Program Overview

Strategies and Expectations

Key strategies for 2010-11

Sustainability

• Investigate the agricultural benefits of green manuring of leaf biomass from bioenergy crops.

Biomass Resource

• Scope and compare new crop options for increasing feedstock production and research the development of highly prospective options for future feedstocks for biofuels
• Assess potential short rotation woody bioenergy crops for subtropical and tropical dryland where there are large areas of low productivity farmland
• Establishment of the feasibility of producing biodiesel from locally grown mustard in northern NSW and development of suitable germplasm
• Evaluate feasibility of agave as a feedstock for biofuel production in Australia
• Evaluate the biomass potential of some Australian native grasses.

Conversion technologies

• Develop a research investment framework to identify the most likely technologies to deliver a competitive advantage to Australian industries, and maximise their benefits across economic and environmental value chains
• Assess novel technology to generate biofuels and chemicals.

Match feedstock production with cost effective conversion technologies

• Identify appropriate combinations of biomass feedstocks, renewable energy products and conversion processes that maximise major elements of the potential triple bottom line benefits to the Australian economy.

Logistics

• Assess and develop optimal harvest, handling, supply and processing requirements for a sustainable mallee industry.

Outreach

• Development of a fully integrated intellectual property landscape for biofuels that includes patent information, copyright and business analysis
• Facilitate the adoption of biomass co-firing for power generation
• Develop an integrated series of industry and grower protocols to assist the establishment and development of a sustainable renewable energy industry based on multiple harvests of mallee plantations
• Maximise the research networking and coordination role of Bioenergy Australia.

Bioenergy Australia

• Convene national Bioenergy Australia conference
• Convene three day-long forums of the Bioenergy Australia membership
• Issue three Bioenergy Australia Newsletters
• Participate in five IEA Bioenergy, (http://www.ieabioenergy.com) tasks during 2009, and recommit to ongoing Tasks participation in consultation with the Bioenergy Australia Membership for three years from 2010-12. Current tasks are:
  • Task 30 - Short Rotation Crops for Bioenergy Systems
  • Task 34 - Pyrolysis of Biomass
  • Task 38 - Greenhouse gas balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems
  • Task 39 - Commercialising First and Second Generation Biofuels from Biomass
  • Task 40 - Biorefineries: Co-production of Fuels, Chemicals, Power and Materials from Biomass.
• Produce a biomass/bioenergy strategic implementation report
• Produce a ‘Biomass energy production in Australia' report.

Expected key outputs for 2010-11

• Final reports on:
  • commercial potential of giant reed for pulp/paper and biofuel production
  • evaluating biodiesel potential of Australian native plants
  • demonstration of market delivery of biodiesel from Indian mustard in NW NSW
• Improved mustard germplasm for commercialisation and sale to growers.

Expected key outcomes for 2010-11

• Initiation of the establishment of an effective biodiesel industry in the Northern Grains region based on mustard
• Informed policy makers and industry as to the requirements for a sustainability framework for biobased products in Australia
• A national Bioenergy Australia conference on Bioenergy and Bioproducts
• Quarterly meetings/forum of Bioenergy Australia members
• Publication of final reports uploaded to RIRDC website and disseminated to key industry stakeholders.