A research hub at The University of Queensland is converting plant waste into carbon-based compounds like jet fuel.
Director of the ARC Research Hub for Engineering Plants to Replace Fossil Carbon, Associate Professor Karine Chenu, says the team is focusing on creating better inputs for processing.
Chenu says most of the research investment in this space has shown that processing plant biomass into aviation biofuels or other bioproducts is technically viable and should be done.
“But the price of sustainable aviation fuel is still typically two or three times the price of standard jet fuel and no one wants the price of flying to go up,” the Associate Professor says.
“We need to make the more environmentally desirable option at a price that’s competitive.
“As processing methods are already in place, one of the Hub’s main focuses is on using new scientific capabilities to improve plant biomass, making it easier to process.”
By understanding and modifying the biosynthesis and composition of plant cell walls, the research team will increase the proportion of carbon that can be converted to a final product, whether that be a fuel or a biomaterial, Chenu adds.
Hub Chief Investigator Emeritus Professor Robert Henry says having a product that is easier to process, cost effective, and sustainable is where future gains could be made.
For example, with sugarcane only 20-25% of the carbon in the bagasse can be converted to carbon in the fuel, Henry says, adding the aim is to increase that to 50%.
“We can see a path to producing sustainable aviation fuel at a price that’s competitive with the fossil product, which would greatly accelerate adoption,” Henry says.
Launched in November, the ARC Research Hub is a collaborative structure in partnership with industry in Australia and internationally is designed to support innovation and deliver practical outcomes.
It has partners across the whole value chain from spatial genomics and technology companies to the farm and potential processors.
The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation is a research institute at The University of Queensland, established with and supported by the Department of Primary Industries.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
