Leaf turns to next stage of bio manufacturing hub plans

Brisbane bio-tech company Leaf Resources is advancing plans to develop a bio-manufacturing hub in a sugar-cane producing region of Queensland, thanks to support from the Palaszczuk Government. 

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick recently met with representatives from Leaf Resources at the Bio World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in Philadelphia to confirm the company’s next steps in advancing a potential regional Queensland biorefinery. 

“Leaf Resources, based at Eight Mile Plains, is proposing a biorefinery that would use patented technology known as Glycell to speed up and reduce the cost of converting plant waste such as sugarcane fibre into sustainable chemicals, biofuels and bioplastics,” Mr Dick said.

“This is world-leading technology with the potential to attract other biorefinery companies to the state, seeking the industrial sugars produced by the technology.

“The company sees the potential for Glycell technology to support development of a bio-manufacturing hub in regional Queensland.”

Mr Dick said the company will use its funding from the Palaszczuk Government’s Biofutures Acceleration Program to now embark on validation works and pre-feasibility studies into plant waste and biomass.

“As part of these investigations, the company will explore locations for the proposed biorefinery, with a likely focus on Bundaberg, Mackay, the Burdekin and Far North Queensland,” he said.

Leaf Resources Managing Director Ken Richards said he was looking forward to working with the Queensland Government to move into the next phase of the proposed biorefinery project.

“As a proud Brisbane-based company, we know first-hand the significant opportunities offered by Queensland for biorefinery development, in terms of abundant feedstock such as sugarcane fibre, a highly-skilled workforce, and quality infrastructure and transport systems,” Mr Richards said.

“We’re excited to continue to work with the Queensland Government as we move forward with developing local opportunities to further commercialise Leaf’s Glycell process.”

Minister Dick said his recent trip to the BIO World Congress provided a unique global forum for him to promote Queensland’s advantages to the world.

“With more than 1000 global business leaders, investors and policy-makers in attendance, the Congress provided a platform to establish or strengthen direct relationships with many leading companies, individuals and institutions on behalf of our government,” Mr Dick said.

“It was also a prime opportunity to roll out the welcome mat for global companies to locate and grow industrial biotech business in Queensland, and I have high hopes that reinforcing our position in the international bio community will translate into further investment and projects in our state.”

Mr Dick said in addition to meeting up with the Leaf representatives, he also engaged with other global leaders including Calysta, Lygos, Genomatica, Gevo, and Agrisoma, and Mercurius Biorefining, a company Queensland partnered with at last year’s Congress in Montreal.

“Through incentives from our $20 million Biofutures Roadmap and Action Plan, Mercurius is progressing plans to use plant waste to produce fuels, chemicals and plastics at commercial-scale biorefineries here in Queensland,” Mr Dick said.

“The Congress also gave me a global stage from which to announce our support for the World Business Council on Sustainable Development’s below50 initiative, and to promote our $1 million Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships program.

“I left Philadelphia with the message ringing out loud and clear that Queensland is the place to do biofutures business in the Asia-Pacific, and in October this year, we’ll have another opportunity to show the world just that.”

The Palaszczuk Government is a platinum sponsor for the Bioenergy Strong 2018 Conference, which will be held in Brisbane from 17–18 October.

Brisbane will also host Ausbiotech 2018 in late October, offering another opportunity to exchange ideas about global biotech trends and themes and engage with key players in the sector. Ausbiotech will be sponsored by the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative.

The Palaszczuk Government’s Biofutures Acceleration Program is supporting a multi-million-dollar pipeline of planned biorefinery projects that could generate more than 330 jobs for regional Queensland. More information at: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/industry-development/biofutures-acceleration-program.html

The Bioenergy Strong 2018 conference is the annual conference of Bioenergy Australia. More information at: https://www.bioenergyaustralia.org.au/our-work/

ENDS

Media contact: Anika Hume 0447 320 039