ABB Australia wins 2012 Banksia Environmental Award

ABB has been announced as a winner in the 2012 Banksia Environmental Awards in the Clean Technology - Harnessing Opportunities category for its new sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) gas recycling technology. The technology was developed by an Australian team and has been implemented at ABB’s gas recycling centre at Moorebank, NSW, Australia.

The Banksia Environmental National Awards are regarded as the most prestigious environmental awards in Australia. The Banksia Environmental Foundation, established in 1989, is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental excellence and sustainability through its awards program and other associated events.

“ABB is proud to be an award winner and have its patented gas recycling technology and centre recognised by the Banksia Environmental Foundation,” said Axel Kuhr, country manager for ABB in Australia. “For ABB, sustainability is about balancing economic success, environmental stewardship and social progress for the benefit of all its stakeholders.”

In presenting ABB with this award, the judges commended ABB on a highly skilled technical solution to a problem material that provides environmental and economic benefits. The award recognises ABB for its innovative and successful approach to developing a technology for the comprehensive recycling of contaminated SF₆ gas. The technology is based on a new energy-efficient cryogenic process.

The new, patented technology has been successfully commercialised at a dedicated SF₆ recycling plant ABB has established in Sydney, with international applications to commence shortly.

The purity of recycled SF₆ gas using the newly developed technology is about 99.99% and is in accordance with technical grade IEC 60376 (the standard for new gas), which enables SF₆ to be re-used again and again in electrical equipment. Using recycled SF₆ gas will help reduce carbon emissions and could result in a cost savings potential of up to 30%.

In addition, a focus on delivering world best practice gas management of SF₆, a high potential global warming gas, also delivers beneficial environmental outcomes. The technology closes the life cycle of SF₆ ensuring a minimal environmental footprint for this gas; a gas that is vital for the efficient, safe and reliable transmission of electricity.