Sydney soil facility wins Gold in Edison Awards

The Caltex Soil Remediation Facility (CalSoil), designed and built by fuel supplier Caltex, has won a Gold award for innovation at the prestigious Edison Awards — an annual competition honouring excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centred design and innovation.

The facility, which treats soil that is contaminated by crude oil-based products such as petrol and diesel so it can be appropriately re-used, was recognised in the Energy & Sustainability — Re-Use & Reclamation category of the awards program. It was followed by the SYLAS-R2 wastewater recycling system by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (Silver) and the HYPER heating and refrigeration unit by EnerMotion (Bronze).

CalSoil utilises an environmentally friendly and sustainable technique that breaks down contaminants by adjusting airflow and adding nutrients to stimulate aerobic microbial activity in the soil. As explained by Caltex National Environment Manager and project innovator Colin Roberts, “It is a little bit like a compost heap in the sense that, with the right conditions, we can allow the soil to break down naturally and sustainably.

“All emissions generated during the remediation are captured by our filter system to ensure there are no odours while the soil is being treated,” he continued.

“Once treatment is complete, the soil is tested before being re-used in appropriate situations, such as for use as engineering fill — this ensures a second life for the soil.”

The facility also negates the requirement for on-site remediation of hydrocarbon-impacted soils across NSW, a process which can create odour and vapour issues for local residents and businesses.

After a two-year pilot, the facility was last month approved to operate permanently and expand its capacity to manage up to 80,000 tonnes of soil each year.