The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide up to $3 million for a low emission wastewater treatment project being undertaken by Victoria’s largest regional water corporation.

Barwon Water wants to investigate the use of pure oxygen produced as a byproduct of renewable hydrogen electrolysis to treat water at its Northern Water Plant in Geelong.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller says the project aims to highlight how renewable hydrogen producers can work with other sectors on decarbonisation initiatives.

“This will highlight the application for green oxygen and enhance the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen, offering unique learnings in navigating the regulatory, technical and commercial aspects of oxygen offtake,” he said in a statement.

The first stage of the project will involve an engineering and design study to look at the technical and commercial feasibility of using pure oxygen captured from an electrolyser at a nearby hydrogen refuelling centre, in Barwon Water’s wastewater treatment process.

The plant currently uses an aerobic treatment process.

Oxygen will be sourced from a new hydrogen refuelling station at the Viva Energy Hub, which is deploying a 2.5-megawatt electrolyser to split hydrogen into water and oxygen.  

The project will also help to assess whether otherwise-discarded oxygen can provide an additional revenue stream for renewable hydrogen producers.

Reducing emissions

 Barwon Water Managing Director Shaun Cumming said it was an exciting opportunity to reduce emissions from wastewater treatment. 

“We’re excited to explore the beneficial use of pure oxygen as a byproduct of renewable hydrogen production at the Viva Energy Hub hydrogen refuelling station,” he said.

“We look forward to building on the benefits of Viva Energy’s new service station project with this investment and sharing the potential benefits for wastewater treatment with the water sector.” 

Australia’s more than 1,200 wastewater treatment plants currently contribute more than 2.95 million tonnes of CO2e to the nation’s emissions.

Insights gained from the project, including better understanding approval pathways and capital and operating savings, have the potential to lead to innovative improvements throughout the water sector, ARENA says.

Viva Energy received $34 million from ARENA in 2022 to develop, build and operate its refuelling station to support the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in heavy fleets.