Food Innovation Australia Limited is delighted to announce Gekko Systems as the recipient
of a $900,000 Project Fund grant. Gekko Systems will be using this funding to support the
widespread introduction of their unique multistage, modular biodigester across the food
and agribusiness industry.
Traditionally, Gekko Systems functions as a mineral processing company with expertise in
engineering and modular design. The organisation was approached by a business which
had been running a biodigester on its piggery for 30 years. The result of this partnership is
their biodigester division – Gaia EnviroTech – and their biodigester, which transforms
livestock waste into renewable energy in the form of electricity and heat. Most
importantly, the system is quick to install, low cost and modular in design and therefore
both adaptable and easily scalable.
Biodigesters convert organic waste into biogas, which can be used to generate electricity.
They provide clean, green energy and an environmentally sound solution for the
management of livestock manure on farms that reduces the global emissions of damaging
greenhouse gases. This technology has the added advantage of being able to decrease onfarm energy costs and increase revenues through the sale of energy and fertilizer made
from the biodigester by-products.
Gekko Systems now wants to expand its application to include not only livestock manure
but all organic wastes. FIAL’s funding will help Gekko Systems develop a lab and
relocatable pilot plant system that will predict the performance of a full-scale, multistage
facility. Additionally, it will provide businesses with best practices for optimising the biogas
outcomes from the system, information on associated technologies for enhancing
operational performance, and a community of practice for sharing information.
Richard Goldberg of Gekko Systems is eager to get this phase of the project up and
running.
“Gaia EnviroTech’s modular biodigester offers businesses a commercial advantage through
the repurposing of their waste streams. Our consortium has been looking for a way in
which we can proliferate this technology throughout the food and agribusiness industry in
Australia. With FIAL’s funding, we are able to bring the benefits of this technology to
them,” Goldberg said.
Gekko Systems consortium includes Enwave Australia, who specialise in providing bespoke district energy and water solutions. “What is particularly exciting about this pilot project is that the biodigester has a reasonably small footprint, is scalable and can be tailored to the end-user. As a waste to energy solution for small to mid-sized food and agri-business waste streams, it is an exciting innovation. We are looking forward to learning more about this technology and its potential benefits for our customers as part of the pilot project,” said Cameron Evans, CEO of Enwave Australia.
Through the Growth Centre Project Fund, FIAL has committed over $9m across 40
collaborative projects since 2015. The Project Fund is designed to help Australian food and
agribusinesses develop real-world innovation solutions to challenges faced by the industry.
Barry McGookin, FIAL’s general manager of Innovation, said, “FIAL’s Project Fund
provides strategic connections between researchers and business, so they can work
together to overcome real challenges. Gekko Systems can bring breakthrough results with
their engineering expertise, and it’s exciting to work with them and other innovative
Australian food and agribusinesses to help them adopt this fantastic new technology.”