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The farm animal and meat processing industry generate waste, including manure, fat, blood, sludge, bones, and wastewater, which create environmental problems worldwide. The effluents generated by this industry are rich in proteins, lipids, fibres, and carbohydrates. All these pollutants have the potential to be used as a resource for energy recovery. The organic matters obtained from the farm animal and meat processing industry are critical sources for biogas production via anaerobic digestion. This process leads to the production of energy-rich biogas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study attempts to determine biogas amount and the energy value produced from the farm animal and meat processing industry in Australia. Australia's livestock population mainly consists of dairy cattle, meat cattle, sheep and lambs, pigs, layers, and meat chickens. Results show a potential biogas amount of 23,874,165 million m3 (Mm3), 215,670 Mm3, 288,228 Mm3, 18,430 Mm3, and 392,284 Mm3 can be obtained from cattle, lamb, sheep, pig, and poultry annually, respectively. The methane generated from slaughterhouse waste and wastewater is estimated to provide 4.52E+ 14 MJ/yr of heat energy with total electricity generation potential from livestock wastes of 4.4E+ 13 kWh/yr. About half of the electricity can be generated in Queensland State. Finally, the present study suggests farm animal and meat processing industry effluent as a potential sustainable energy source in Australia. [Display omitted] • Technologies for biogas production from slaughterhouse waste is presented. • Utilizing biogas as a source of power and value-added products are discussed. • Slaughterhouse waste and wastewater is a promising renewable energy source. • Biogas from slaughterhouse waste and wastewater reduces GHG emission significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study critically reviewed the prospects, feedstocks and challenges of biodiesel production from two non-edible oil sources, namely Beauty leaf oil (BLT) ( Calophyllum inophyllum ) and Castor oil ( Ricinus communis ). The recent developments and the lifecycle assessment (LCA) of these species such as their habitat, growth, oil content, free fatty acid profile and biodiesel characteristics are briefly discussed. Different oil extraction techniques and biodiesel conversion methods are also presented. The properties of the pure biodiesel and their blends are compared with petroleum diesel under different ASTM and European standards. Furthermore, the literatures on engine performance and emission studies using these biodiesels are reviewed and presented in tabular form. The review found that BLT oil can be catalytically transesterified to produce biodiesel as a potential alternative transport fuel in Australia. The review concludes that castor oil is not only an alternate fuel resource, but it also holds good lubricating properties and hence is a potential bio-lubricant source for internal combustion engines. Further research is needed on combustion, corrosion, tribo-corrosion, long term engine durability tests and tribological performance tests before recommending commercial scale biodiesel production from BLT oil and Castor oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a viable technique to address food waste (FW) problems by converting FW into sustainable energy. Despite the advantages of the AD process, large-scale AD plants like in Germany and the USA have not been developed in Australia. Therefore, this paper aims to study the technological, economic, and environmental feasibility of sustainable energy production from household FW in Australia. In addition, this paper discusses the different waste to energy (WtE) technologies along with the operational parameters as well as the challenges in developing a biogas plant. The energy and economic potential analysis of the AD process indicates that the processing of 10% FW from Australian states and territories can generate 1.22 GWh to 35.4 GWh electricity which can subsequently earn AUD 0.54 million to AUD 15.7 million revenue per year. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis indicates that conversion of the 10% of Australian FW has the potential to lower GHG emissions by 639,852 tonnes per annum. Hence, it can be said that FW plays a vital role as a promising source of sustainable energy and is capable of benefiting the country's economy significantly and reducing GHG emissions. • FW is a potential source of sustainable energy. • AD is a useful waste to energy process for producing clean energy. • Conversion of FW into energy can significantly lower GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Food waste is a potential source of sustainable gaseous biofuel. • Anaerobic digestion is an efficient technology to convert food waste into fuel. • Turning food waste into energy can assist the decarbonisation of the economy. • Converting food waste into sustainable fuel can significantly lower the GHG emission. Food waste is a type of organic waste generated by restaurants, food processing plants, households, and commercial and institutions. This study aims to assess the sustainable biofuel, electricity production and greenhouse gas emission reduction potential of food waste using anaerobic digestion technology. Food waste data was collected from the Australian government database to estimate the biomethane and biogas yield and to evaluate the opportunities to convert the biomethane into electricity and heat. This study found that food waste can yield 47% biomethane and hence for Australia, an estimated total of 0.07 million m3 to 1.54 million m3 of biogas can be produced and up to 414,898 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions reduced annually. The study also estimated that the generated biogas can replace fossil fuel-based electricity generation of up to 52.36 GW and 554.4 TJ heat per year. The environmental assessment indicated that the complete conversion of food waste can lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by up to 5,07,434 tonnes per year and Australia can earn about $52.38 M revenue from electricity production. Therefore, conversion of food waste into biofuel through the anaerobic digestion process can play a significant role in generating electricity from non-fossil-based sources, reducing GHG emissions and earning revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]