Biorefinery Business Could Put South Australian Forest Industry Back on Growth Track

The VTT Technical Research Centre, Finland, at the request of the South Australian State Government, studied the condition of the forest sector industries in the Green Triangle region and examined the added value that may be achievable through high technology production. VTT proposed seven pathways to raise short-term local production value and establish specialized biorefinery business in the longer term.

 

The South Australian government invited VTT to identify ways of increasing the productivity of the region's forest and sawmill industry, and to promote co-operation among the region's businesses. After a year of research, VTT has now published its report, recommending seven future pathways for the region. Three have a time horizon of three to five years, the remainder extending beyond 10 years.

 

The means proposed for raising short-term productivity are more efficient use of timber resources, increased production value for the construction industry, and tapping into opportunities offered by fiber raw material and industrial side streams. According to VTT, the X-ray scanning of timber could increase yield volume by 5%, equivalent to extra annual sales revenue of AUD 70 million for large sawmills. Scanning is used to analyze the inner structure of the timber and identify optimal use.

 

Implementation of VTT's long-term recommendations requires the construction of new biorefineries for manufacturing highly refined products, such as absorbing materials and membranes, cellulose-based textiles, bio-based chemicals and polymers, as well as nanocellulose.

 

The two-stage study was co-funded by the state government and federal government.

 

South Australia has more than 340,000 hectares of plantation forest. These consist primarily of pine and eucalyptus. The sawmill industry provides work for around 35% of the population in South Australia's Green Triangle region.

The VTT report http://www.dmitre.sa.gov.au/manufacturing_works/programs_and_initiatives/cellulose_fibre_chain_initiative is available online.