Australian researchers outline agave potential as feedstock for biofuels

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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.”

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