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Bio Energy

Mase crop

What is bioenergy?

Bioenergy is renewable energy produced from organic matter, or biomass.

Biomass includes agricultural crops, wood and wood wastes, fast-growing trees and plants, and industrial wastes.

Bioenergy technologies

 

Biochemical

Fermentation - alcohol

Traditionally this has been centred on the production of ethanol from sugars and starches using yeast. Current research is also extending to fermentation of lignocellulose by bacteria. Wood and agricultural wastes represent a potentially inexpensive raw material.

Digestion

Methane

This is most common and most economical via landfill gas reclamation, but also extracted and used in anaerobic sewage treatment plants. Methane is 21 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (weight for weight), so conversion with electricity production is environmentally sound.

Oil crops

Oil seed crops such as canola, soy and sunflower are used to produce biodiesel.

Thermal

  • Combustion
  • Gasification
  • Steam cycles
  • Gas engines
  • Flash Pyrolysis.

 

Narrogin bioenergy plant – Integrated Wood Processing demonstration plant

Western Australia's Wheatbelt town of Narrogin is home to an innovative project – the Integrated Wood Processing (IWP) demonstation plant.

The demonstration plant is trialling the co-production of three products from locally grown mallees: renewable electricity, activated carbon and eucalyptus oil. The production of three products at the one plant is designed to facilitate commercially competitive operation of future commercial plant.

This plant addresses global warming and farmland salinity; two of Australia's most pressing environmental concerns.

 

Did you know?

Western Australia's Wheatbelt town of Narrogin is home to an innovative project – the Integrated Wood Processing (IWP) demonstation plant.