The Australian Government is ramping up efforts to create a sustainable aviation fuel industry, with $1.7 billion allocated in the federal Budget for development of the industry over the next decade. As part of this push, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has announced that aviation experts from the University of South Australia (UniSA) will be working with their Chinese counterparts over the next two years to develop an aviation biofuel industry in both countries. UniSA Aviation Professor Shane Zhang has been awarded a $230,000 National Foundation for Australia-China Relatio ..read more

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has tabled its final report on plastic pollution in Australia’s oceans and waterways. Titled ‘Drowning in waste’, the report makes 22 recommendations aimed at strengthening Australia’s plastics management framework to minimise plastic waste to landfill, incentivise the use of recycled materials in the production of new plastics and strengthen management of the plastics that are already in the environment. “Without urgent action, plastic waste will increase and continue to negatively impact our oce ..read more

Ecoforest ground source and air source heat pumps are designed to be energy efficient, sustainable and versatile, with solutions based solely on renewable, natural energy. Suitable for a wide range of building sizes and applications, the heat pumps offer scalable solutions for diverse heating and cooling needs. Ecoforest has slowly been transitioning its entire range of heat pumps to the eco-friendly natural refrigerant R290 with a global warming potential of 3. The Ecoforest range offers a geothermal solution without the need for drilling. For example, the ecoGEO+ range of ground source heat ..read more

The 2024 ENVIRO Conference, run by the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), is focused on challenging the status quo and making a circular economy in Australia a reality. It will take place from 26–27 June at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC). A line-up of local experts will headline the program, including Dr Richard Dennis – Executive Director at The Australia Institute; Jill Riseley AM – Partner, Sustainability, Climate and the Circular Economy, Deloitte; and Naomi Boxall – Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO. Throughout the conference, a ..read more

Over the next few years, an additional 5500 people are expected to settle in Glenfield Beach, WA, bringing with them a need to expand essential infrastructure. The WA Government is getting ready for this population surge in Geraldton’s northern coastal corridor by constructing new wastewater infrastructure. As part of the government’s $7.5 million Water Corporation project, a wastewater pump station has been built at the southern end of Glenfield Beach Drive, with a 2.2-kilometre pipeline also constructed to safely convey wastewater to a nearby treatment plant. The pump station will begin ope ..read more

RMIT University has come up with a novel use for spent coffee grounds — as a valuable component in concrete. The university is currently collaborating with Macedon Ranges Shire Council on a coffee concrete footpath trial in Gisborne. RMIT has several other projects planned across Victoria in which coffee grounds will be turned into biochar and transformed into a resource for the construction industry. The RMIT team will partner with Australian-owned BildGroup — a civil infrastructure, asphalt paving and road profiling company — to deliver these circular-economy projects. Australia generates 7 ..read more

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released the first National Battery Strategy on 23 May while visiting the QUT Advanced Battery Facility operated by the QUT Energy Storage Research Group at the QUT Banyo Pilot Plant Precinct. The global demand for batteries is set to quadruple by 2030 as the world transitions to net zero, and the federal government’s strategy maps a path for Australia to take advantage of this growth to build a thriving battery industry. The strategy identifies four high-value strategic opportunities: Stationary storage — building Energy Storage Systems to firm renewable powe ..read more

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is calling on small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on clean energy solutions to apply for the latest ‘Innovate to Grow’ program. Since launching in 2020, CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow program has equipped over 600 SMEs with the knowledge and tools to explore research and development (R&D) opportunities, and to develop actionable R&D business and funding plans. CSIRO has now partnered with Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) to deliver the new Innovate to Grow: Clean Energy program. The free online program will provide ..read more

A new report from the Centre for Policy Development (CPD) recommends strategic changes to state and federal procurement policies to accelerate Australia’s net zero transition and support the growth of budding green industries like green steel and green hydrogen. The report, ‘Green goods: Strategies for decarbonising government procurement in Australia’, says that aligning procurement policies across all levels of government can potentially drive demand towards low-emissions goods and services, and act as a catalyst for building demand in key green industries. But according to the report, a pa ..read more

The Kingston District Council (KDC), situated in the picturesque Limestone Coast of South Australia, has been diligently serving its community since its establishment in 1873. Over the years, it has embraced advancements in technology and infrastructure to ensure efficient and reliable service delivery, particularly in the critical domain of wastewater management. Recently, Heath McAvaney, Regional Manager for Hydro Innovations, paid a visit to the council to discuss its wastewater pumping operations. KDC Operations Manager Colin Burnett explained the system to him. They have 11 smaller pump ..read more