Report Paints Bright Future for Second-generation Biofuels

The report provides an encouraging outlook for second generation biofuels that could reduce Australia's reliance on oil, add value to agricultural industries without impacting on food crops and develop new opportunities for rural communities.

Future Biofuels for Australia, produced by CSIRO for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), provides an outline of the current state of lignocellulosics, or second generation, biofuel development in Australia and highlights areas in need of further research.

Second generation biofuels use non-food plant materials such as wheat straw, sugar cane bagasse, native grasses, plantation waste, newsprint, wood and cotton trash as their feedstock. These products can be specifically harvested or diverted from landfill into biofuel production.

RIRDC’s General Manager, New Rural Industries, Dr Roslyn Prinsley, said the report concludes that while more research needs to be done, the signs are encouraging.

"Internationally there is significant funding being put into these technologies, from basic research and development through to pilot and commercial scale plants," Dr Prinsley said.

"Australia has a modern, technologically savvy farm sector that could benefit from the development of new regional industries based around non-food biofuel crops.

"Rural communities also have the opportunity to explore options for growing energy crops such as oil mallees and woody shrubs and perennials on underutilised or less-productive land. New jobs could also be created in rural areas from these industries. Perennial species also have environmental benefits such as salinity prevention and native species can have biodiversity benefits."

Report authors, CSIRO's Dr Victoria Haritos and Dr Andrew Warden from the Energy Transformed Flagship, said Australia was well placed for a lignocellulosic biofuels industry.

"The advantages of having a lignocellulosic biofuels industry are that the source materials are relatively cheap, domestically available, are less likely to divert resources from food production and can add value to existing rural industries and commodities."

Dr Haritos said Australia's efforts in developing second-generation biofuels were modest by international standards and the report identifies areas where further research is needed, including:

• Biomass availability and sustainable harvest;
• Potential for new biofuel crops;
• Pre-treatment and processing technologies;
•  
• Life cycle assessment and technical and economic modelling; and Integrated biorefineries where biobased products such as plastics, packaging, chemicals from lignin and sugar, char, and plant oil can be produced alongside biofuels and bioenergy.

The report is available online at www.rirdc.gov.au/new.html. Further information can also be found at http://csiro.au/science/SecondGenBiofuels.html.

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