Re-Tooling for Climate Change

Mortons oat hulls replace LPG

Mortons Specialist Seed & Grain has found a way of turning production waste into energy, using funding from the Re-Tooling for Climate Change Program. The Western Australian company received $115,000 in funding to replace its LPG-fuelled boiler with one powered by waste oat hulls. The hulls are a by-product of the companys production of instant, quick and rolled oats cereal products. Mortons processes some 60,000 tonnes of oat grain each year. Oat kernels or groats are first separated from the hulls, then kiln dried or converted into rolled oat flakes. The process results in 20,000 tonnes of waste hulls, which offer limited value to the business as a saleable by-product, but vast potential as a renewable energy source. Independent research commissioned by Mortons showed that by using just 8 per cent of the biomass waste the company could eliminate the use of imported LPG as a fuel source for the boiler. This will reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of LPG by more than 1000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Mortons Managing Director Jonnie Morton says this is just the beginning. We will save around $400,000 a year by removing the need for LPG but my real excitement is in the improved competitiveness and sustainability of the company. There is the potential to use all of our waste biomass to fuel a larger electricity co-generation system, once the performance of this project has been evaluated. This will make us more competitive on the international stage, and its positive from so many angles reducing costs of our products, new growth and more employment and a better environmental footprint, he said. Mortons employs 65 people and export makes up 90 per cent of its business. jonnie@mortongrain.com.au 08 9434 2024

Top, oat hulls which are used as fuel for Mortons boiler. Below, the factory has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions.

Astor shining out in its field

Astor Metal Finishes is using $109,650 in Retooling for Climate Change funding to deliver electricity savings of more than 50 per cent at its NSW-based electroplating plant. The companys Managing Director, Richard Hammond, said the project involved installing solar collection tubes on the roof of the main plating shop to heat electroplating process tanks. A gas-fired hot water generator will supplement solar power heating. This will remove the need for mains grid electrical power for heating the tanks, Richard said. The project will also conserve power by using insulated pipelines to deliver heated water to either heat exchangers or in-tank coils. The previous process resulted in lost energy, due to water evaporation. The new combined solar/gas source will maintain heat in plating tanks, eliminating precipitation of salts when tanks are not in use, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Conserving heat allows Astor to maintain hot solutions for plating any type of finish at any time, Richard said. This means well have greater flexibility in our production and can provide a better service to our customers. With this project, Astor is striving to compete with the world leaders in electroplating. Astor has shown it is possible to reverse the tide of products being chrome plated overseas. Better heating control and heat transfers will allow us to expand our operations in the future without the need for expensive power substation upgrades. Astors main business is chrome plating but it also provides gold, silver, copper, nickel, bronze and antique finishes, polishes stainless steel, electropolishes and wet paints all metals. It employs more than 50 staff members. www.astormetalfinishes.com/ 02 9727 5622

Above, verifying the plating thickness of a chrome-plated aluminium truck wheel. Below, a close-up of the chrome-plated steel wheels.

Below, inspecting and cleaning a restored motor bike petrol tank. Left, Astors gas and solar hot water generator and storage vessel.

Water-saving leaders in morphine production

TPI Enterprises has made environmental sustainability a cornerstone for its growth as an internationally competitive manufacturing business. The Tasmanian company extracts and processes poppy straw concentrate to produce morphine, codeine and other pharmaceuticals. Since beginning in 2004, it has invested $25 million in building a world-class manufacturing facility. Supported by two Australian Government innovation grants and the R&D Tax Concession, it has developed an innovative manufacturing process that uses water instead of toxic solvents for the extraction process. TPIs latest project is integrating plant and equipment to recapture and minimise the water used in production. With a grant of $128,666 from the Re-Tooling for Climate Change Program, TPI is installing water storage and filtration systems, and a recording and monitoring system fully integrated with plant level control systems. This will recycle water formerly lost to evaporation or filtration, or as purged and waste water, delivering a 50 per cent saving. This water-based production process gives us a competitive advantage over other plants in the world. Our plant is a world first, TPIs Managing Director Jarrod Ritchie said. Optimising our water efficiency is critical, especially given recent drought conditions in Tasmania. TPI started manufacturing on a trial basis in 2008, processing 200 tonnes of poppy straw with a projected increase to 6000 tonnes by 2010. TPI employs 35 staff. www.tpienterpises.com/ 03 6398 5254
Above, sampling clean water from the filtration system. Below, inspecting the colour difference between dirty and purified water.

Applications will be considered in several rounds each year. Closing dates are available at www.ausindustry.gov.au

Astors main business is chrome plating. The company is working on a project to cut its electricity use by more than 50 per cent.

TPI is installing water storage and filtration systems to recycle water and cut its water bill by 50 per cent.

Mortons Managing Director, Jonnie Morton, is saving $400,000 a year in fuel costs by using waste oat hulls.

Re-tooling for Climate Change

The Re-tooling for Climate Change Program provides grants of $10,000 to $500,000 to small and medium sized businesses undertaking manufacturing in Australia. The grants aim to assist manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint, by improving the energy and/ or water efficiency of their production processes. The program will fund up to half the cost of each project. Examples of eligible projects could include: application of water capture, recycling and filtration technologies process re-engineering to reduce energy or water use application of energy efficient technologies energy generation from production waste. Re-tooling for Climate Change Program applications will be considered on a competitive basis against the program merit criteria in rounds (criteria and closing dates are available from the AusIndustry web site).

About AusIndustry
AusIndustry is the Australian Governments principal business program delivery division in the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. AusIndustry delivers more than 30 products, worth about $2 billion a year, to more than 12,000 businesses and 85,000 individuals. AusIndustry products include innovation grants, tax and duty concessions, support for industry competitiveness, venture capital, and small business skills development programs. Visit www.ausindustry.gov.au, call 13 28 46 or email hotline@ausindustry.gov.au for more information.

November 2009