Calls for ‘greening’ of infrastructure as part of economic stimulus packages need to become more focused and start to map out the regional and rural benefits. For example the development of biobased carbon hubs to fast track abatement technologies such as biochar promises billions of dollars of investment, carbon abatement at the mega-tonne scale and jobs in the tens of thousands, writes Matthew Warnken.

Matthew Warnken

Energy, water and waste are three pillars of our modern civilisation and are also three of the main sustainability challenges that must be addressed in the transition to a low carbon economy. Part of the solution is bundling the provision of these utilities together to maximise the opportunities for synergy with other businesses. Another part of the solution is moving to biobased platforms for the delivery of energy services, rather than our current reliance on fossil fuels.

A transition to biobased forms of energy must, by necessity, involve investment in rural and regional Australia. After all, this is where the bulk of biomass is grown. There are four main types of biomass: fats and oils; soluble carbohydrates in the form of proteins; sugars and starches (also soluble carbohydrates); and lingocellulose, or ‘woody’ insoluble carbohydrates.

Broadly speaking it is the woody biomass that makes up approximately 80 per cent of terrestrial biomass, and it is also the woody materials that humans don’t eat (avoiding the fuel versus food debate). This means that any form of biobased power needs to focus on biomass resources such as purpose grown woody crops, agricultural residues, some forestry thinnings and suitable domestic and industrial urban residues. These are also resources that do not require any clear felling of native forests (in other words, sustainable biobased energy does not equal woodchipping native forests).

Base load power could be supplied to regional centres in the form of distributed 30MW power stations that use renewable biomass resources. This would provide enough power for around 15,000 households and a decent sized industrial and commercial sector. In order to do this sustainably we will need to grow millions of tonnes of woody crops.

The planting of mallee in the Western Australian wheat belt is an example of how biomass crops can be grown as a parallel crop while generating additional micro-climate benefits and also creating an additional carbon sink from the increase in biomass standing stock.

Developing supply chains for millions of tonnes of sustainably sourced biomass is also a necessary precursor to taking advantage of emerging abatement technologies, such as the production of biochar through pyrolysis.

Biochar is a very stable form of carbon that is made by pyrolysing biomass (heating in the absence of oxygen). When it is applied to land the result is a form of carbon biosequestration with additional benefits such as improved water and nutrient retention (among others). Pyrolysis technologies also have the scope to produce gas for electricity generation and ‘biocrude’ with the potential to be upgraded into a diesel replacement.

The use of biochar in combating climate change has been promoted by luminaries such as Tim Flannery (Australian of the Year 2007), James Hansen (Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies) and Professor James Lovelock (originator of the Gaia Theory). Biochar also attracted media attention recently with announcements from Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull and his shadow environment minister, Greg Hunt.

My company, Crucible Carbon, recently undertook a study that identified 36 regional centres as suitable for becoming biobased carbon hubs, based on factor such as: prevailing climate; local geography and current land use (with consideration to the availability of agricultural residues and suitability for biomass); local and regional demographics/population; land care issues including erosion, irrigation, soil salinity; local economy and industry; and power, water and waste supply/demand.

Investing in bundled infrastructure for greenhouse gas abatement across 36 sites would require in the order of $4 billion of capital investment, with at least 2,000 new jobs created during construction and another 2,000 permanent jobs for continuous operations (including the harvesting of woody crops).

However, the real nation building opportunity is the expansion of these facilities with emerging technologies such as biochar. This translates to a $40 billion investment story with 20,000 new jobs, generation of 20 per cent of Australian electricity requirements, renewable production of half the nation’s diesel requirements and 200 million tonnes per annum of greenhouse gas abatement.

Given we have already spent that amount of money as a short term economic heart starter, the obvious question is why not invest a similar amount in green infrastructure that will provide ongoing economic and environmental returns?

Vantage Point columnist: Matthew Warnken is Managing Director of Crucible Carbon, a carbon management consultancy and renewable energy technology development company. Crucible Carbon is also developing pyrolysis technology for the purposes of making biochar. Contact at matthew.warnken@cruciblecarbon.com

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