What is this tool intended for?

The Digital Tool is designed to help red meat processors assess wastewater treatment and waste management solutions through a resource recovery lens. It enables decision-makers to evaluate the feasibility of integrated wastewater treatment systems that recover water, generate biogas, and produce biofertilizers. The tool supports compliance with increasingly strict environmental regulations and helps the industry transition towards circular economy practices.

How does this tool work?

The tool operates through a user-friendly web-based interface where users input key facility data, including wastewater characteristics, solid waste generation, and energy use. Based on this information, the tool provides a rapid assessment of potential treatment and recovery options. The tool applies process modelling and economic analysis to estimate capital and operating costs, return on investment, and carbon offsetting potential. It includes three key output categories: system classification, resource recovery potential, and economic feasibility. Users can generate reports summarizing the assessment for internal decision-making. The tool was developed using real case studies from Australian red meat processors and was validated under local regulatory and climatic conditions.

Who might use this tool and with which types of stakeholders?

The tool is primarily designed for red meat processors, industry consultants, and decision-makers responsible for wastewater and waste management. It is also relevant for regulatory bodies, sustainability managers, and researchers working on circular economy approaches in the food processing sector. While it was designed for use by meat processing industry, it provides insights for wastewater treatment and resource recovery in other industrial contexts.

What stages of a process can this tool support?

The Digital Tool supports early-stage planning and design of wastewater treatment and resource recovery facilities. It helps processors explore different treatment configurations and assess the economic and environmental viability of various options before committing to infrastructure investments. It can also support compliance planning by helping processors align with evolving environmental regulations.

What skills, capabilities, and resources are required to use this tool?

Users need a basic understanding of wastewater treatment processes and waste management practices. The tool is designed to be accessible without requiring technical expertise in process modelling. However, to maximize its effectiveness, users should have facility-specific data on wastewater characteristics, solid waste generation, and energy use.

Where can this tool be used?

The tool was designed for use by Australian red meat processors but has potential applicability in other food processing industries facing similar wastewater management and resource recovery challenges. It can be used in urban, regional, and rural settings where wastewater treatment and resource recovery solutions are needed.

Case examples of where this tool has been used

The tool was developed and validated using real case studies from seven red meat processing plants in Australia. These case studies represented a range of facility sizes and wastewater strengths, allowing the tool to be tested under different operating conditions. The assessments demonstrated that integrating anaerobic digestion with wastewater treatment can significantly reduce environmental impacts while generating valuable by-products such as recycled water, biogas, and biofertilizers.