New $13.2m PFAS and leachate treatment plant opens in Darwin’s Shoal Bay waste facility

Toxic chemicals derived from everyday household waste will be better contained in the Top End with this Australian-first technology.

A Territory council has begun operating an Australian-first technology to deal with highly toxic chemicals found in everyday waste.

The City of Darwin’s new PFAS treatment plant is operating at the Shoal Bay waste facility, which also takes waste from Palmerston and Litchfield council areas.

Construction on the $13.2m plant was awarded to Brisbane-based company Water and Carbon Group.

It has been in the works for three years and created 50 jobs.

The City of Darwin's new PFAS treatment plant has been decorated with a mural by local Indigenous artists in collaboration with Proper Creative. Picture: Annabel Bowles

The plant uses solar energy and minimal chemicals to capture PFAS – a group of human-made chemicals are widely used in household products.

PFAS does not break down naturally in the environment and is toxic to many animals, as well as harmful to people.

The plant is designed to remove up to 99 per cent of PFAS contaminates from leachate through Australian-first evaporative technology.

“Leachate is the rain that comes through the rubbish, so as that decomposes it picks up all the nasties,” City of Darwin Mayor Kon Vatskalis said.

“If this stuff got into the environment it would be catastrophic, it would destroy everything.

“It contains heavy metals, nitrates, you name it.”

Under the new system, treated leachate is used to irrigate crops of surrounding vetiver grass, while the captured PFAS is sent interstate for destruction.

Vetiver grass crops at The City of Darwin's new Shoal Bay PFAS treatment plant helps trap nitrates from the treated leachate. Picture: Annabel Bowles

“Everything’s a closed system – unless we’ve got Noah’s Flood, we will be all right,” Mr Vatskalis said.

“Leachate and PFAS are problems faced by all Australian waste management facilities.

“City of Darwin is leading the country with this technology, all the while making excellent progress towards addressing legacy environmental issues at Shoal Bay.”

Water and Carbon Group chief executive Jim Hunter, who’s company designed and will now operate the plant, says it is designed to let nature do a lot of the heavy lifting.

City of Darwin Mayor Kon Vatskalis and Water and Carbon Group chief executive, Jim Hunter, at the new Shoal Bay PFAS treatment plant. Picture: Annabel Bowles

“By integrating the system with a wetland buffer to treat ammonia and finally vetiver grass to remove any trace contaminants, it means no pollutants enter the environment,” Mr Hunter said.

“City of Darwin is a leader in tackling PFAS in landfill leachate, and our new technology has proved contaminated water from landfill sites can be treated.”

More than 190,000 tonnes of waste is sent to the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility each year.

$32.7m of Darwin ratepayers’ money was invested into waste management in the last annual budget.

The plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2022.

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Originally published as New $13.2m PFAS and leachate treatment plant opens in Darwin’s Shoal Bay waste facility