A new biofuels laboratory has recently opened in Gladstone that will allow researchers to test green fuels locally as well as provide a high profile boost to Queensland’s biofuel industry.

Local research for a growing local industry

The new Southern Oils laboratory has received funding from ARENA, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the opening of the facility represents Australia’s first laboratory built specifically to test biocrude and biofuel.

The green fuels laboratory will help biofuels producers determine the best way to produce commercial biofuel from biocrude - which uses a number of organic materials such as timber waste, wastewater and agricultural waste, all of which are generated in and around the central Queensland region.

We won’t go too far into the technical detail, but essentially biocrude is the green fuels equivalent of crude oil, although it’s a 100% synthetic fuel rather than a fossil fuel. Biocrude is extracted from biomass (biologically produced matter). First-generation green fuels are derived directly from biomass sources such as sugar cane and corn starch as the sugars in these forms of biomass can be fermented to create bioethanol. Second-generation biofuels use non-food-based biomass sources, such as agricultural waste, wastewater and even municipal waste. These sources are known as lignocellulosic biomass – which is not edible – and can be converted to biocrude using pyrolysis and thermochemical conversion.

The biofuels laboratory in Gladstone is a critical component of the research that is currently being conducted around the world to determine the most successful methods of making biocrude compatible with existing refinery technology.

In a statement released by ARENA to announce the opening of the laboratory, CEO Ivor Frischknecht said ARENA’s mission is to enable the uptake of more renewable energy sources by driving innovation and commercialisation:

“The Australian commercial biofuel industry is in its infancy but its potential is significant. It could, for example, see plant waste from our sizeable agricultural industries turned into green fuels for use domestically or for export to meet aviation, shipping and defence demands,” he said.

As the global fuel industry continues to develop innovative ways to produce and refine commercial-grade green fuels, Bulk Fuel Australia continues to look at the ways we can use innovation to provide the best quality fuel for our customers. One example is our Final Filtered Diesel^®, which uses HYDAC’s superior diesel filtration units – fitted to each tanker in our fleet – to remove small particles from diesel fuel, resulting in a fuel cleanliness level that surpasses the Australian fuel industry standard.

For bulk fuel and on-site refuelling solutions that meet your business needs, contact us today on 1300 57 9990.

Read more: Media release: Accelerating the shift to a vibrant Australian biofuels industry