Converting waste to resources

Converting waste to resources

Who is Advanced Energy Tech

Advanced Energy Tech is the creation of two local Central Victorians, Drew Chislett and Adam Riley.

Drew Chislett comes from a farming background and is passionate about solving problems with innovative thinking and techniques. Drew has a strong understanding of the environment and the impacts on it that waste can have. With the ever-increasing demand for energy and the costs associated with it, Drew believes one of the best solutions in offsetting this is utilising waste streams from within the agricultural industry to create clean energy and in doing so, whenever possible, restore balance to the environment.

Adam Riley has been involved in the civil construction industry for over 18 years and has seen the introduction of recycled products to replace raw materials and the benefits in doing so. Having conducted works on landfills, water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants he is also very aware of the impacts waste has on our environment. Adam believes now is the time to develop and strengthen the end-markets within the civil construction industry to support a circular economy.

Both directors agree that, to deal with our waste and recycling issues efficiently and responsibly, they must adopt a process that can deal with the hardest waste streams, and as an important outcome, produce no residual waste. It must also be economically viable and able to be implemented in smaller communities in regional areas if it is to create the level of change needed more broadly.

This is the thinking behind Advanced Energy Tech’s Resource Recovery techniques.

In 2019 Advanced Energy Tech imported a modular gasification unit that is unique and the first of many steps in developing Advanced Energy Tech’s Resource Recovery technique in achieving its goal to bring much needed change for industry, communities, and our shared future.

Our vision

Our vision is to change the way our country sees waste, so that one day we will recover all the wasted resources that historically have been buried.
‘Our goal is always to create an alternative to landfill, not an alternative to recycling.’

To achieve this vision, our mission is clear.

We want to implement our Advanced Resource Recovery technique to every landfill and disposal site possible. This will support our focus of Recycling the Red Bin focused on regional communities and industries in building their circular economy and end-markets for new products from previously discarded materials.

This will not only increase the potential to eliminate the inevitable burden of waste in these areas, but also provide opportunities to have waste materials reused, remade and recycled, breaking the traditional linear waste disposal approach.

What is different about

Advanced Energy Tech's technique

Traditional waste disposal methods adopt a linear approach…
Produce – Consume – Dispose

Advanced Energy Tech’s Resource Recovery technique is centred around gasification, which builds a system that can produce valuable products from residual waste while creating a circular solution to waste disposal.

It is a more preferred way of dealing with residual waste in landfill, water treatment, wastewater treatment and bioenergy.

Advanced Resource Recovery

1. RECOVER

Removal of any recyclable material from the waste stream

2. REFORM

Deconstruction of waste through thermal process to solids and gas

3. REPURPOSE

Process of creating new products from outputs of the system to support local circular economies

The three principles of Advanced Energy Tech’s Resource Recovery technique are

STAGE 1
RECOVER

DISCOVER MORE >

Recover – removal of any recyclable material from the waste stream

Removing valuable resources from the waste stream is vital to ensuring that what travels through to the next stage of the system is only residual waste. Different waste streams contain different resources, however some of the most common resources found in the waste streams being processed arrive in the form of aluminium from discarded cans and bottle tops, steel from springs, wire and screws, glass from bottles and jars or ceramic crockery. These resources are recovered using magnets, eddy currents and density separation units so they then can be collected and returned to local businesses that will recycle back into new products.  

STAGE 2
REFORM

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Reform – deconstruction of waste through thermal process to solids and gas   

Understanding what happens to waste when it is deconstructed through a thermal process can be quite complex, and the first thing to remember is that everything in our environment is made up of just three key components, gas, carbon, and minerals. These elements are the building blocks of every product you can think of. Just as a product can be made from these elements it can be returned to them, however it requires heat to achieve this. Advanced Energy Tech uses processes to create the required heat. The technology deconstructs solid waste into gas, carbon and minerals so they are reformed into useful products, once again. 

STAGE 3
REPURPOSE

DISCOVER MORE >

Repurpose – process of creating new products from system outputs to support local circular economies 

This stage is where products from the overall system are reintroduced back into local industries to prevent unnecessary use of natural resources. This stage completes our Waste-to-Resource system and provides a circular and sustainable solution.
Examples of commonly sought-after products that can be repurposed from our system include recycled glass, metal, aluminum, gas, heat and electricity, as well as bio char, carbon char, and even water.  All of these products are created from what was once deemed end-of-life waste and repurposed as valuable goods that can support and sustain local circular outcomes. 

What is different about

our approach

About Advanced Energy Tech

Advanced Energy Tech is a local Australian startup company offering circular economy solutions to end unnecessary landfill by recycling what has previously been considered problematic waste into usable products and energy. Our waste to resource systems comprise of modules that are linked together to form a complete system. These modules are sourced individually for each projects requirements to deliver on our principles of:

1. Recover
2. Reform
3. Repurpose

We form partnerships with some of the most innovative technology manufacturers from around the world, to provide the best available technology for our systems to ensure our clients and the local communities are getting the best environmental outcomes possible.

Advanced Energy Techs services don’t just stop at the commissioning phase of a project. Our preferred business model is to partner with local people and stay involved in the operations of the project. This is achieved through a range of flexible service solutions.

Our waste to resource systems operate alongside existing waste and recycling services, meaning we are not de-valuing current recycling streams and efforts but providing an end-use for all residual materials that otherwise would be destined for landfill.

Our solution to Australia’s waste, recycling and energy problems through technology allows us to contribute to remediating, improving, and protecting the natural environment and not just shifting the burden.

How we engage with

communities

Community engagement and social licensing play a major role in any new projects success especially those that include new and unfamiliar technology. Advanced Energy Tech understands the importance of this and chooses to work very closely with communities to discover what we believe is the solution that will be the best option and pathway forward. Maintaining open communication with communities means that positive engagement can occur for all involved.

We start by having some initial community conversations that involve understanding the local impacts with key people, residents, businesses, and organisations. These opportunities enable people to ask questions and gain information, so they are making the most informed decisions possible for their local environment and future. Next, we actively seek feedback on Advanced Energy Tech’s proposed solutions and technology.

This enables us to partner with local businesses right from the start to design what will be the best matched outputs from our process for the local community.

We want to ensure that the benefits stay local, and each community is actively engaged in building their own circular economy future.

Our demonstration

facility

Advanced Energy Tech’s demonstration facility, being established in Pyramid Hill, Victoria, will be able to display the three stages of our Advanced Resource Recovery system. It will generate performance data about a range of waste streams and its technical compliance with any relevant regulatory controls. This data can be mapped and measured over time and will be highly informative to all stakeholders including manufacturers, councils and the local community. The building was intentionally designed to be located on capped landfills with all plant and operations captured under one roof, ensuring the lightest possible footprint on the local environment.

Engagement with Pyramid Hill and surrounding community
Consultation with the Pyramid Hill community is underway as we work with local government, local business owners and residents. Presentations have occurred with the Pyramid Hill Tourism Committee and the local Progress Association. With questions raised about what we do, how we operate and what it means for the local community, Advanced Energy Tech is building an understanding of community expectations regarding waste and recycling; and how our technologies support positive action.  Advanced Energy Tech has a local interest group, involving residents and business owners, and believes that this will promote constructive, two-way communication in the local community and contribute to its success.

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Technology being delivered to our demonstration facility