Katunga Fresh Pyrolysis Plant

Description

Katunga Fresh, a hydroponic tomato producer located 45 kilometres north of Shepparton in Victoria, is undertaking a significant expansion to meet the surging demand for its premium produce. As part of this development, the company has integrated Rainbow Bee Eater’s (RBE) ECHO2 pyrolysis technology into its operations. This cutting-edge system converts local agricultural biomass (primarily wheat straw sourced from nearby farms), which would typically be field burned, into three valuable resources: biochar, syngas, and wood vinegar.

For Katunga Fresh, the core mission of this initiative was to become the lowest-emitting glasshouse in the world by producing energy onsite while removing carbon from the atmosphere. The ECHO2 uses a unique, patented counterflow process. Hot syngas from the pyrolysis chamber is fed through the incoming feedstock, which cleans and cools the syngas in a single process. The feedstock is simultaneously heated, minimising heat loss in the system for maximum efficiency. The resulting biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material that can be used for soil improvement and long-term carbon sequestration. Syngas, the volatile gas fraction produced during pyrolysis, is a clean-burning fuel that will be used to reduce natural gas consumption in Katunga Fresh’s heating systems. Additionally, wood vinegar, a condensate formed during syngas cooling, has applications in horticulture as a growth stimulant and pest control agent.

The facility will operate six ECHO2 units, processing approximately 35,000 tonnes of wheat/cereal straw annually. This will yield around 12,000-14,000 tonnes/pa (wet) of biochar and generate approximately 112,000 gigajoules/pa of syngas. The syngas will be combusted in a newly installed co-fired burner alongside turbine exhaust (from the onsite quad-generation plant) to provide heat and a biogenic CO₂ stream for the glasshouses, thereby reducing fossil fuel usage and associated emissions. The project is expected to remove 22,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year through biochar sequestration, while also avoiding an additional 6,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions by displacing natural gas.

Due to the physical separation between the pyrolysis plant and the glasshouse (approximately 500 metres), the syngas must be conditioned before it can be used. Optimal Group was engaged to design and deliver the syngas clean-up system, which included heat exchangers, pumps, cooling towers, filters, tanks, etc. This system ensures that moisture and particulates are removed from the syngas stream, allowing for safe and efficient transport to the newly installed 16 MW boiler via underground piping. 

In addition to the syngas treatment system, Optimal Group was responsible for detailed process engineering, documentation, and procurement of ancillary equipment such as process air blowers and quench water pumps. The design work drew on operational insights from the Holla Fresh facility in South Australia, where similar technology had been successfully deployed.