La biorrefinería a escala piloto de Mercurius recibe luz verde

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Tipo de entrada: NOTICIA BREVE.

Hace un año, el Blog se hacía eco de los planes de Mercurius Biorefining (Mercurius) para desarrollar y comercializar su proceso patentado (tecnología REACH) para producir combustibles y productos químicos a partir de residuos agrícolas en Queensland (Australia). La abundancia de materias primas junto con el compromiso continuado por parte del Gobierno de Queensland para construir una fuerte industria de biofuturos inclinó la balanza en favor de la región australiana. Según un anuncio reciente, el primer paso del proceso de comercialización – la construcción de una biorrefinería piloto – está listo para ser dado después de una inyección del gobierno regional.
Declaración del Gobierno: “Gladstone biorefinery pilot plant gets the go-ahead”, 13/2/2019.
Entrada relacionada: “Mercurius Biorefining planea la instalación de plantas a escala piloto y demostración en Queensland”, 23/2/2018.

Figura 1. La biorreinería a escala piloto de Mercurius se ubicará en el complejo de Northern Oil Refinery en Yarwun (Gladstone, Queensland)

Mercurius ha comenzado el diseño de detalle de la biorrefinería piloto y comenzará la construcción en meses. La instalación está respaldada por la Jobs and Regional Growth Fund, que facilita la realización de proyectos del sector privado para crear empleo y oportunidades de crecimiento económico a nivel regional. La biorrefinería a escala piloto de Mercurius se ubicará en el complejo de Northern Oil Refinery en Yarwun (Gladstone, Queensland). Se estima que la construcción concluya a finales de 2019 y la instalación proporcionará trabajo para cerca de 30 personas.

Una vez que el proyecto piloto se complete con éxito, Mercurius planea construir una planta de demostración más grande, en la que se escalaría la producción de biocombustibles y productos químicos verdes. La biorrefinería a escala demo tendría una producción de 4 toneladas de diésel y queroseno renovable al día y podría atraer una inversión combinada de 11 millones de AUD y crear 50 puestos de trabajo. En el largo plazo, sobre la base del comportamiento de las plantas a escala piloto y demo, la empresa planea instalar hasta 5 biorrefinerías a escala comercial por toda la región de Queensland.

Mercurius ha lanzado una campaña de crowfunding recientemente: https://netcapital.com/companies/mercurius.

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