Virgin Australia, GE, CRC, ROC and Dynamotive meet in Canada to advance Australian Project

Media Releases - November 14, 2011

Following the announcement of the Consortium to develop aviation biofuels from mallee trees in Western Australia, representatives of Consortium partners:  Virgin Australia, GE, Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FFICRC), Renewable Oil Corporation and Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation met in Ottawa and Toronto to introduce the project to Industry Canada, discuss project implementation and conduct a visit to Dynamotive’s pyrolysis plant in Guelph.

The project partners aim to develop aviation biofuels in Australia:

  • The supply of sustainable biomass feedstock from coppicing eucalypts grown on farms is being developed by the FFICRC.
  • Fuels will be made using Dynamotive’s pyrolysis technology and upgrading process currently being developed in cooperation with IFP En.
  • Engine testing and fuel certification will be facilitated by GE, extending Dynamotive’s existing laboratory trials into specific work on aviation fuels.
  • Demonstration unit to be set up in 2012 and then commercial biofuel plants development will be coordinated by Renewable Oil Corporation.
  • The aviation fuels potentially being used by Virgin Australia.

Plant Visit:

The parties conducted a plant visit including review of  the process and the technical specifications of the plant. The plant was engineered by Tecna SA, Dynamotive’s strategic partner.

The parties inspected several different bio oils stored at the facility.  Bio oil stability and storage is critical to the development of a commercial industry.  Dynamotive has demonstrated that bio oil produced at its facilities is quite stable.  The inherent stability of Dynamotive’s bio oil allows for the development of a hub and spoke model, where multiple pyrolysis plants would feed a centralized upgrading facility.

  • Dynamotive bio oil produced from sugar cane bagasse was successfully upgraded to synthetic hydrocarbon after  being stored form more than 8 years.
  • Dynamotive bio oil stored for more than 3 years was shipped to IFP En at their facilities in Lyon and upgraded using Dynamotive’s process.
  • The Consortium partners inspected bio oil produced at Dynamotive’s facilities in 2008 and 2009.

The Consortium partners  met again in Brisbane on 3 November to discuss the project development path and steps towards its implementation.