Services and technology

Earth Systems' expertise in the carbon and energy field enables us to offer clients services spanning from technology solutions for energy generation (especially biomass-to-energy), renewable energy mapping, greenhouse gas and energy auditing and verification, as well as carbon mitigation.

Click on the link below to see further details of our carbon and energy consulting services:

We also offer various technologies for a range of energy and carbon projects, including:

Earth Systems have developed an innovative pyrolysis technology applicable to batch and continuous processing of biomass and waste streams, either in a fixed or mobile plant configuration. Outputs can be customised to your requirements and can include:

char products, e.g. biochar or charcoal;
condensates, e.g. wood vinegar and pyrolysis oils;
heat; and
electricity.

The flagship for the pyrolysis technology suite is the Charmaker MPP20, a mobile batch pyrolysis unit capable of converting unchipped waste biomass to char and other products. These units are available for hire or sale.

Gasification is a thermal decomposition process converting carbonaceous materials (organic or fossil fuel) to fuel gases. We offer engineering expertise in the design and manufacture of gasification equipment and process for specific feedstocks as well as undertake due diligence on plant section from third party manufacturers. We can also provide troubleshooting and maintenance assistance for existing plant operators.

Recent Projects

Earth Systems has been engaged by Coleman Rail to assist them in converting their old wooden floor blocks

into biochar.

Below is the excerpt from Coleman Rail’s website (click here for the original article from Coleman Rail’s website or here to download the PDF version).

During the tender process of the Preston Tram Workshops, the wooden floor blocks, located in Yarra Trams’ old industrial workshops, were identified as disposable landfill. However, through value engineering, the Coleman Rail team was able to develop a sustainable solution. Through collaborating with Earth Systems, a multidisciplinary environmental and social consulting firm, the team identified a potential purpose for the floor blocks that in turn reduced the project’s total landfill.

Earth Systems has developed a mobile biochar system called “CharMaker.” The system uses the pyrolysis technique to convert biomass to charcoal. Biochar is a form of charcoal that is regularly used for soil amendment. The product is seen to have huge potential for mitigating climate change and reducing the accumulation of greenhouse gases.

Biochar, when used as a soil additive, improves water and nutrient retention in soil, enhances the effectiveness of fertilisers, reduces soil acidity and increases soil carbon to improve the overall productivity of plant growth.

Click here to read more about biochar and its benefits and applications.

Through this initiative, Coleman Rail is not only reducing the needless contribution to Victoria’s already limited landfill, but also helping to increase the productivity of the Victoria’s farming community.

Railway Sleepers

Building on our existing transportable pyrolysis technology, Earth Systems developed a novel, in-field thermal process for the disposal of highly pesticide-contaminated timber railway sleepers (rail ties) for a railway operator. The process can be transported to the job site, accepts full size sleepers and does not require metal parts to be removed before processing. The system was successfully trialled at pilot scale, with the timber converted to a non-hazardous biochar suitable for multiple reuses, including soil application.

Earth Systems performed a pilot-scale investigation of the conversion of stockpiled biosolids to a stable, sterile char residue via pyrolysis with Earth Systems’ CharMaker technology for an Australian water treatment plant. The aim of the investigation was to explore alternatives to the current practice of stockpiling biosolids due to space limitation. The CharMaker pyrolysis process successfully eliminated pathogens and odour issues, removed organic contaminants (such as plastic, cloth, and cotton items etc.), and significantly reduced the mass of the original biosolids feedstock.

Research, design and development work including pilot-scale trials were undertaken to evaluate possible processing and re-use pathways for stockpiled biosolids. The study considered two different biosolids treatment processes: Fluidised Bed Gasification (FBG) and Hydrothermal Processing (HTP).

FBG is a thermochemical process by which relatively dry biosolids are thermally reacted in a low oxygen environment to produce a fuel-rich product gas and a biologically inert and manageable ash stream.

On the other hand, HTP simultaneously heats and pressurises wet biosolids to produce a methane rich fuel gas and an inert wet ash stream.

Both technologies were tested at pilot scale to confirm operability and preliminary financial analyses were undertaken for full-scale plants.

Earth Systems and Territory Natural Resource Management conducted biochar soil trials at an organic farm in NT. The trials spanned over 4 months at a 2 hectare site consisting of zucchini and watermelon plots. The biochar was produced and supplied by Earth Systems’ CharMaker MPP20 using waste wood as the feedstock. Key results of the trials include a 25% crop yield increase in one of the zucchini plots, increased pH, soil carbon and available water capacity.

Click here to read more about the soil trials.

To address long-term island energy security, Earth Systems was engaged to conduct a bioenergy feasibility study for Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The initial study included an analysis of current and potential future biomass resources, transport and electricity network constraints, heat utilisation opportunities, and a shortlist of viable technology options. A follow-up report provided detailed feasibility of the best option(s) identified in the initial study.

To find out more about our capabilities and services, please download our capability statements: