$11m macro algae biofuels project in development

Industrial waste emissions innovator MBD Energy has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement of a $5 million grant to James Cook University (JCU) to help develop a macroalgae to biocrude oil project. The project ‘Macroalgal Biofuels and Bioproducts - Towards High Energy Algal Fuels’ will also leverage a further $6 million from MBD Energy and the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC), taking total funding to around $11 million.

Visiting the MBD Energy pilot facility at JCU, the Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, said advanced biofuels have the potential to play a role in diversifying Australia’s liquid fuel sources while reducing carbon emissions.

Bruce Grey, Managing Director of AMCRC, explained the benefits of macroalgae.

“Macroalgae offer exceptional opportunities for the supply of biomass feedstock for biocrude,” he said. “It is a substance produced using non-arable land and thus does not compete with food production. Carbon is also captured during the production process by photosynthesis.

“The project is about the innovative and effective use of macroalgal biomass optimised for the generation of high-energy biocrude that can form a future base for the production of fuels for use in the aviation, mining and marine industries.”

MBD Energy’s Manager Director, Andrew Lawson, has also noted that the “extremely fast growing” macroalgae “can also help remediate heavy metals and nutrient contaminated industrial wastewater such as that found in ash dams at power stations”.

“We believe that macroalgae present an attractive feedstock for carbon capture and recycling-based biocrude production to enable sustainable downstream production of mainstream fuels,” Lawson said.

The initial focus of the project is upon delivery of R&D underpinning optimised biomass productivity and critically, biomass organic yields for biocrude production using hydrothermal processes.

A second stage of the program will enable MBD Energy to demonstrate commercial-scale production and processing of macroalgal biomass and provide the blueprint to support and implement cost-effective, large-scale macro algal production and for its development as a viable feedstock.

Along with MBD Energy and JCU, the project also involves the University of Sydney and its commercial partner Licella. R&D leaders Professor Rocky de Nys and Dr Nicholas Paul from JCU bring a strong background in algal biology and chemistry and biomass production and related research spanning more than 35 years. Professors Thomas Maschmeyer and Brian Haynes from the University of Sydney, together covering more than 30 years in the chemical process engineering and hydrothermal conversion space, will lead the biocrude research. MBD’s Scott Grierson and his team will provide engineering expertise for the projects.

“The AMCRC Macroalgal Biomass project is about providing fossil fuel offsets plus potential increased energy, food and water security,” said Lawson.