Dr Anthony van Herwaarden1, Dr Allan Green2
1CSIRO, 2AGGRENEW Pty Ltd
Biography:
Pre and post PhD Anthony worked with CSIRO in Canberra to investigate issues which face productive and sustainable farming communities in Australia. His work focussed on management and breeding approaches to haying-off, soluble carbohydrates, reduced tillering, nitrogen uptake dynamics and the canopy architecture of cereal crops. He then moved to Brisbane and worked in business development and commercialisation across all CSIRO business units. In 2016 moved back into agricultural science first at the University of Queensland and more recently back at CSIRO doing what he loves best, solving industry problems with science.
Abstract:
Renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from fats and oils are the most rapidly growing sector in the biofuels industry globally. The high-erucic acid content of oilseed crops such as Carinata (Brassica carinata) makes them a sought-after feedstock for SAF. The remaining high-protein meal co-product feeds into the growing worldwide demand for animal rations and human consumption. Synthetic soil fumigants are being phased out and the ability of some biofuel crops to bio-fumigate soil, reduce pathogens and boost yield of the following crop, provides additional benefits.
Despite these positives in favour of growing oilseed crops for SAF, the high cost of the feedstock means that maximising the carbon credits accrued and minimising the carbon intensity are critical for profitability and viability of the biofuel. Globally recognised Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) regulations disadvantage biofuel crops grown in Australia because they are ‘deemed’ to have been produced in competition with food production.
Australian regulations to certify sustainability are essential for development of the Australian biofuels industry. The agricultural sector needs to be alert to current and proposed international regulations and be proactively involved in the development of Australian sustainability certification to ensure they are fit for purpose for Australian conditions. This presentation will explore the suitability of current and emerging biofuel crops for Australian farming systems, examine the importance of carbon intensity and ILUC considerations, and discuss the implications of biofuel cropping for our domestic and international markets.