Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) appointed Golder Associates Pty Ltd (Golder) on 18 March 2009 to carry out a review of the availability and reliability of geomembrane covers to anaerobic ponds treating meat processing plant effluent in Australia.

Anaerobic ponds utilize microorganism to break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic process). The anaerobic process results in solids, liquor or effluent and biogas. The composition of the effluent and biogas will vary depending on the input materials. Generally, the effluent has high concentrations of FOG and the biogas has high concentrations of methane.