Engineering a waste breakthrough for tourism industry

UQ engineering researchers are driving a sustainable solution to the problem of waste caused by tourism.

Beth Rounsefell and Simon Tannock from the University's BioMass BioEnergy Group are working with local company EcoNova Pty Ltd, to create a waste treatment system that turns potentially harmful human and food waste into water, soil conditioner and clean energy.

The system takes toilet and organic food waste and digests it under anaerobic conditions to produce clean water, methane (a green source of electricity) and a solid residue that can be used to condition soil.

Ms Rounsefell said the research would advance the sustainability of tourism in Australia and help preserve and protect fragile ecosystems.

"The system reduces the impact of waste on our environment by processing it using organic methods into by-products that are safe and recyclable," Ms Rounsefell said.

"It effectively breaks down solids, converts organic waste to methane and destroys human pathogens without the need for chemicals to be added to the system.

"This is especially important to the tourism industry which is under increasing pressure to ensure its activities are sustainable."

Significantly, the system design is also applicable to any small-scale community wishing to become ecologically sustainable.

Based on the success of the test system which has now been in operation for 18 months, a pilot model will be built at The University of Queensland this year.

The BioMass BioEnergy Group will use the new system to improve the treatment process and the quality of the by-products so they can be re-used more effectively.

Ms Rounsefell said she hoped the system would eventually be implemented across Australia.

"With millions of tourists flocking to Australia every year, we must find ways to contain, reduce and ultimately eliminate the impact of tourism on our spectacular and fragile natural environment," she said.

The project was funded by the ARC Linkage scheme, EcoNova Pty Ltd and the CRC for Sustainable Tourism.

Media: Ms Beth Rounsefell (b.rounsefell@uq.edu.au) or Kim Jensen at the School of Engineering (07 3346 9976, k.jensen@uq.edu.au)