Burdekin Renewable Fuels is a local company owned by sugarcane growers that was formed in 2017 to explore the development of new products and sources of revenue from sugarcane.
Burdekin Renewable Fuels Chair Greg Rossato said, “Sugar crystal continues to be an important product and source of cashflow for the industry, but we are totally reliant upon it which is pure risk and whilst the price is great at the moment, this may not always be the case and can change quickly. For this reason, it is vital that the industry looks towards developing alternative products and markets to diversify our business revenues and enhance our long-term sustainability.”
Burdekin Renewable Fuels is actively pursuing diversification opportunities and is involved in several innovative projects that will diversify and enhance the sustainability of the sugarcane industry.
These projects include the pelletisation of tops and trash for export to Japan to co-fire in coal-fired power stations and the development of a contaminant removal system to reduce contaminant levels in tops and trash to enable further processing.
Tops and trash has also been provided to Licella as part of a feasibility study part funded by the Queensland Government's Biofutures program and was successfully converted into a synthetic crude oil or "biocrude". This biocrude was then upgraded to demonstrate that it was possible to manufacture a Sustainable Aviation Fuel from sugarcane residues. Further work is now being undertaken to have this pathway certified as a sustainable Jet Fuel.
Burdekin Renewable Fuels recently completed a techno-economic feasibility study funded by Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, Burdekin Renewable Fuels shareholders and Sugar Research Australia investigating taking the whole crop to make bioglycols and sustainable aviation fuels.
“It is important for growers to be actively involved in determining the future of their industry. Growers need to realise that they own the resource and the land on which it is grown and with the global push into renewables to reduce carbon emissions, the sugarcane industry is well placed to benefit from this shift which is gaining momentum by the day. Burdekin Renewable Fuels has been working with Simon Yim from SKY Renewables Pty Ltd for 5 years and we see the pelletisation option for power generation as a logical first step in diversifying revenue streams for growers and we can then build from there.” said Greg Rossato.
“The sugarcane industry with its sustainable biomass is ideally placed to help address climate change and meet the needs of new product markets emerging out of the bioeconomy. The sugarcane industry’s SugarPlus initiative is a positive step forward that provides the opportunity to open doors for the milling and growing sectors to work together on building a bright future for the industry and continue to underpin regional economies.”
Burdekin Renewable Fuels travelled to Japan to provide key stakeholders an update on their pelletisation project. Photo supplied
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