AMPC is investing in research with Swinburne University of Technology and iMOVE Australia to assess options in the transition to cleaner fuels, and more efficient processes, for heavy transport vehicles used in the red meat processing industry.
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, the emissions associated with supply chain logistics need to be monitored, managed and reduced. The first step in this process is to determine a baseline environmental footprint for red meat industry heavy vehicle transport tasks.
This project is a first for the red meat processing industry and will help track emissions for heavy vehicles outside the processing facility. It will use artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things technologies to obtain and analyse data.
Using this data, options for more efficient and low emissions methods of transport, driving and route characteristics, vehicle modifications, alternative fuels, and new technologies will be determined.
AMPC Program Manager Matthew Deegan said, “Currently, the assumptions used for fuel efficiency, transport emissions, and clean-tech investment in heavy trucks, are largely unverified in Australia. Limited domestic studies have captured and analysed real-world data.
“We have partnered with Swinburne University of Technology, who work with iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre, to develop and trial a Data-integrated Visualization and Analytics (DiVA) platform that will work alongside an onboard diagnosis system. It will also integrate with a separately installed real-time exhaust emissions monitoring device.”
Swinburne University of Technology, Associate Professor Hadi Ghaderi said, "Our journey towards freight decarbonisation is complex, lacking many data related to Australian heavy transport tasks.”
“In the coming years, it will become critical for this data to be collected as some international markets will require exporters to more accurately measure, disclose, and manage product emissions across their supply chains.”
Associate Professor Jiong Jin, an AI expert from Swinburne, said, “We will use the data from both on-board and exhaust monitoring systems to create an AI-based predictive model to determine representative heavy transport emissions baselines for red meat processor supply chains.”
As part of the project, two Australian red meat processors, which own and manage their truck fleets, will trial the system.
Midfield Meat International Environmental Manager Malerie Janes said, “We welcomed the teams from AMPC and Swinburne to our processing plant this month to pre-trial the solution and assess its suitability to our heavy vehicle fleet.
“We volunteered to be part of the project to support the industry in gaining insights into heavy vehicle emissions.”
For more information about the project, visit the iMOVE website at:
https://imoveaustralia.com/project/clean-fuels-lower-emissions-in-red-meat-processing-transport/