Toowoomba council considers waste-to-energy trial

Toowoomba Regional Council is closer to adopting a homegrown waste-to-energy solution with a recommendation that it formalise a trial with local company Pyrocal.

According to its website, Pyrocal has developed a “modified updraft gasifier” able to use biomass as a source of energy and biochar. The Toowoomba-based company’s technology has been in development since 2009 and in commercial use since 2014.

Pyrocal process diagram (via www.pyrocal.com.au)

“We want to maximise value from waste and minimise the volume that is disposed in landfill,” said TRC councilor and the council’s water and waste committee chair Cr Rebecca Vonhoff.

Vonhoff said the recommendations would progress the council towards meeting the Queensland Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy, which “encouraged waste businesses to investigate alternative waste management processing.”  

Vonhoff’s committee’s recommendation will go before a meeting of council next Tuesday.

As reported by @AuManufacturing, the Australian Renewable Energy Association is currently developing a roadmap to increase Australia’s bioenergy usage, which at 4 per cent is well below EU usage of around 10 per cent. Its release is expected this year.

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