Australian technology developed at RMIT University could enable more sustainable and cheaper production of bio-oils to replace petroleum-based products in electronic, construction and automotive applications.
The technology, known as PYROCOTM, uses high temperatures without oxygen to convert treated sewage (biosolids) into a carbon-rich product called biochar, which can act as a catalyst to produce phenol-rich bio-oil.
PYROCOTM has been developed by RMIT in collaboration with South East Water, Intelligent Water Networks and other water authorities over several years and is now being applied to several exciting circular economy applications.
The RMIT team's latest research in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Petroleum, published in Renewable Energy, highlights that biochar derived from biosolids can effectively replace the expensive catalysts currently used to extract oil from biomass such as Willow Peppermint, a plant native to Australia.
This discovery shows that biochar from biosolids, produced using advanced pyrolysis technology such as PYROCOTM, offers a sustainable way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by replacing high-emission products.
The use of biochar made from biosolids as a catalyst could underpin a sustainable supply chain for bio-oils rich in phenol that are essential for making valuable chemicals such as resins, lubricants and additives used in various industries.
The researchers produced bio-oil with high levels of phenolics (69%) and hydrocarbons (14%) during their experiments, showing their biochar to be an effective catalyst.
Scaling up
RMIT’s Professor Kalpit Shah, Deputy Director (Research) of the ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource, said PYROCOTM was close to commercial-ready scale.
RMIT and partners Aqua Metro, South East Water and its commercial arm Iota have secured $3 million from the Australian Government to build a commercial-scale demonstration plant (Mark-3) at one of the water recycling plants at South East Water next year.
“Our upcoming project aligns with the Global Waste Management Policy and Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan. Our goal is to prevent PFAS-contaminated biosolids from being disposed of in landfill by converting them into PFAS-free biochar, for its diverse applications,” Shah said.
“According to an International Biochar Initiative report, biochar will have a global market potential of $3.3 billion by next year, showcasing a truly circular solution.”
The project aligns with stricter PFAS regulations introduced in the recent PFAS National Environment Management Plan 3.0 (NEMP 3.0).
South East Water is contributing $3 million in funding and collaborating with other partners to drive this innovative $11 million project that supports a sustainable future.
Tried and tested technology
RMIT has filed patent applications to protect the technology that researchers have developed in collaboration with South East Water, Intelligent Water Networks and Greater Western Water.
RMIT has selected Iota as the commercialisation partner for PYROCO.
The latest trials of the technology (Mark-2) at the Melton Recycled Water Plant pave the way for large-scale deployment, following on from two earlier successful trials that included the removal of pathogens, PFAS and microplastics from biosolids.
“The Mark-2 unit recently processed biosolids from five different water utilities across Australia to create biochar. Three more biosolid feedstocks will be processed in the next few months.” Shah said.
South East Water Managing Director, Lara Olsen, said the latest PYROCO trials and upcoming demonstration project represented significant progress for the water sector in terms of environmental sustainability and innovation.
“We’re tackling a national challenge by harnessing cutting-edge technology with the potential to destroy 99.99% of PFAS in biosolids,” Olsen said.
“The PYROCO project reflects our vision of innovating with purpose to protect our environment for future generations.”
Aqua Metro Chief Executive Officer, Manish Pancholi, said the organisation was proud to be leading the way in PYROCO technology.
“Aqua Metro is excited and proud to have been awarded this Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) grant, leading the commercialisation of PYROCO technology along with our RMIT, South East Water, Iota and other partners.”
“We see a unique opportunity for this technology to provide significant decarbonisation, environmental and circular-economy benefits to the water industry and potentially other industries and are looking forward to proving the PYROCO technology at scale,” Pancholi said.
The latest RMIT study was conducted in collaboration with Dr Thallada Bhaskar's research group at the Council for Scientific and industrial Research – Indian Institute of Petroleum.
‘Role of carbo-catalyst on upgrading the pyrolysis vapors of spent Eucalyptus nicholii biomass: Towards sustainable phenolics production’ is published in Renewable Energy (DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122468).
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