Page 34 - Tropic Magazine Issue 16

TROPIC • COVER STORY

Tequila fuel
If a shot of tequila has ever fired
up your belly, you’ve consumed
the juice of the blue agave plant,
which is the main ingredient in
the potent Mexican spirit. The
same plant is being grown by MSF
“That’s all of the Atherton Tablelands Sugar to fire up its power plant
and we can do this because the new and produce ethanol. Blue agave is
plant and upgrades in the sugar mill suitable for the purpose because it
mean we are able to operate the mill produces plenty of fibre, with little
using less energy and convert the bulk to no inputs like water, fertiliser or
of energy into electricity,” he said. “We labour. Remarkably, Tropical North
heat our steam to 525 degrees celsius Queensland is set to be home to
and 87 bar and put it through a turbine the largest commercial plantation
to make electricity for the grid. The of blue agave in the world. Already,
waste steam at the end of the turbine is several thousand plants are in the
then used for heating in the sugar mill.” ground on land typically not suited
As well as reducing greenhouse to agriculture. The plantation will
emissions by tens of thousands of create between 400 and 500 tonnes
tonnes annually, the initiative lowers of biomass per hectare every five
the industry’s dependence on the years.
volatile global raw sugar market. With
a worldwide glut leading to the lowest
market prices in a decade, the timing
of the plant going online couldn’t have SUGAR CANE PLASTIC
been better. “How on earth do you make bio-plastics from sugar cane?” we hear you ask.
Then there are the jobs. Mr Cook Well….it’s pretty scientific. By definition, bio-plastics can be either made
said the employment benefits to from bio-mass, be biodegradable, or both. According to MSF Sugar, it’s
the local community will continue considering three types of plastic production:
well after the construction phase.
“Already, it’s created high-tech jobs in 1 A 50/50 mix of cane fibre and traditionally produced plastic.
design, construction and long-term 2 Polypropylene plastic (PP), which is one of the most widely used and
operations,” he said. “And because versatile types of plastic. It can be made from ethanol and while it’s not
we’ll no longer be operating seasonally, bio-degradable, it is recyclable.
the total hours being worked on site
will increase for both operations and 3 Biodegradable plastic, generally polyesters such as polylactide (PLA),
maintenance.” polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). It’s considered
However, this is just the start. MSF the best but most expensive option and production on the Atherton
Sugar has plans to value-add even Tablelands will depend on market demand.
further, through construction of a
bio-refinery. “We are starting to do the
feasibility study to build an ethanol Parental supervision
distillery, which will be based on
sugar cane molasses,” Mr Cook said. MSF Sugar’s parent company,
“Once it’s up and running, the mill will Thailand’s Mitr Phol Group, is
Australasia’s biggest sugar and
process cane for six months of the year
but make electricity and ethanol for bio-energy producer and the fifth
largest sugar producer in the world.
12 months. That will then allow us to
look at further processing into other Along with its Thai and Australian
products, including other types of fuels, operations, it has offshore mills in
China and Laos. Mitr Phol is also
but more likely other food ingredients
or bio-plastics.” leading the way in green energy
and fuel. It’s the largest biomass
He said there are also plans to replicate
the initiative at MSF Sugar’s other electricity and ethanol producer in
mills, starting with South Johnstone. the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN).
“What we are doing is possible in other
sugar growing regions in Queensland,”
he said. “This is a new era for Australian
agriculture.”

MORE: msfsugar.com.au

34 • Tropic • Issue 16