Ryan Group Anaerobic Biodigester

Ryan Group Anaerobic Biodigester is an industrial wastewater management project located approximately 17km southwest of Yarrawonga in northern Victoria [1]. It was registered in February 2025 and covers an unknown project area [1].

Industrial wastewater projects involve treating organic wastewater using anaerobic digesters to capture biogas. Standard requirements dictate that the captured biogas (methane) must be combusted, such as in a boiler or flare, and projects must continuously monitor the volume and methane concentration of the gas to calculate the resulting emissions reduction and verify the system's efficiency.

The northern Victoria area is widely known for intensive agriculture, dairy farming, cropping, and grazing. The area is considered temperate to semi-arid with moderate annual rainfall, and the soils are generally red-brown earths (Sodosols) and cracking clays (Vertosols) characteristic of the Goulburn and Murray Valley regions [2].

This project was set up to install anaerobic digesters to replace deep open anaerobic lagoons that were previously treating industrial wastewater at the Ryan Meat Company processing facility [1]. The biogas generated is collected and combusted using a boiler to displace conventional energy use [1]. Furthermore, on March 24, 2025, the project varied its methodology to update to Compilation No. 3 of the 2015 Wastewater Determination [1]. The proponent, Ryan Meat Company, is a family-owned business established in 1948 that specialises in red meat processing and export, making this project a key step in mitigating the environmental impact of their ongoing abattoir operations [1].