Oil Mallee Biomass for Energy and Carbon in the WA Wheat Belt

Ben Rose
Environmental Consultant

SEN Guest Presentation
Monday 5th December, 2011 6pm for a 6:30 start
City West Lotteries House: 2 Delhi St, West Perth
(next to City West train station)
Free event, refreshments provided

The potential of biomass as a future renewable energy source for Australia has been underestimated. It already provides 5% of our energy needs, mainly through wood burning heaters and combined heat and power stations using bagasse waste from sugar mills; significant plantation waste resources have yet to be utilised.

With the introduction of a carbon price, growing biomass solely as an energy source will soon become viable. Woody coppicing species such as oil mallees are ideal for biomass production and suited to Australia's dry land agricultural regions. Just ten percent of this area planted to woody crops could produce at least 4% of our electricity, plus biochar and other fuel products. CO2 reductions equivalent to 25% of agricultural emissions could also be achieved. WA has great potential for this industry as well as the greatest need for perennial crops to arrest the spread of salinity and soil erosion.

There are several biomass to energy processes; all involve pyrolysis, which is 'cooking' of the biomass rather than burning it. Syngas, bio-oils and char are produced in various proportions depending on the process used. Syngas can be burned in gas turbines or diesel engines to produce electricity on site and also other products such as solid fuel pellets and eucalyptus oils.

Perhaps the most exciting prospect is producing methane from the syngas and injecting it into existing gas pipelines, where it can be distributed for  'tri-generation' - combined heat and power - in cities and industries.

Ben Rose is a contributing author of ‘The Biochar Revolution’ and currently works as a carbon sequestration assessor for Carbon Neutral. He has worked in natural resource management in WA, including agroforestry and salinity management, for 14 years and has also created his own carbon footprint calculator, which is available at here.