Media releaseFrom the Minister for the Environment and Minister...

Media release
From the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Energy Industries and Resources

Friday, 27 October 2006

WORLD FIRST TECHNOLOGY TURNS COAL INTO WATER

The Bracks Government today announced almost $240,000 for a world first coal drying project in Bacchus Marsh to be built by Environmental Solutions International (ESI).

Environment Minister John Thwaites said the grant would enable a test project to proceed that would extract moisture from brown coal to produce dried coal pellets and pure water.

“A commercial demonstration plant will be built that is capable of producing 6000 tonnes of dried coal pellets and 6000 kilolitres of water for reuse.”

“If successful, this new technology could reduce greenhouse emissions from electricity production in Victoria or overseas and extract enough pure water for reuse.”

“We need to make sure we use our coal reserves in a much more sustainable way,”

“This new technology will cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact on our environment,” Mr Thwaites said.

Energy Industries and Resources Minister, Theo Theophanous, praised ESI and its subsidiary Asian Pacific Coal and Steel for its environmental breakthrough.

Mr Theophanous said Asia Pacific Coal and Steel’s water recovery technology could provide an economically-viable solution to cut greenhouse emissions from brown coal by up to 30 per cent as well as recovering water from the coal for industrial and agricultural uses.

“This new technology has local and global potential to generate a high value energy product that is ready for export from Victoria,” Mr Theophanous said.

Local Member of Parliament, Don Nardella said construction had begun on the commercial plant at the Maddingley Brown Coal mine in Bacchus Marsh and would be ready to produce the ‘Coldry pellets’ in early 2007.

Mr Nardella said ESI aimed to process and export 20 million tonnes of brown coal pellets per annum by 2020 and harvest more than 20 million kilolitres of distilled water.

The Coldry project is being supported through the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund, administered by Sustainability Victoria, which fosters sustainable resource use and projects that have long-term economic and social benefits for communities.

Member of Parliament for Derrimut, Telmo Languiller said, “This is a great Victorian example of sustainability in action – lower emissions, more efficient use of resources and cutting edge technology.”

ESI Chairman Murray D’Almeida said the company and its Licensor the Calleja Group have been working on the Coldry Process for over twelve years.

“In addition to generating lower emission energy, the multi-use pellets could be used to produce oil and provide a highly sought after catalyst for making steel,” Mr D’Almeida said.

For more information on Sustainability Victoria’s Sustainability Fund visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au.

link for the above media release:

http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/271006_-_World_First_Technology_Turns_Coal_Into_Water.pdf