Landholders invited to contribute woody weed biomass to renewable energy plan

The idea to harvest and convert prickly acacia into renewable fuel and other byproducts comes from the Frontier Impact Group, a climate solutions advisory and investment firm based in Melbourne.

The group's managing director, Jennifer Lauber Paterson has been working with North Queensland contact Sandra Richards to coordinate the project in the region, and this week announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Flinders Shire Council to conduct a feasibility study into harvesting prickly acacia and other weeds for the project.

According to Flinders Shire CEO Hari Boppudi, it represented a technology solution that could convert prickle bush, chinee apple and leucaena into 'green diesel'.

"Although the project produces sustainable fuels, at its core it's a woody weed removal and a land restoration project," he said.

It was announced in September that Australia's first renewable diesel biorefinery would be built in Narrogin, Western Australia by FutureEnergy Australia - a joint venture between Renuleum, Frontier Impact Group's renewable fuels business, and Carnarvon Energy Ltd.

The Western Australian government provided a $2 million grant towards the planning, construction and commissioning of that project.

Ms Lauber Paterson said the sessions set down this week in Townsville, Charters Towers, Hughenden, Woodstock and Ayr would gauge the interest of landholders in supplying the feedstock.

"Part of the feasibility is about how we access the biomass, harvest it and transport it," she said "The economics are based on how far you have to travel so we need to find appropriate sites."

FIG plans to utilise internationally demonstrated high temperature pyrolysis to produce syngas, which would then be distilled into renewable fuel, along with biochar and wood vinegar byproducts.

"We've done an international scan of technology and for this material, this process has the highest outcomes," Ms Lauber Paterson said. "It's also commercially viable at scale, not a pilot."

The technology comes from the US and one biorefinery would convert a minimum of 55,000 dry tonnes of woody biomass into approximately 18 million litres of renuleum.

Unlike oil-based biodiesel, it can be used as a direct replacement in trucks, tractors or other transportation without the need for blending or capital expenditure to upgrade or modify vehicles.

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Ms Lauber Paterson said everything was looking good after preliminary feasibility work and the information meetings were the next step.

"It's most likely that there'll be two or more biorefineries," she said. "A number of different feedstocks can be used, even construction and demolition waste, and we could go down the track of municipality waste one day."

There is also potential for supply of bioenergy crops to the project.

The plan has the support of Flinders Shire Mayor Jane McNamara and Kennedy MP Bob Katter, who coined the phrase "cane toads of the plant world" to describe the woody weeds that have taken over grazing land across the north west.

"Many people simply do not appreciate how big a problem woody weeds have become for people up here," Mr Katter said. "There are now around 12 million hectares of heavily infested country, more than half the size of Victoria."

Sandra Richards said the project would put Hughenden, the Flinders Shire and Townsville on the map for other local governments to follow.

"Many are concerned about similar issues with woody weeds and seeking a circular economy solution for biomass waste streams," she said. "The feasibility study will hopefully pave the way for renewable fuels to be produced locally at commercial scale in Hughenden, Townsville and other parts of tropical North Queensland."

One plant would create 55 direct jobs and over 120 jobs indirectly, according to Ms Lauber Paterson.

Once the feasibility study is complete, there is a potential for it to be live in early 2025.

This week's meetings will inform landholders, answer questions and provide an opportunity for landholders to express interest in providing biomass as feedstock.

MEETING DATES