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Friday, 07/29/2011 9:29:14 PM

Friday, July 29, 2011 9:29:14 PM

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“In a world first, the consortium will use innovative fast pyrolysis technology developed by Dynamotive”

http://atwonline.com/eco-aviation/news/virgin-australia-engages-biofuel-development-partnership-0718

News from ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today: Virgin Australia announced that it is partnering with Sydney-based Renewable Oil Corp., Vancouver-based Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. and Australia’s Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that benefits the Australian farming community and the environment.
In a world first, the consortium will use innovative fast pyrolysis technology developed by Dynamotive to process mallees, a eucalypt tree that can be grown sustainably in many parts of Australia.
The partnership brings together companies with special expertise in growing, harvesting and processing feedstock into aviation fuel to support the development of a full scale commercial plant in Western Australia.
Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti told ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today that “over the past few years Virgin Australia has been working with stakeholders across the industry to research and develop bio-derived renewable fuels that can be used to progressively replace conventional aviation fuels. We believe this new project has great potential given the results with the technology and the availability of this unique Australian feedstock.
“It is also particularly attractive to Virgin Australia because it aligns with our commitment to supporting the Australian economy and environment, and encouraging Australian innovation.”
Dynamotive has invested in excess of A$100 Million ($107 million) and more than 10 years of work in developing its fast pyrolysis technology from bench-scale through to commercial-scale plants in Canada.
The plants are equipped to make pyrolysis oil for fuels and also produce biochar, for soil improvement and carbon sequestration.
Dynamotive CEO Andrew Kingston said in a statement: “We are very excited to join Virgin Australia, Renewable Oil Corporation and the CRC in this initiative and provide our technology. We have a great opportunity to develop a sustainable industry in Western Australia capable of producing second generation fuels that do not require food sources and have positive effects in land and water management.”
Leading the commercialization of mallees is the CRC, a national R&D joint venture with experts in breeding, growing and harvesting these trees.
CRC CEO Kevin Goss said that its “research shows that mallees can be planted in balance with profitable crop and livestock production in Australia’s wheatbelt region. As well as becoming a source of biomass for renewable energy they offer protection from wind erosion, help to avoid dryland salinity and provide improved livestock shelter. They even provide habitat for native birds and mammals.”
More than 1,000 farmers have planted mallees in belts on their farms, mainly in Western Australia.
Later this year the CRC partnership will bring the world’s first hardwood biomass harvester to Western Australia for wide-scale demonstrations.
Renewable Oil, which identified the mallee tree as a promising biofuel feedstock, is Dynamotive’s Australian partner and develops biofuel projects in Australia.
The consortium is finalizing plans for a demonstration unit that will make bio-fuels for testing, certification and public trials. The demonstration unit is intended to be operational in 2012, followed by the construction of a commercial-scale plant, which could be operational as early as 2014.
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