{"id":121976,"date":"2025-08-05T22:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121976\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T22:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:09:10","slug":"australian-researchers-discover-two-invasive-weeds-have-the-potential-to-be-burned-as-biofuel-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121976\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian researchers discover two invasive weeds have the potential to be burned as biofuel | Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two invasive weed species could contribute to a creative solution to Australia\u2019s energy transition<\/a> \u2013 as ingredients for clean, renewable fuel.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Queensland<\/a> found Brazilian nightshade and climbing asparagus \u2013 both aggressive vine species \u2013 can be converted into biomass pellets.<\/p>\n

That June research<\/a>, highlighted this week by UQ\u2019s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, assessed more than 20 weed species for their potential use as fuel.<\/p>\n

The process involves compressing plant material into small pellets similar in appearance to pet food pellets, which can be used as fuel in residential or industrial heating systems, or electricity generation. The densified organic matter can be used as solid fuel to generate energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as coal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to get the right mix of these ingredients so the pellets burn well and safely,\u201d said the lead researcher, Dr Bruno Rafael <\/strong>de Almeida Moreira. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to discover something useful for our community and environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Different plant materials have to be mixed and tailored in specific ways, Moreira explained. Too much moisture or ash-producing minerals in pellets can damage heaters or stoves, create dust when handled and release toxic smoke or gases.<\/p>\n

Pelletising also helps reduce <\/strong>production <\/strong>costs and <\/strong>emissions, according to Moreira, because pellets are easier to move and store more energy per volume than the raw material.<\/p>\n

He noted the rapid growth of the global solid biofuels market, especially in Canada, the US and Europe. Traditionally, solid biofuels come from forest wood sources.<\/p>\n

In Australia, however, wood pellets made from native forests are not classified as renewable<\/a>. Recycled timber and wood waste can be used but only if approved by the federal Clean Energy Regulator, prompting a search for alternatives.<\/p>\n

Moreira said Australia\u2019s diverse biomass sources presented a unique opportunity for it to lead the way in sustainable bioenergy production.<\/p>\n

Pellets made from climbing asparagus, an invasive weed. Photograph: UQ<\/p>\n

Study co-author and AgriSustain Lab leader, Associate Prof Sudhir Yadav, said the new research could support efforts to reduce agriculture\u2019s carbon footprint, while boosting the bioenergy sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgencies like the Australian Renewable Energy Agency<\/a> have predicted bioenergy will supply 20% of national energy demand by 2050,\u201d Yadav said. \u201cIt\u2019s an optimistic but achievable target and a lot of research is required to bridge that gap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreira noted previous estimates putting biomass at just 0.3% of Australia\u2019s renewable energy mix<\/a>. He agreed the leap to 20% was ambitious \u2013 but possible, with \u201csustained research and innovation\u201d.<\/p>\n

The researchers said the study was ongoing, with more weed species to be tested. But supply remained a challenge, even for the most prolific weeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnvironmental weeds have a limit,\u201d Yadav said. \u201cWe\u2019re also thinking about other potential sources of biomass, like green waste collected by councils and households and even some broad-acre crops like sorghum.\u201d<\/p>\n

The microbiologist Dr Ian Paulsen, a distinguished professor at Macquarie University and director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in synthetic biology, who was not involved with the study, said it built on existing research on converting plant matter into fuel.<\/p>\n

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E10 fuel for cars contained ethanol made from crops such as corn in the US, or wheat, barley or sugarcane in Australia, Paulsen said. \u201cIn Brazil, previously, they\u2019ve run planes of flown on aviation fuel made from getting yeast to turn sugarcane into long chain hydrocarbons.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Paulsen said large-scale biofuel production was not economically viable without significant government subsidies or a sharp rise in petrochemical prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s technologically feasible; the real problem is that it\u2019s hard to be cost-competitive compared to the fossil fuel industry,\u201d he said, noting the latter benefited from more than a century of global subsidies and highly efficient infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Paulsen said proposing invasive weeds as fuel posed logistical concerns, particularly in terms of the difficulty of harvesting large volumes of scattered biomass without damaging ecosystems.<\/p>\n

Moreira said expanding the diversity of bioenergy sources was critical to achieving net zero targets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He emphasised the importance of increasing funding and interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing renewable energy solutions, calling it \u201can opportunity for us to come together and brainstorm ideas, exchange knowledge across the country, around the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to be sure about the diversification of this space \u2026 we cannot rely only on wind or solar panels,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about ensuring clean energy for all people<\/a> in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flinders University\u2019s Vincent Bulone is a professor in glycoscience, the study of glycans, or sugars, and part of the search for alternative sources of energy and development of new materials. He said the study highlighted an \u201cemerging and promising area of research\u201d for sustainability and land management in Australia.<\/p>\n

He echoed, however, that implementing it would require strategic investment in the appropriate technology, infrastructure and policy.<\/p>\n

Bulone said Australia\u2019s regional diversity demanded a \u201cdistributed bioenergy model\u201d tailored to local biomass availability \u2013 in this case, invasive weeds in Queensland \u2013 industry needs and community energy goals, especially in remote and Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPelletising invasive weeds could become one of the components of Australia\u2019s renewable energy strategy, particularly in rural and remote areas where weed prevalence and energy needs are high.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was not a stand-alone solution but represented a \u201cvaluable component of a broader, diversified bioenergy strategy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two invasive weed species could contribute to a creative solution to Australia\u2019s energy transition \u2013 as ingredients for…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":121977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[746,159,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-121976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114978446628703860","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}