The Queensland Government has awarded a $159,000 grant to Gevo, a global producer of low-carbon renewable fuels, to investigate turning sugar cane and wood waste into sustainable aviation fuel.
According to State Development Minister Cameron Dick, Gevo supplied renewable fuel to a Virgin Australia trial at Brisbane Airport last year.
“Sustainable aviation fuel provides an alternative to fossil-based jet fuel and offers environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint of plane travel,” he said.
“This project will also help position Queensland as a world-leading location for investment in the manufacture and distribution of this fuel in the global bioproducts and services market.”
Mr Dick said Gevo’s participation in the successful Brisbane Airport trial led to the company considering Queensland as the location for its first biorefinery outside of the United States.
“These ongoing partnerships have the potential to bring even more business to Queensland, as demand for biofuels grows,” he said.
“Having the ability to turn our agriculture waste into sustainable fuel means more jobs in agriculture and biofutures across our regions.”
Gevo Chief Executive Officer Dr Patrick Gruber said Queensland is rich in renewable biomass resources.
“This opportunity opens the door for the development of a project that supplies low carbon gasoline to not only Queensland, but also the possibility to supply commercial quantities of 2G sustainable aviation fuel to the Brisbane Airport,” Mr Gruber said.
“This would expand upon our demonstrations of sustainable aviation fuel supply to commercial airlines, like those conducted with Virgin Australia.”
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