Australia’s CSIRO has launched a A$8.3-million (US$8.2-million) CSIRO Energy Transformed Cluster on Biofuels to develop new processes using enzyme biotechnology techniques to produce liquid fuels from waste plant feedstocks with the potential to provide 30% of Australia’s future transport needs. Transport is the third largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia after the electricity industry and agriculture.
The three-year collaboration between CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship and the Australian National University (ANU), RMIT University, the University of Queensland and the University of Manchester in the UK, will deploy advanced biological methods to produce liquid transport fuels and other valuable chemical products from the cellulose and lignin solids of waste plant material.
Cluster Leader ANU Professor Chris Easton said the expertise and complementary skills in the Cluster will combine to develop new processes for generating biofuels in a sustainable way.
The Cluster received A$3.7 million through the CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Fund, established to enable the skills of the wider Australian and global research community to be applied to the major national challenges targeted by CSIRO’s Flagship research program.
CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia’s major research challenges and opportunities. The 10 Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community to deliver impact and benefits for Australia.