Algae to Biofuels
Solray Energy Ltd in conjunction with the National Institute of Water and Air (NIWA), the University of Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council (CCC) recently launched the project to produce and commercialise the production of oil and biofuels by cultivating algae in the Bromley oxidation ponds and diverting hazardous bio-solid waste from landfill. For some time engineers and scientists from the University of Canterbury have been working on the early stages of this project, which SIFT was involved in. The project demonstrates a workable environmental public-private partnership.
SIFT funded the early stage proof of concept mini trials at the Bromley Sewage Treatment plant (run by CCC) over the past three years plus the business case for algae and financial due diligence for Solray Energy Ltd.
The methods involved in the trial project are a world first, copying at high-speed what occurs in the natural environment. The unique IP is in the special converters which convert, in a giant pressure-cooker-like process, algal sludge into oil and other useful by-products. Large amounts of activated bio-solids are therefore able to be diverted from landfill as well as producing clean water through environmental clean up systems. The technology has global potential.
Plastic Waste Research Project
The research aimed to find out how much industrial and domestic plastic packaging is recycled. It revealed that more than three-quarters of New Zealand’s plastic packaging ends up in the landfill, most of it from industrial waste. These findings led us to lobby for a working party to address industrial and commercial packaging waste, standardise identification of plastics in New Zealand (since over half of our packaging is imported), lessen the reliance on international markets through onshore recycling, and reduce our growing dependence on degradable plastics. We also initiated a public competition to find ways of recycling polystyrene meat trays (the worst offender). You can read more about the research in the executive summary here (pdf).
Plastic Milk Bottle Recycling
In July 2009, SIFT signed an agreement with Comspec, in Hornby, to provide a $200,000 loan to buy a machine that will wash and then chip up to 500 tonnes a week of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic milk bottles from South Island recycling sources. Until recently, most plastic milk bottles were sent to China, but China is now reluctant to take unwashed bottles, significantly reducing the tonnage that can be sent offshore. (Hong Kong is the only port that takes unwashed plastic bottles). The chipped plastic is granulated, compounded into pellets and then reused to manufacture onshore into rigid plastic products such as irrigation pipes.
Comspec, which already recycles other flexible and rigid plastics, has a large plant capable of handling the additional tonnage from existing low density polyethylene. It is one of the first plants of its type in New Zealand and the only one in the South Island. You can read more about SIFT's funding of a plastic recycling machine here.
NZ’s First Nappy Composting Plant
SIFT contributed towards the early stage development of commercial due diligence on a $120,000 equity investment in the $1 million nappy composting plant that will recycle disposable nappies and incontinence products. The plant is owned by Envirocomp and is located in North Canterbury. The plant, which is made by Christchurch company HotRot Organic Solutions, removes the plastic from the used nappies and nutrient-rich, pathogen-free compost is produced from the remaining material.
The recycled nappies are collected mainly from households and pre-schools and a commercial collection is made from rest homes, all within Christchurch City, Hurunui, Waimakariri and Kaikoura District Councils. It is estimated that 575 million nappies are dumped every year in NZ, making up 2% of the country’s landfill waste.
Crushed Recycled Glass To Boost Grape Harvest
As the result of Sustainable Initiatives Fund taking a lead role in seed co-funding with other contributors through smart public-private partnerships, Sandihurst Winery, just outside Christchurch, has run a four-year trial of spreading crushed recycled glass round the base of vines. Results so far show the crushed glass has improved soil moisture retention, grape cluster weight, ripening and weed suppression.
The glass is the size of coffee sugar crystals and is safe to touch. The clever reuse of glass is a world first, and won an award at Environmental Packaging Awards for innovative use of surplus waste container glass (jars and bottles).
If it proves successful, it could have much wider application to southern wineries and other horticultural crops, and significantly reduce the glass waste stream.
Waste Wool Recycled Into Building Insulation
Sustainable Initiatives Fund has provided funding for the last five years to Terra Lana Products to purchase machinery to process waste wool (from carpet processing and other waste) into building insulation. Originally developed with WRONZ (now AgResearch), the insulation meets stringent building codes. Since February 2004, Terra Lana has installed over 130,000 m2of wool insulation into 1300 Christchurch homes through their successful tender in the ECan Clean Heat project and a $23 million joint venture under the EECA Warm Homes Scheme. The insulation is also widely used in industrial buildings, including Northlands Mall and wineries, and recycles around 700 tonnes of wool waste a year. Next steps include finding other ways of increasing production through blended waste fibres to meet the growing need of building insulation and healthy homes.
Recycled Baleage Wrap From Farms
Sustainable Initiatives Fund provided early-stage funding to Agpac Ltd to fund the development of a wash plant that cleans baleage wrap and silage pit covers before shredding then recycling them into stackable recycling bins for farm use.
Agpac conducted trials with Sustainable Initiatives Fund as part of their research and development work. This was an important producer-responsibility initiative, taking the lead in a voluntary national product stewardship scheme.
In late 2009 the Sustainable Initiatives Fund provided a grant for Agpac to implement an educational campaign to farmers about their voluntary product stewardship scheme, Plasback, which through on farm collections recycles agricultural plastics such as baleage wrap and HDPE containers. In May 2010, the Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme gained national accreditation from the New Zealand government making it the first product stewardship scheme for the agricultural sector.
