Trigg Farm Biodigester (Revoked)

Trigg Farm Biodigester (Revoked) was a waste-to-energy project located at A.J. Trigg Farm in Bungaree, approximately 12km east of Ballarat, Victoria. Registered in April 2017, the project was a prototype initiative led by Gekko Systems, a Ballarat-based mining services company that diversified into agriculture through its division, Gaia EnviroTech. The project was situated on a property unique for operating both a robotic dairy and a commercial seed potato business.

The project operated under the "Destruction of Methane Generated from Dairy Manure in Covered Anaerobic Ponds" methodology. This method credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by capturing biogas, specifically methane, released during the anaerobic decomposition of dairy effluent. Instead of allowing this potent gas to vent into the atmosphere from open ponds, the system captures it in a covered biodigester. The captured methane is then combusted, typically to generate electricity or heat, converting it into less harmful carbon dioxide.

Bungaree lies within a high-rainfall region of the Central Highlands, characterized by rich, fertile volcanic (basalt) soils. These environmental conditions are ideal for the area's intensive agriculture, particularly the potato and dairy farming operations found at the project site.

A notable aspect of this project was its status as a cross-industry innovation. Gekko Systems utilized engineering expertise from the mining sector to design a modular biodigester for the farm. The unit was intended to process 24,000 liters of effluent daily to help power the farm's robotic dairy. The project's revocation in July 2022 likely signals the conclusion of the pilot phase or a transition in the operational structure of the biodigester trial.