Potential growth for Australian biofuels and bioproducts

A range of biologically-based products — from speciality chemicals to biodegradable plastics and packaging materials produced from plants instead of petroleum — offers new opportunities for Australian farmers.

‘Biobased Products — Opportunities for Australian agricultural industries’ is one of four new reports from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) that present a comprehensive picture of the current status and future prospects for Australia’s biofuels and biobased product industries.

The reports were launched by RIRDC chair Mary Boydell. The reports examine a range of issues relevant to government and policy makers, the biofuels, agricultural and livestock industries, scientists and consumers.

“Research into the development of Australia’s biofuel and bioproducts industries has become an integral part of determining and securing our nation’s energy future,” Boydell said.

“We are particularly keen to identify new biobased industries that will complement, rather than compete with, food production.

“There has been a strong focus on finding alternatives to fossil fuels for energy, but there is also a range of products, like plastics, that are heavily reliant on petroleum. This research identifies potential replacements for fossil fuels with agricultural products like sugar, soybeans, woody crops and corn starch.”

CSIRO researcher Dr Deborah O’Connell, author of two of the reports, believes further research is required to determine the industry’s viability in Australia.

“To secure a sustainable future we need to explore pathways that will lead us away from our dependence on oil and towards a more secure transport and manufacturing future with a lower greenhouse gas signature. Australia will require a consistent set of policies which address the issues of fuel security, cost and climate change in order to underpin such a transition,” Dr O’Connell said.

“We need to assess the potential of a range of new technologies for producing biofuels and other biobased products, including the economic and environmental impacts. It is vital that we explore options that give us a competitive advantage and provide opportunities for rural and regional sectors.”

RIRDC and the CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship have collaborated in addressing Australia’s knowledge gaps in biofuels and bioproducts to produce this set of reports:

• Biobased products — opportunities for Australian agricultural industries

• Biofuel co-products for livestock

• Bioenergy, Bioproducts and Energy — a framework for research and development

• Biofuels in Australia — some economic and policy considerations