Dyno Nobel Moranbah Deaerator Energy Recovery Project

Dyno Nobel Moranbah Deaerator Energy Recovery Project is an industrial energy efficiency project located at the Dyno Nobel manufacturing facility near Moranbah, approximately 195km south-west of Mackay in Queensland. It was registered in January 2017 and covers an unknown area size. The Moranbah region is heavily dominated by coal mining operations within the Bowen Basin, though the broader Central Highlands area is also known for beef cattle grazing and broadacre cropping.

The local environment experiences a subtropical semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 614mm. The soils in this region are generally characterised by fertile black soils, commonly known as Vertosols, which have a high clay content and superior water-storing capacity.

This project was established under the Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency methodology. Projects of this type reduce greenhouse gas emissions by modifying, installing, removing, or replacing equipment to lower the energy consumption of existing industrial systems. Specifically, this project involves waste heat capture and re-use to improve fuel efficiency at the facility.

An interesting fact about this project is that it takes place at Dyno Nobel's Moranbah ammonium nitrate manufacturing complex. The facility, which opened in 2012, produces over 350,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate annually to supply explosives for the surrounding mining industry. By capturing and re-using waste heat through a deaerator energy recovery system, the facility reduces its natural gas footprint while earning Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Furthermore, the proponent has explored renewable energy expansions on this same site, undertaking a feasibility study to utilize renewable hydrogen to replace purchased natural gas-based ammonia.