Clean, green processes at Australia TradeCoast

A cluster of environment-conscious companies developing and implementing innovative recycling and clean fuels production technologies has evolved within Brisbane's Australia TradeCoast.

As Australia's largest local government, Brisbane is a recognised hub for spawning recycling technologies through continued research - around 80% of the city's population has access to a recycling program and over 14% of Australia's recycling companies are located in Queensland.

One of the newest and most dynamic of the recycling businesses in Brisbane, plastics recycling is constantly setting benchmarks in both processes and packaging. This is exemplified by Astron Plastics, which located to Australia TradeCoast last year.

A producer of resin products and a recycling service provider to the plastics manufacturing industry, Astron Plastics built a state-of-the-art facility at Pinkenba near the Brisbane airport to further its expansion.

An associated recycling business, Environmental Future Developments (EFD), is establishing a plant nearby. Principal Ray Russell has selected a Pinkenba site on which to base his business of turning waste plastics into low-emission fuel.

Production of EFD's Eco Fuel is based on the process of thermalysis, which uses methods not unlike incineration to reconstitute plastic materials into distillate and diesel fuel.

Mr Russell was introduced to the technique while on a business trip to Japan six years ago. He brought the intelligence home to Australia and recently determined to build his own $20 million processing plant in Brisbane.

Each day, the Pinkenba facility will process around 30 tonnes of waste plastic and output approximately 20,000 L of Eco Fuel.

Mr Russell said Eco Fuel had a low sulfur content of less than 50 ppm compared with the normal diesel range of 500-1500 ppm.