Green fuels lab opens in Gladstone

Australia’s first advanced green fuels laboratory opened its doors in regional Queensland last week, allowing researchers to test biocrude on our shores for the first time.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) contributed $2.37 million towards Southern Oil’s advanced biofuels laboratory in Gladstone, which is set to significantly advance the green-fuel industry in Australia. As noted by ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht, Australia boasts innovative biocrude development companies like Muradel and Licella but until now has had no facility to help them test and refine their products.

“ARENA is committed to helping accelerate the shift of new solutions like biofuels toward commercialisation and the Southern Oil laboratory is an important step that will enable local biofuel projects,” Frischknecht said.

“Australian researchers and developers from across the biofuels industry will now be able to conduct biocrude testing in Australia, rather than overseas, which fills a gap for the industry because it allows testing under local conditions and is faster and more cost-effective.

“The testing will be able to determine the viability of refining different kinds of biocrude, which can be made from biomass such as regional agricultural waste, into usable fuel.”

The lab will be available for use by any Australian biofuel company at no cost. It will also serve as a precursor for the $16 million Northern Oil Advanced Biofuels Pilot Plant — also based in Gladstone and proposed by Southern Oil earlier this year — which is scheduled to open in early 2017 and aims to produce one million litres of fuel.