commercial use for lignite.

Calleja Group Managing director Don Calleja said the MoU continued a 17 year partnership with ECT.

Picture: Environmental Clean Technologies