BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA — JBS Australia announced on Aug. 26 that it completed the installation of a bioenergy system at its Beef City Processing Facility in Toowoomba.

The company said that the system captures naturally occurring biogas and reuses it on-site to reduce the equivalent of 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

According to JBS, Beef City plans to reduce its volume of natural gas use on-site by replacing it with up to 10,000 cubic meters of biogas per production day. 

“We’re proud to officially unveil Beef City’s bioenergy system, which is one of two completed renewable infrastructure projects for the JBS Northern business after Dinmore that was completed in 2014,” said Brendan Tatt, chief operating officer of JBS Northern. “It’s a win-win design that reuses a naturally occurring waste product to replace a considerable volume of natural, which is great for both cost and emissions management.”

Justin McCormick, plant manager of Beef City Processing for JBS, stated that the bioenergy system has already contributed to reducing the complex’s emissions.

“Since commencing operations, the bioenergy system keeps proving its worth in Beef City as we use more and more biogas each day as a lower carbon energy,” McCormick said. “Thank you to our engineering team and our construction contractors, Energy 360, for your expertise and contribution towards building a system that revolutionizes our waste management and energy usage. We’re pleased to see it making a tangible impact already.”

The system in Australia is one of two projects representing a A$11.1 million investment into bioenergy infrastructure, with JBS Southern recently completing a bioenergy system at its Scone Processing Plant. The completed systems will contribute to an annual reduction of approximately 57,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions across both sites.

JBS Australia partnered with AGL-owned biogas handling company Energy360 to install bioenergy infrastructure that enables a circular wastewater treatment process.  

The system uses two gas-tight pond covers installed over pre-existing anaerobic wastewater lagoons, allowing naturally occurring biogas to be captured and redirected for production heat. JBS noted that the cover prevents waste odor from entering the atmosphere. 

The inclusion of a de-sulphuration system underneath the lagoon covers allowed for more oxygen to be introduced, lessening the production of other hazardous gases, according to JBS Australia.

“We’re proud to have partnered with JBS Australia on this circular project and to see how JBS has embraced biogas,” said Ryan Warburton, AGL group manager. “At AGL, we are committed to supporting our large commercial and industrial customers decarbonize the way they work, with JBS embracing biogas to support their sustainability goals, reduce their emissions and help lower costs.”