An Australian poultry farmer is developing a system that could turn thousands of tonnes of chicken waste into electricity, fertiliser and natural food colouring, creating multiple products from a material that is commonly used as agricultural manure. Chris Freney, who operates a poultry farm in Toongabbie, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, has been exploring ways to extract energy and recover nutrients from poultry litter. His proposed larger facility is designed to process 35,000 tonnes of litter annually and generate enough electricity to meet the estimated needs of around 1,200 homes. The project combines anaerobic digestion, a process that produces biogas from organic material, with nutrient recovery and the cultivation of spirulina, an algae used to produce natural blue pigments.
How an Australian farmer plans to turn chicken waste into electricity
Freney’s approach centres on anaerobic digestion, in which microorganisms break down organic material in an oxygen-free environment, producing biogas and a nutrient-rich residue called digestate. Poultry litter contains more than manure: it also includes bedding materials such as wood shavings or sawdust, along with feathers and spilled feed.During digestion, organic matter produces biogas containing methane, which can be captured and burned in an engine connected to an electricity generator. The resulting power could supply the poultry operation, while surplus electricity could be exported to the grid.The process also leaves behind liquid and solid materials containing nutrients that can be recovered for agricultural use. Instead of treating the litter solely as waste or applying it directly to land, the system aims to extract energy and recover useful components before putting the remaining material to work.
A larger plant could process 35,000 tonnes annually
Freney’s farm reportedly produces about 10,000 tonnes of poultry litter each year. To supply the proposed larger facility, he would need to source additional material from other poultry farms, taking the planned annual input to 35,000 tonnes.Reports have put the proposed electricity-generation capacity at approximately 8 to 8.5 megawatts, with the output described as sufficient to power around 1,200 homes. The household figure is an estimate rather than a measurement of electricity already delivered to homes.Freney has said that the facility could use a substantial share of its electricity on the farm and sell the remainder. He has also discussed supplying power during evening peak-demand hours, when solar generation is unavailable.The project has an environmental development licence from the Environment Protection Authority Victoria. However, the published licence describes a configuration designed to process 15,000 tonnes of organic waste annually, with a 1.1-megawatt combined heat and power unit. These specifications differ from the larger capacity reported for the proposed expansion.The project’s final capacity, construction progress and commissioning status are therefore important to understanding how the larger proposal relates to the licensed facility.
The unusual plan to make natural blue food colouring
One of the project’s distinctive features is its proposed production of natural blue food colouring from spirulina, a blue-green microalga. Rather than turning chicken manure directly into a food ingredient, the process uses nutrients recovered from the waste to support algae cultivation.Spirulina can produce blue pigments, including phycocyanin, which is used as a natural colourant in certain food products. The algae must be harvested and processed to extract the pigment, with the resulting ingredient meeting applicable food-safety and quality requirements.This creates a potential additional revenue stream alongside electricity and fertiliser. It also illustrates how nutrient recovery can connect agricultural waste management with a separate industry.The commercial viability of this part of the project will depend on factors such as algae yields, processing costs, product quality and demand from food manufacturers.
Fertiliser offers another use for the waste
The residue left after anaerobic digestion contains nutrients that may be used to produce fertiliser. Recovering these nutrients can help return useful material to agriculture and reduce the amount of untreated waste requiring management.The environmental benefits depend on how the digestate is handled and applied. Appropriate storage, nutrient management and application rates remain important because excess nutrients can enter waterways through runoff. Anaerobic digestion also requires energy and can produce greenhouse gas emissions if methane escapes from the system.The approach is therefore best understood as a waste-recovery model that seeks to extract several useful products from poultry litter, rather than as a process that eliminates every environmental impact.
Why the project matters for Australian farming
Electricity is a significant operating expense for poultry farms, where heating, ventilation and other equipment must run to maintain suitable conditions for birds. Freney has previously invested in solar panels on his eight poultry sheds, reporting annual savings of about A$40,000 on energy bills.A biogas system could complement solar power by generating electricity from stored organic material, including during periods when sunlight is unavailable. Selling surplus power and recovering nutrients could provide additional sources of income.
