Delorean Corporation converting waste to energy
What link does an innovative Aussie company turning food waste into energy have with a beloved 1980s film?
Delorean Corporation Commercial Development Manager Damien Bassett said the name of the company was inspired by the 1985 Michael J. Fox smash Back to the Future.
“In the film Back to the Future, a DeLorean car is fuelled by food waste, so there’s that relationship between that process and what we are doing at our company,” Damian said.
To be more specific, Delorean Corporation makes use of a process called anaerobic digestion - the use of biology in breaking down organic matter. Anaerobic digestion is not a new technology, but its use is relatively new to Australia.
Damien said food waste is used to produce biogas, which predominantly consists of methane.
“We then siphon that methane and run it through combined heat and power engines to turn it into electricity,” he said.
The food waste used in the conversion to energy comes from several sources, including agriculture, household collections, restaurants, and food courts.
The company has established, and is constructing, a number of these facilities throughout Australia and one in New Zealand.
There are three divisions to the business, which means not only does it design and construct the facilities that create the electricity, there’s also the capacity to sell it as well.
Delorean’s head office is in Perth, but it needed a base in Victoria where it has a facility. That’s where Eastern Innovation (EI), Mulgrave comes into the picture.
“It was quite clear to us that the approach, the vision and mindset behind Eastern Innovation was, certainly, aligned with what Delorean is doing in our marketplace,” Damien said.
“Being located in Mulgrave, Eastern Innovation provides an accessible, central location for our staff, and great access to where our projects are located.”
Eastern Innovation CEO Danielle Storey said Delorean Corporation was a great example of the cutting-edge businesses she gets to see in action each day.
“Delorean is playing a part in the exciting renewable energy sector in Australia that’s so important for our future,” she said.
Find out more about the Delorean Corporation and Eastern Innovation