12 | Waste to energy Organic waste from businesses and kerbside food and scrap collections throughout the Waikato and Auckland will be sent to the $30 million facility at Reporoa, from page 10 Ecogas: Food Waste Processing Facility REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT We’re making the most of your waste, converting it into renewable energy and preventing methane from being released into the atmosphere. NEW ZEALAND’S WASTE IS NOT BEING WASTED LMS Energy supports measures to increase recycling and reduce waste. However, while landfills exist, it’s vital that the potent greenhouse gases that they produce are captured and destroyed. Methane destruction is an important climate strategy to reduce the impact of the millions of tonnes of waste New Zealanders send to landfill each year. LMS Energy’s projects have abated greenhouse gases equivalent to more than 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide while powering 100,000 homes each day. Our projects are a win-win – not only reducing costs for our clients, councils and ratepayers, but improving the planet for generations to come. INFO@LMS.COM.AU LMSENERGY.CO.NZ BIOGAS INNOVATION. POWERING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. LEADERS IN METHANE DESTRUCTION AND BIOENERGY PARTNERS WITH OVER 30 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS FULL IN-HOUSE BUSINESS MODEL 40 YEARS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AND ORGANICS RECYCLING COMBINED HEAT AND POWER SUPPLY SOLAR ON LANDFILL RENEWABLE GAS CIRCULAR ECONOMY SOLUTIONS LEACHATE SERVICES LMS ENERGY Australia’s leading bioenergy and emissions reduction company is pleased to be supporting the evolution of New Zealand’s circular economy by supplying innovative infrastructure to the Ecogas food waste-to-bioenergy facility at Reporoa. LMS Energy exists to protect the environment from climate change and is a leading methane destruction and bioenergy company. Across more than 60 sites in Australia, NZ and the US, LMS captures methane at land lls and converts it into clean renewable energy – or destroys it using ares. The company’s global portfolio of biogas projects generates enough renewable energy to power 100,000 homes each day. LMS is also Australia’s largest emissions reducer, annually abating greenhouse gases equivalent to more than four million tonnes of carbon dioxide. LMS was the rst Australian company to capture biogas for fuel use and, in 1990, was the rst to connect a biogas-to-electricity plant to the grid. Now LMS is leading the way once more, this time in New Zealand. While LMS’ current portfolio of biogas power stations generate renewable electricity, at Reporoa LMS technology will also be used to generate heat for the groundbreaking food waste-to-bioenergy facility. LMS will operate the combined heat and power plant in partnership with Ecogas. “This is a company- rst for us – it’s exciting,” says LMS General Manager Matthew Falzon. “LMS will build, own and maintain the plant - the rst time that we have supplied two commodities (heat and power) to an organics processing facility. Typically, LMS’ bioenergy facilities only supply electricity, which is either exported to the grid or utilised on-site to power infrastructure. “This project is a great example of the innovative culture that is embedded in LMS, and a culture that is driving diversi ed new technologies to protect the environment. Our projects are designed to minimise the effect of waste generation and utilise waste to supply clean, reliable energy.” For more than 40 years, LMS has driven the technological innovation required to ef ciently recover and convert organic waste into a valuable source of green energy to power communities. Today, LMS recovers biogas from more than 150 million tonnes of waste. LMS’ strategic vision is aligned with circular economy objectives and this is a key driver behind the company’s ongoing signi cant investment in new and improved approaches to waste management and renewable energy. “While the majority of our projects are in Australia, our presence in New Zealand is starting to grow, with four projects in the North Island and one in the South Island. The Reporoa project is a shining example of how to better utilise organic waste and is well aligned with LMS’ vision to be a world-leading bioenergy company, powering the circular economy.” LMS proud to be contributing to NZ’s sustainable future “It is to the credit of the Ecogas leadership that they leaned into the global experience in countries like the United Kingdom and Germany to pick the very best solutions to help design our facility. “Having that global expertise behind us gives us comfort, knowing that this process works and is tried and tested.” At the start of the organic waste processing chain is a consolidation facility in Auckland, where food waste will be inspected (and undesirable items removed). It will then be transported to Reporoa in line haul trucks. Alzbeta notes that these trucks are already used to transport aggregate from Taupō to Auckland, but usually return to Taupō empty; from now on, they will be carrying food waste on the return leg. (Hence, getting food waste to the plant does not mean any extra trucks on the road). Once at Reporoa, the food waste will be inspected again before going through a series of machines to screen out any metals or other contaminants. “By the end of pre-processing, the food waste resembles a thick soup with the consistency of a smoothie. It then goes into the biodigesters where the magic happens!” The Reporoa facility has three biodigesters, each with around 3500 cubic metres of active volume. Bacteria inside the biodigesters break down organic carbon into biogas (methane and CO2), with remaining nutrients left behind in liquid suspension, suitable for use as liquid biofertiliser. “We will use some of the biogas to generate electricity and heat for the facility. For example, to keep the digesters at the right temperature (approx. 37degC) and to run the pasteurisation process for the biofertiliser.” The plant will also supply renewable biogas to the local natural gas grid, as well as CO2 for T&G’s glasshouses. Sustainability leader - page 14
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