Masterton: Masterton: Waste-to-energy conceptsWaste-to-energy concepts

Oxidation pondsOxidation ponds

BackgroundBackground

Ruamahanga Ruamahanga

RiverRiver

Masterton Wastewater ConsentMasterton Wastewater Consent

Wastewater consent renewal 2007Majority discharge to water proposedPonds leak to riverLandfill consent expired late 2006Municipal solid waste shipped to

Manawatu

Alternative options

Environmental Effects

Climate Change

cultural aspirations

Economic evaluation

infiltration

End of pipe thinking

Poor design

Good design

Problem!Problem!

So what’s this got to do with energy?So what’s this got to do with energy?

Sludge removal from waste stream appropriate

Possible Energy harvesting by digestors, but from sludge alone not economic

Other energy sources are available if an holistic approach is adopted.

Oxidation pondsOxidation ponds

Ruamahanga Ruamahanga

RiverRiver

landfilllandfill

Transfer Transfer stationstation

Masterton Masterton Energy HubEnergy Hub

Combined waste streams –Combined waste streams –Integrated waste to energyIntegrated waste to energy

Methane generation Masterton Landfill+ wastewater+solids

-1000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Date

m³/

d

landfill methane total methane

biogas methane economic viability(energy)

•Wastewater sludge

•Landfill gas capture (sewer runs adjacent to landfill)

•Removal of putrescibles (40%) from municipal waste

•Other (animal waste, irrigated coppicing firewood, other energy crops?)

BUT!BUT! Waste to energy marginally positive

economic on generation alone Carbon trading Avoided waste shipping costs of $1M per

year Environmental improvement Potential for Regional Digestion Cogen possibilities at Rec Centre and

industrial

Holistic conceptsHolistic conceptsproblem

Multiple benefits

Holistic

Approach

river water quality

Water shortages

Drinking water quality

Fire fighting ability

Water supply costs

Solid waste disposal costs

Air qualityunemployment

Underheated elderly homes

Council carbon footprint

Excessive stormwaterWater conservation

education

Electricity costs

Wastewater treatment power costs

Risk of sludge loss to river

CLIMATE CHANGE

Wastewater operational costs

Too much effluent for land disposal

Multiple benefits

Multiple benefits

Increasing peaks in river flows

Landfill GHG emissions

So farSo far

Comprehensive submission on MDC wastewater consent

Coordination with Iwi, F&G, DOCMultiple environmental and social

benefits from holistic approachCouncil have recently voted to

replace the oxidation ponds

What now?What now?

Looking for a multidisciplinary team to carry out a detailed feasibility study on the Masterton waste-to-energy project.

Government funding soughtPartnership with a generator

company soughtPartnership with the local community

Massey Post-grad conferenceMassey Post-grad conference20082008