Australian researchers outline agave potential as feedstock for biofuels
Type of post: RESEARCH NEWS.
A team of researchers at the University of Sydney, University of Exeter and University of Adelaide has found that the
agave plant (used to make tequila) could be established in semi-arid Australia
as an environmentally friendly solution to Australia’s transport fuel shortage.
News (University of Sidney): “'Tequila' powered biofuels more
efficient than corn or sugar”, 2/4/2020.
Article (Journal of Cleaner Production): “Agave:
A promising feedstock for biofuels in the water-energy-food-environment (WEFE)
nexus”.
Related post: “Queensland’s
BAP endorses the new biorefinery of MSF Sugar”, 13/7/2017.
Figure 1. Associate Professor
Daniel Tan in Ayr (Queensland) in front of agave plants (extracted from the news)
University of Sydney agronomist Associate
Professor Daniel Tan with international and Australian colleagues have analysed
the potential to produce bioethanol from agave, widely grown in Mexico to make
the alcoholic drink tequila. The
plant is being grown on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland by MSF
Sugar and it promises some significant advantages over conventional
feedstocks such as sugarcane and corn. Agave can grow in semi-arid areas
without irrigation, causing minimum pressure on food production and water
resources. It is heat and drought tolerant and can survive Australia’s hot
summers.
The lifecycle assessment showed that the bioethanol
yield of agave can reach 7,414 litres/hectare each year with five-year-old plants
whereas sugarcane can yield 9,900 litres/hectare each year. However, agave
outperforms sugarcane on a range of measures, including freshwater
eutrophication, marine ecotoxicity and water consumption. For US corn ethanol,
the yield was lower than agave, at 3,800 litres a hectare a year. Agave uses 69%
less water than sugarcane and 46% less water than corn for the same yield.
The Associate Professor Tan said: “The economic
analysis suggests that a first generation of bioethanol production from agave
is currently not commercially viable without government support, given the
recent collapse in the world oil price. However, this may change with the
emerging demand for new ethanol-based healthcare products, such as hand
sanitisers.”