The Federal Govt. has set a target within its Biofuels Action Plan to support the production of 350ML of biodiesel & ethanol by 2010 and believes this is achievable. Financial support includes a $38 million Biofuels Capital Grant Programme for developing and extending production capacities from the existing 29ML / annum. Additional funds will be supplied for research into E5 & E10 blends and the development of a unique ethanol label for new vehicle manufacture.
A new venture, the Australian Biodiesel Group located in Narangba, Brisbane, is expected to have a 75ML / annum plant operational by March & will be the first of its kind in Australia to meet new the bio-diesel specifications. The raw material, tallow, is sourced from within Queensland.
Professor Max Lu, Director, ARC for Functional Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland has developed a light, inexpensive small grain sized solid capable of storing and easily releasing hydrogen as a fuel. Professor Lu indicated that the nanotechnology assists the hydrogen overcome a specific energy barrier when changing from the gas phase to solid phase.
Angstrom Power, Canada, have achieved a new level of excellence in energy storage and release for a micro hydrogen fuel cell. A passively operated fuel cell, storage unit and power conditioning system all capable of being held in the palm of a hand can deliver 3W of peak and 1W average power. The system operates without heaters, pumps & valves and requires no start up mechanisms such as an auxiliary battery making it ideal for portable electronic devices and lighting.