Waste Immobilisation Plant now operating at Tellus’ Sandy Ridge facility

  • Enhances Sandy Ridge’s status as a critical long-term infrastructure asset
  • Tellus can accept liquids, sludges and solids at Sandy Ridge
  • Lays groundwork for launch of Tellus’ first Circular Economy Technology

Tellus Holding Ltd (Tellus) is pleased to announce that the Sandy Ridge hazardous waste facility in WA (Sandy Ridge) has now commenced operation of its Waste Immobilisation Plant (WIP).

Tellus immediately accepted a sizeable volume of PFAS liquid waste from a national waste producer.

Sandy Ridge became fully operational earlier this year and is able to accept, store, treat and dispose of nearly all forms of hazardous wastes.

The WIP is used to immobilise liquid and sludge wastes received by Tellus, using the kaolinite clay at the Sandy Ridge geological repository and other binding agents. This process takes advantage of kaolin’s ability to absorb and adsorb heavy metals, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) contamination, and Persistent Organic Pollutants such as PFAS. The output from the WIP is a solid material which is then safely placed in the geological repository, thereby permanently isolating it from the biosphere.

Tellus is the only company in Australia with the ability to immobilise hazardous and intractable liquid wastes and provide permanent isolation in a geological repository is unique in Australia, in conjunction with the issuance of a Tellus Permanent Isolation Certificate (Tellus PIC™) to absolve the waste owner of all ongoing disposal liability.

Sandy Ridge’s sustainability credentials are demonstrated by the fact that the majority of the input materials used in the WIP are sourced onsite and all of the electrical power used to operate the plant is generated by Tellus’ 1.5 MW solar farm coupled with a battery storage system. The WIP can also use certain solid hazardous wastes as an absorbent material, re-using what otherwise might have been a problematic waste stream.

Tellus CEO Nate Smith said: “Disposal of many liquid waste types through Sandy Ridge’s waste immobilisation process offers a more sustainable, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) / carbon footprint, and safer emissions outcomes than thermal treatment processes. This additional disposal method also lays the groundwork for the launch of our first circular economy initiative, which we hope to announce in the coming months.

“This is real action by us on our mission to be a green enabler, providing ESG solutions for investors, clients and regulators.”

Inspecting the WIP prior to turning it on this week.

Tellus containers preparing to take immobilised waste.

Liquid waste being delivered to Sandy Ridge for immobilisation.

Media contact:
Justin Kirkwood
+61 411 251 324
Justin@kirkwoods.com.au

About Tellus Holdings Ltd:

Tellus is an innovative Australian environmental services group in the business of partnering with our clients to find a permanent disposal solution for hazardous waste and removing it safely and responsibly from our society and environment to a world class, remote near-surface geological repository. We also have the opportunity to reinvest in our communities through the circular economy and recycling technologies. Our first geological repository called Sandy Ridge, based northwest of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, is now fully open for business. It is licensed to accept a broad range of hazardous waste up to 100,000 tonnes per annum for the next 25 years. Unlike a traditional waste landfill that relies on a liner, Sandy Ridge relies on a multi-barrier, natural safety case, underpinned by unique geology. Our safety case is so strong that we can permanently dispose of Class IV and Class V waste for our clients, and in turn, they have the opportunity to remove contingent liability for clean-up off their balance sheet and optimise the value of their sites, once de-contaminated. Other sites around Australia are also being considered for development by Tellus, including New South Wales in the Broken Hill region, and the Northern Territory.

For further information:

Visit our website – www.tellusholdings.com

Phone us at: +61 (0)2 8257 3395

E-mail us at: info@tellusholdings.com

Christopher Chan
Christopher Chan