• Anaerobic digestion is increasingly being used to recycle organic by-products to produce renewable energy and nutrient-rich biofertiliser around the world, making a dual contribution to emission reductions and soil health.
• Australia lacks tailored digestate regulations, limiting its use as a biofertiliser and creating uncertainty for investors and farmers.
• This project will map and benchmark Australia’s regulatory framework against international best practice to develop fit-for-purpose standards.
• Real-world testing of red meat by-products will provide the science-based evidence needed to support new regulations. A new research project has been initiated to clarify and modernise the rules and regulations surrounding the use of digestate, a nutrient-rich by-product from the anaerobic digestion process, within Australia.

Led by Tessele Consultants in collaboration with RACE for 2030, the Queensland University of Technology, and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, the project will map Australia’s current regulatory framework across all states and territories, benchmarking them against leading international jurisdictions.

Anaerobic digestion is increasingly being utilised to recycle organic by-products to produce renewable energy and nutrient-rich biofertiliser. However, the lack of tailored digestate regulations often results in digestate being managed under guidelines designed for human biosolids, limiting its agricultural use and creating uncertainty for investors, regulators, and users of digestate-derived fertilisers.

This project will aim to address these challenges through extensive testing of biofertilisers produced from pilot-scale anaerobic digestion of red meat by-products. Through assessment of key indicators, including nutrient content, pathogen presence, and emerging areas of concern such as PFAS and other contaminants, the project will create a robust evidence-based regulatory submission package to support the development of fit-for-purpose biofertiliser standards in Australia.

“Right now, Australia has the technology to convert organic by-products from food industries into renewable energy and valuable fertiliser products. What’s missing are clear, science-based regulatory pathways to support biofertiliser production and give confidence to regulators, farmers, and investors.” – Dr. Fabiana Tessele, Chief Investigator.

About RACE for 2030 CRC

Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy (RACE) for 2030 is an industry led cooperative research centre established in 2020 with $68.5M of Commonwealth funding.

With over 120 partners who cover the whole value chain from end user back to network, technology companies, governments, and many of Australia’s leading energy researchers. We are investing $350m of resources over 10 years to catalyse lower energy costs and a substantial reduction in carbon emissions. www.racefor2030.com.au

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