Resource recovery work a step towards decarbonisation
Research is showing wastewater infrastructure in red meat processing can move beyond compliance and become a practical business asset, helping processors recover energy, reduce emissions, manage nutrients and improve long-term resilience.
AMPC-funded studies into resource recovery involving anaerobic co-digestion, where organic waste is broken down by micro-organisms without oxygen, have delivered promising sustainability results alongside substantial economic benefits.
The works shows that where processors already have organic waste streams, wastewater, boilers and energy demand on-site, these can be connected to create more value.
Resource recovery solution experts Tessele Consultants partnered with AMPC to create a bio-resource recovery centre (BRRC) pilot.
Facility-scale modelling of the BRRC has yielded potential biogas production of 4 to 8 million normal cubic metres per year, significant nutrient recovery and emissions reductions of up to 68 per cent.
Researchers suggest the concept of a BRRC can enhance environmental performance, energy resilience and circularity, providing a scalable model for decarbonisation in the red meat processing sector.
Evaluations of integrated anaerobic co-digestion within red meat processing facilities indicated it was not only technically feasible but operationally stable under representative industrial loading conditions.
In presenting on the work at the recent Ozwater26 conference in Brisbane, Tessele Consultants director Fabiana Tessele said feasibility investigations established that high-strength wastewater streams contained sufficient biodegradable organic carbon to materially offset fossil fuel demand when evaluated within expanded system boundaries.
"Pilot-scale validation further confirmed that co-digestion strategies enhance methane productivity while maintaining stability under variable industrial loading conditions," Dr Tessele said.
Beyond compliance
Dr Tessele explained that water, energy and nutrient flows were co-produced within Australia’s red meat processing sector, yet wastewater systems remained focused on compliance.
"The modelling and engineering investigations undertaken confirm that integrated anaerobic co-digestion platforms can reconfigure wastewater infrastructure from a compliance-driven obligation into a strategic industrial asset," she said.
"Renewable biomethane substitution enables direct reduction of fossil fuel dependency and Scope 1 emissions without requiring fundamental redesign of thermal systems. In parallel, nutrient concentration supports the production of fertiliser-grade outputs, improving traceability, regulatory confidence and circular nutrient reuse. Biogenic carbon streams provide additional integration pathways within emerging decarbonisation ecosystems."
AMPC Program Manager Sustainability Matthew Deegan said these outcomes were groundbreaking in the current operating context, where geopolitical disruptions were exposing the vulnerability of industrial systems reliant on external inputs.
Dr Tessele said converting organic waste streams into bioenergy and recoverable nutrients provided a practical mechanism to partially decouple industrial operations from volatile global markets, improving both supply security and cost stability.
Further, the concept extends well beyond individual facilities.
BRRC embedded within existing processing infrastructure could function as decentralised nodes of energy generation and nutrient recovery, strengthening regional resilience and supporting agricultural productivity, Dr Tessele said.
IMAGE: Tessele Consultants general manager GM Cameron Cody, director Fabiana Tessele, AMPC's Cameron Ralph and Matthew Deegan.