Queensland sugar cane waste and wood waste could be turned into sustainable aviation fuel.
That’s thanks to a $159,000 grant from the Palaszczuk Government’s $5 million Waste to Biofutures (W2B) Fund.
Speaking from the Bio Based Aviation and Marine Fuels Summit in Gladstone, state development minister Cameron Dick says the grant will support a research project being undertaken by Gevo Inc, a global producer of low-carbon renewable fuels.
“Gevo supplied the renewable fuel used in Virgin Australia’s trial of sustainable aviation fuel at Brisbane Airport which was completed in June last year,” he says.
“This new research project will see Gevo collaborate with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to turn Queensland sugar cane waste and wood waste into sustainable jet fuel.
“Sustainable aviation fuel provides an alternative to fossil-based jet fuel and offers environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint of plane travel.
“This project will also help position Queensland as a world-leading location for investment in the manufacture and distribution of this fuel in the global bioproducts and services market.”
Gevo’s participation in the successful sustainable aviation fuel trial at the Brisbane Airport led to the company considering Queensland for its first biorefinery outside of the United States, Dick adds.
Gevo chief executive Dr Patrick Gruber says Queensland is rich in renewable biomass resources and he is keen to invest in the future of biofuels.
“This opportunity opens the door for the development of a project that supplies low carbon gasoline to not only Queensland, but also the possibility to supply commercial quantities of 2G sustainable aviation fuel to the Brisbane Airport.
“This would expand upon our demonstrations of sustainable aviation fuel supply to commercial airlines, like those conducted with Virgin Australia.”
QUT and project lead professor Robert Speight says the project is an opportunity to further leverage QUT’s expertise in scaling and commercialising industrial bioprocesses.
“With our state’s large sugar resources, strong innovation, environment and growing demand for renewable products like sustainable fuels, Queensland is well placed for the commercial development of these industries.”
The Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan is positioning the state as an Asia-Pacific hub for the industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector, Dick says.
“Our Waste to Biofutures Fund is helping create a $1 billion sustainable and export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector here in Queensland.”
