Europe's bio-diesel industry is a key market for Australian-grown oil seeds. With increasing pressure to decarbonise the aviation sector, there's now a plan to manufacture jet fuel from our canola fields.
00:00This year, Australian farmers have planted a touch under three and a half million hectares of canola.
00:16With the expectation, most of it will be harvested and likely exported to Europe,
00:22a lucrative market that for more than a decade has bought roughly three quarters of the national crop.
00:28But questions are stirring. What if instead of shipping the oilseed offshore to be manufactured into foreign biofuels, it could be put to use here?
00:39We have all the elements to be successful here in Australia. We have surplus of canola seed. We have the crush technology.
00:47This is a chance for us to increase our domestic sovereign capabilities in energy supply for critical liquid fuels that really drive the economy.
00:57A push is on to use canola to commercially produce sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.
01:04There's a process called heifer and that basically takes that oil that you get from the grain, you extract from the grain,
01:12and turns that into a chemical equivalent of diesel called renewable diesel.
01:17And then you can on process that to make an equivalent of aviation fuel, jet fuel.
01:24Catherine O'Sullivan is a senior researcher at the CSIRO's Agriculture and Food Sustainability Program.
01:32She says low carbon liquid fuels can be made from all sorts of biological matter, including canola, sugar and tallow, that can then be used in a variety of engines.
01:44There's been several trials by airlines using sustainable aviation fuel. Technically, they can be used up to 100% to replace fossil fuels.
01:53The limitation right now is the amount of production that's happening because the industry is still very small.
02:00Airlines around the world are beginning to blend SAF with conventional fuel as a lower carbon industry emerges.
02:08Turning the aviation fuel sector on its head could look a little like this.
02:15This canola crush at New Mirka in Northern Victoria heats the oil seed to extract the oil for use in a range of food manufacturing, from margarine to chips and chocolate.
02:28That's a great colour.
02:29It also produces canola meal for livestock.
02:33We're going to take that technology and that skill and replicate it somewhere else.
02:38But before it gets to the green light, the project managers are looking for assistance.
02:43The cost of sustainable aviation fuel today is more expensive than jet fuel.
02:48So we need some temporary support to stand up this industry and get it going.
02:52Since 2024, the Australian government's committed more than $30 million to support the development of a SAF industry using renewable feedstock.
03:02It's ridiculous that frankly we are exporting more and more and more of our feedstock to other countries to make low carbon liquid fuels.
03:09These are things we should be making here in Australia.
03:12Do you reckon it's going to happen?
03:14I believe so, yeah.
03:15We have the supply.
03:17The farmers grow a great crop here in Australia.
03:19We have great supply chains.
03:21We just need to come together as an industry, including government, and solve it.
03:26A golden crop and a golden opportunity.
03:30Scootyers, the PvP Traffic, the calling in Australia.
03:35It can deliverÓ™ of your physical King.
03:37The Finch Tpeers
03:38Have a great supply chain.
03:39We can deliver the supply chain.
03:40It can go to our tiens, with our eating participate.
