BRAVA Bio-Resource Valorisation Hub opens its doors

The Hub's purpose is to support development, demonstration and adoption of circular systems, transforming industrial by-products into valuable resources including renewable energy, recycled water and recovered nutrients.

The purpose-built facility in Perth, Western Australia, was opened last week by Jackie Jarvis, the WA Government's Minister for Agriculture and Food, Fisheries, Forestry, Small Business and the Mid West, with a host of leaders in sustainability in attendance, reflecting the collaborative opportunities the Hub represents. 

The Hub's development was led by Tessele Consultants, in collaboration with AMPC. Home to both Tessele Consultants and Tanafloc Australia, it brings together engineering expertise, technology development and applied research under one roof. 

It will provide a dedicated pilot-scale environment where emerging technologies can be tested, demonstrated and validated under real operating conditions before being implemented at commercial scale.
The Hub will support applied research, demonstration and industry collaboration across anaerobic digestion, bioenergy, digestate-to-fertiliser pathways, and other resource recovery technologies.

A collaborative project with RACE for 2030 CRC, supported by AMPC, Tessele and University of Queensland, is already underway at the facility. This research is investigating the co-digestion of feedstocks, including red meat industry residues, agricultural wastes and other organic feedstocks, can be converted into renewable biogas, biofertilisers, and other valuable products.

AMPC's Sustainability project officer Lauren Smith said the facility bridged a gap between research and industry by enabling practical, lower-risk pilot pathways for businesses seeking to reduce emissions, recover valuable resources from waste streams and improve water and energy efficiency.

"Within AMPC's sustainability portfolio, a range of work is underway with companies such as Tessele to deliver projects that improve efficiency and capture value across water, energy and waste," she said.

"We are proud of the range of projects we have collaborated on across Australia. The partnership with Tessele has now reached another milestone with the opening of this facility."

"The BRAVA Hub will provide an important opportunity for our members to see solutions operating at pilot scale, explore practical approaches to challenges faced on-site and help accelerate the adoption and continued development of commercially viable pathways that can be applied across not only the red meat sector but all agriculture industries."

Director of Tessele Consultants Dr Fabiana Tessele said the Hub was about turning innovation into real-world outcomes.

"Too often, promising technologies struggle to move beyond the laboratory. BRAVA provides the missing link by giving industry access to a facility where solutions can be tested under real operating conditions, reducing risk and accelerating adoption," she said.

"Our vision is to help industries view waste differently. That is, not as something to dispose of but as a valuable resource that can produce renewable energy, recover water and nutrients, reduce emissions and improve operational resilience."

IMAGE: Wayne Crofts, Craig Mostyn Group; AMPC's Lauren Smith; WA Minister for Agriculture and Food, Fisheries, Forestry, Small Business and the Mid West, Jackie Jarvis and Tessele Consultants' Fabiana Tessele at the opening of the BRAVA Hub.