Dive summary:

• The Rotorua District Council in New Zealand has been given $4.7 million by the Waste Minimization Fund of New Zealand to build a “world leading waste treatment plant.”
• The plant, which will begin construction next year, will use a technology called TERAX, which can convert sewage sludge into valuable resources such as chemicals, fertilizer and energy.
• The plant has been estimated to generate $700,000 a year in savings and revenue stemming from the reduction of organic waste in landfills and the sale of the chemicals, fertilizer and energy.

From the article:

The technology involves two processes. The first ferments the sludge to reduce its volume, the second uses high pressure, temperature and oxygen to break down solids and release energy and valuable chemicals.

The technology is capable of reducing the volume of landfill by 90 percent and greenhouse gases by up to 70 percent.

If adopted by councils nationwide, it is estimated two million tonnes of biodegradable waste could be treated annually.

Developed by Scion as a means of solving sewage waste, further research is being carried out on how TERAX technology can be applied to other industrial organic waste streams. ...