SPARTEL Pty Ltd is an environmental technology, engineering, and consulting company conducting contract work for private companies, industry, and government institutions. The company specialises in the fields of sustainable treatment and management of solid, contaminated site remediation, composting, vermiculture and integrated waste management strategies. We are also active in research and development of proprietary technologies that service the needs of the waste management industry.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT

Research and Consultation

• Chemical and biological analysis of all types of organic wastes
• Assessment of compostability of all types of organic wastes
• Optimisation of different organic wastes for composting
• Quality assurance of compost and soil amendment products in regard to nutrient and trace element content as well as contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides, including organochlorines
• Glass house and field trials to support product formulation and to demonstrate efficacy and quality of compost and soil amendment products
• Development of process and product control management systems
• Waste stream analysis and total waste management strategies
• Cost-benefit modelling of waste management systems

Engineering - Design, construction and management of contaminated materials bioremediation facilities

• Feasibility studies for large scale composting facilities
• Regional recycling strategies for country areas
• Design and preparation of engineering specifications for forced aeration composting plants
• Design and manufacture of vermiculture systems
• Design of mobile, forced aeration composting facilities for on-site or country town applications
• Design of municipal and green waste composting facilities
• Design and construction of odour control systems

Market Development - Marketing research to determine market potential and target markets

• Development and negotiation of unique distribution policies
• Launching strategies for major products into both broadacre and horticultural markets

Education and Training - Seminars and courses on waste management and pollution control

EXPERIENCE

Consultation and Research

• Expert advisor for patent attorney
• Energy and water auditing
• Solid waste management consulting
• Compost and fertiliser quality assurance
• Assessment of the compostability of wastes
• Authorship of Alternatives to Peat Manual, published by Environment Australia
• Community attitude surveys for waste collection

Waste Auditing

• Municipal waste recovery systems
• Industrial waste facilities
• Metropolitan Regional Waste Management Council recovery systems
• Private company waste recovery systems

Engineering - Waste management plans

• Bioremediation of PAH contaminated soils
• Optimisation of biosolids/green waste composting
• Optimisation of source separated municipal organic waste recycling
• Optimisation of biosolids/industrial liquid waste composting
• Design and development of large scale commercial composting systems for the stabilisation of chicken litter
• Rehabilitation of bauxite refining residue ponds

Market Development - Compost market comparison

• Report promoting and understanding the importance of Quality Assured compost products
• Market specific technical promotion sheets

Education and Training

• Greenhouse and energy auditing seminar
• Environmental training courses in Vietnam, Vietnam Australia Training Project/AUSAid
  
  - Environmental Management Principles
  
  - Environmental Planning Practices
  
  - Waste Management Practices
  
  - Contaminated Site Remediation
• Waste management seminars

NETWORK

The team has a comprehensive network of contacts on a national and international level. We are familiar and have good working relations with a number of Australian and international composting facilities in USA, Latin America, 6 European countries and South East Asia, covering the full range of technologies available in organic waste processing. We also have information exchange and working relations with private and academic research organisations. We have developed successful composting strategies for wool scouring and anaerobically digested industrial sludges, as well as domestic organic waste, green waste, potato waste, fish waste and a range of other industrial, agricultural and commercial organic wastes. Our engineering designs take into consideration optimisation of composting rates, odour control, nutrient recovery, EPA approval criteria, pathogen and plant disease destruction, and a quality end product.

We have productive contacts in Asia, particularly, Java, Bali, India, Malaysia and China and have developed proposals for consulting, engineering and technology transfer in India and Indonesia. We are also represented on the National Committee of Standards Australia for the development of the National compost standard and have contributed to biosolids reuse guidelines and National and State organic waste management strategies.

IN-HOUSE TECHNOLOGIES

FABCOM^® Hybrid Composting System

This system has been designed and developed for large scale processing of high volumes of organic waste where odour emission and leachate generation are of concern. This system is flexible in capacity and most economical for large scale centralised (1,000 – 150,000 m3 pa) processing.

FABCOM^® Bioremediation System

This system has been designed and developed for large scale bioremediation of organic chemical contaminated materials. The system offers a unique design, incorporating a specially designed removable cover, which prevents odours and vapour emissions, eliminates weather effects and allows controlled process conditions, and leachate recirculation via a leachate pond and irrigation system, which provides moisture to the system and acts to solubilise the contaminants to improve the remediation rate. This system is also flexible in capacity.

BIOBOX^®

This is an on-site aerobic/anaerobic, in-vessel composting system for the rapid stabilization of food waste, septic wastes, biosolids and paper/cardboard, which the BIOBOX converts into valuable, odourless soil amendments within a two week cycle. The BIOBOX can also be used as a mobile reactor for the rapid bioremediation of hydrocarbon and pesticide contaminated soils.

METALOK^®

METALOK is a specially formulated compound that is very effective in reducing heavy metal contamination in soils, water and solid waste by the integration of several active metal immobilisation mechanisms. METALOK can be applied to contaminated soils to achieve TCLP test compliance; composting of organic wastes, such biosolids or municipal waste, which may cause metal contamination; and the treatment of metal containing waste waters such as metal plating and photolabs.

GLASS CRUSHER^®

Utilisation of the GLASS CRUSHER ensures the cost effective recycling of glass, and saves valuable landfill space. The GLASS CRUSHER reduces the volume of glass by up to 80%, improving the transportation of glass five fold and thus significantly reducing transport costs. In addition, crushing of the glass into fine cullet eliminates the risk of glass related accidental or inflicted injury. The glass crusher is an essential on–site recycling tool worth incorporating into the waste management strategy, reducing volume and promoting occupational and environmental health.

COMPACTOR^®

The recyclables compactor is a fully automated on site compacting system which hydraulically compacts cardboard, paper, sawdust, plastics and aluminium waste, reducing volume by 95%. Compaction of plastics and aluminium waste produces stackable briquettes for low cost transport. Compaction of cardboard and paper produces fire or barbeque briquettes suitable for cooking and heating.

ECO–Dialysis

This technology is designed to desalinate water, for use in irrigation, and the removal and recovery of heavy metals from waste waters. The technology can be placed in-line for continuous extraction of salts and metals from waste and storm water streams and drains.

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Dr Harrie Hofstede, B.Ag.Eng., PhD., Managing Director

Dr Hofstede has a degree in Environmental and Agricultural Engineering Science and a PhD in Integrated Waste Management, composting municipal solid waste and metal contamination. He specialises in environmental engineering and education with particular expertise in solid organic waste management, treatment and recycling and contaminated site remediation and pollution control. Harrie has 15 years experience in the waste management industry, developing technologies and contributing invaluable consulting and research knowledge. He has contributed to books on Integrated Waste Management and written over 30 papers, many of which have been presented at solid and liquid waste conferences in Australia and internationally. He was a 2003 finalist in the State Environmental Awards and has received awards from the WA Minister for Environmental Protection and for Professional and Community contributions in Waste Management & Pollution Control.

Hendrik Dik, BSc. Mar., (Hons) Env. Sc., MBA, Business Manager

Hendrik has degrees in Marine Science and Environmental Science with an MBA from Murdoch University. In line with the innovative solutions of Spartel, Hendrik's business and environmental background ensures that the innovations developed by Spartel remain at the cutting edge of today's rapidly changing resource recovery business environment.

Natarsha Bates, BSc Biot., (Hons) Env. Sci., Environmental Scientist

Ms Bates has a degree in Biotechnology and an honours degree in Environmental Science and provides specialised substrate analysis skills. She specialises in the quality assurance of large scale composting systems, particularly those utilising biosolids and industrial liquid wastes.