Energy

About the program

The Second Generation Biofuels Research and Development (Gen 2) Program is a competitive grants program which supports the research, development and demonstration of new biofuel technologies and feedstocks that address the sustainable development of a biofuels industry in Australia.

Timeline

Applications for the Gen 2 Program closed on 30 January 2009. The program is scheduled to be completed by June 2012.

The Minister for Resources and Energy, the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP, announced the Gen 2 Program’s successful applicants on 5 August 2009. The media release for this announcement can be accessed via the Minister's website.

Grants and funding

Funding of $12.617 million was allocated to six projects over three years from 2009–10 to 2011–12.

The Gen 2 Program is funding up to 50 per cent of eligible expenditure on the following approved projects:

• The University of Melbourne ($1.24 million) — this project is researching biofuel from micro algae involving the efficient separation, processing and utilisation of algal biomass. The project is also supported by Bio Fuels Pty Ltd and is being conducted at the Parkville campus building on work previously undertaken at Hazelwood Power Plant, Victoria.

• Algal Fuels Consortium ($2.724 million) — the consortium is to develop a pilot-scale second generation biorefinery for sustainable micro algal biofuels and value added products. The participants are the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Flinders University and CSIRO, with the project located at Torrens Island, South Australia.

• Curtin University of Technology ($2.5 million) — the project is investigating the sustainable production of high quality second generation transport biofuels from mallee biomass by pyrolysis and utilising the biorefinery concept. The project is also supported by Spitfire Oil Pty Ltd and is located in Perth, Western Australia.

• Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (BSES) Limited ($1.326 million) — BSES is developing an optimised and sustainable sugarcane biomass input system for the production of second generation biofuels, located at Indooroopilly, Queensland. The project is also supported by CSIRO.

• Microbiogen Pty Ltd ($2.539 million) — the project aims to produce commercial volumes of ethanol from bagasse using patented yeast strains. The project is located at Lane Cove, New South Wales.

• Licella Pty Ltd ($2.288 million) — Licella will examine the commercial demonstration of lignocellulosics to stable bio-crude. The project is located at Somersby, New South Wales.

More information

For more information on the Gen 2 Program contact:

Mr Alan Bartmanovich
Gen 2 Program Manager
Phone: (02) 6276 1892
Email: alan.bartmanovich@ret.gov.au.