Sustainability tools and calculators

This project developed an online tool to help processors to design integrated wastewater treatment and bio-resource recovery systems. The integrated design can assist with increased environmental compliance, smaller carbon footprints, treated water recycling, diversion of wastes from landfill, and recovery of nutrients, bioenergy and fertiliser by-products.

The 3D illustrated software model helps assess, design, cost and transition towards modularised wastewater treatment while realising the benefits of a smaller footprint, zero waste and optimized bio-resource recovery.

AMPC processers can also access one-on-one workshops to learn how to operate the tool until the end of 2022.

The energy and water benchmarking tool facilitates sectoral comparison and individual opportunity identification for AMPC member plants, as a part of the AMPC energy and water productivity capacity building program. 

Key functionalities

• Evaluate the production site’s thermal and electrical energy efficiency, and water efficiency performance 
• Provide comparison with best-practice across the industry
• Provide energy and water performance improvement opportunities with calculations for indicative costs, savings, carbon abatement, and simple payback.

This project developed Excel spreadsheet calculators, and an AMPC service, to enable sophisticated financial comparison of solar PV (and battery) and biomass boiler projects. The calculator and service helps bring transparency and awareness to members when faced with different options for renewable energy adoption.

The heat pump selection tool is an industry developed xl calculator that assists meat processors in better understanding their particular opportunity for switching from fossil fuel process heat to more productive process heat powered by renewable electricity.

AMPC launched a free service that provides members with expert information, advice and guidance to help identify and apply for energy and environment government funding and grants.

Members can:

• Speak to a grant application expert
• Identify what they are eligible for
• Be guided through the entire grant process
• Check their eligibility
• Get help drafting applications

The AD advisor tool aims to provide a user-friendly platform that enables industry to evaluate the potential feasibility of greenfield, brownfield and cross-sectoral anaerobic co-digestion business projects as part of a circular economy.

The tool guides the user through high level regulatory integration assessment, design rules or principles for selection and sizing of anaerobic digestion technologies, and technoeconomic evaluation of project concepts.

The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) Handbook provides a comprehensive guide for participants in the meat processing industry who are interested in leveraging the ERF to reduce their carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future.

The guidebook includes practical information and a decision-making matrix for implementing a non-potable water recycling program in a red meat processing plant. 

The pilot project began in 2023 and trialled recycled water for use within a plant cooling asset and was the first time a fit-for-purpose use of non-potable recycled water had been utilised in a red meat processing plant condenser as an approved arrangement. The result was a system that could generate annual savings of over $30,000 across two condensers. 

AMPC partnered with All Energy to conduct a series of award-winning water recycling pilot trials beginning in early 2022. The trials occurred across red meat processing plants in Australia and delivered a suite of outcomes. This video that will assist processors in determining how best to produce non-potable recycled water for use within their plants and the associated savings.