The Hunter is set to become the home of one of the State’s first green hydrogen hubs with the NSW Government committing at least $70 million to their development.

Hydrogen Hubs will provide groups of hydrogen users common infrastructure for the local production, use and distribution of hydrogen. They will reduce costs by delivering hydrogen in a coordinated fashion.

Developing green hydrogen hubs aligns with the NSW Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) under the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, ensuring they become thriving business precincts.

In March 2020, NSW announced a 10-year plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Under the proposed plan, the NSW Government will establish a Hydrogen Program that will help the scale‑up of hydrogen as an energy source and feedstock. Included in the plan is a target of blending up to 10% hydrogen into the existing gas network by 2030,  and the transition to 100% hydrogen in the longer term.

The Net Zero Plan Stage 1: 2020-2030 is the foundation for NSW’s action on climate change and goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It confirms the NSW Government’s commitment to grow the economy, create jobs and reduce emissions over the next decade.

Bundaberg is well placed for renewable Hydrogen & Ammonia production with significant renewable energy resources and available land to support further renewables expansion. The Queensland Government is developing and expanding the production of hydrogen as part of Queensland’s plan for economic recovery. Hydrogen production will:

Hydrogen production will:

• play a critical role in helping Qld reach their 50% renewable energy target by 2030
• create new jobs
• open a new export market for the state
• entice foreign investment

The Plan is aligned with Australia’s other initiatives in supporting hydrogen production in Victoria, including the National Hydrogen Strategy and the overarching goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The Plan sets out a “principles-based” approach with three main focus areas of creating a foundation for hydrogen development, connecting and stimulating the economy with hydrogen opportunities, and leading the way globally for the promising new industry. The Victorian Government has outlined overarching goals in establishing a hydrogen industry, including:

• creating long-term jobs through new careers and skills;
• exporting renewable energy;
• driving innovation; and
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

‍Export-ready Victoria
Victoria has an opportunity to become a significant exporter of hydrogen.
The National Hydrogen Strategy is looking to position Australia as one of the top three exporters ofhydrogen to Asian markets and Victorian-made hydrogen has potential to significantly contribute tothis goal. Victoria’s world class resources are ideally located close to potential renewable hydrogenexport hubs.

Enabling the export of our renewable energy through hydrogen will further stimulate investment inrenewable energy by enabling renewable energy operators to also trade in the gas and internationalenergy markets – not just domestic electricity. This may also address capacity issues.

Replacing existing hydrogen feedstocks
Green hydrogen will eventually replace the large amounts of gas that is produced using carbon‑intensive methods to satisfy the needs of heavy industry such as Steel, Oil Refineries, & Ammonia production.

Heating
Decarbonizing residential and commercial heating systems is a major challenge in countries that currently rely on natural gas to do the job. One immediate answer to the problem is to mix green hydrogen into natural gas to reduce the latter’s carbon content.

Energy storage
A lot of focus is around the use of green hydrogen for electricity production via fuel cells. If the hydrogen is produced from renewable energy, the AC-to-AC round-trip efficiency falls to around 35 percent, far below the 95 percent efficiency that can be achieved with batteries.

Alternative fuels
Scaling up hydrogen production then converting it into a slightly more malleable fuel such as ammonia or methane is already in high demand from large Shipping companies.

Fuel-cell vehicles
Powering fuel-cell vehicles is one of the most exciting applications for green hydrogen. McKinsey estimates there is an immediate market for forklift trucks and other material-handling fuel-cell vehicles, with hydrogen-powered vehicle interest very much on the rise.

During our proprietary pyrolysis process, each of our Gasification Plants will produce over 70,000 kg of green Biocarbon (Char) per month. With current domestic prices sitting around AUD$20 for a 10kg bag, the potential revenue exceeds AUD$100,000 per month for each line.

Biochar is the material produced when biomass undergoes any chemical processes under the conditions of pyrolysis. The variety of biomasses, including wood waste, agricultural crop leftover, organic waste, animal manure, and forestry residues, have been considered as raw material to produce biochar. Biochar is widely used for generation of heat and power and an addition to soils, in which it serves as a fertilizer and carbon sequestration agent.

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Biochar, in its activated form, plays a significant role in various absorption applications:

• Biochar has unique properties to remove pollutants from soil, water, and gas.
• Pollutants Removal is governed by their interactions with biochar functional groups.
• Biochar efficacy can be improved by tailoring its property to a specific pollutant.
• Biochar has potential to replace commercial activated carbons for pollutant removal.

Biofuels are fossil fuel alternatives that are made from organic material such as plants. Here are some pertinent areas that are ready for the use of alternative fuels such as biofuels.

Transport
For the period that biofuels have been in use, this is the most popular area in which they have been applied to. They have come in to replace the carbon producing, ordinary fossil fuel that vehicles use.

Aviation
Air travel, just like using roads is a major environmental pollutant. This has led to airlines and other companies involved in fuel marketing and production in the aviation sector to invest in biofuel research, production and increased use.

Charge electronic devices
Extensive research is being carried to make manufacturing biofuels an alternative to electricity in the charging of electronic devices. Research is being conducted on how biofuel cells can be developed to be used for this purpose.

Heating
Biofuels can be used to replace natural gas as the main source of heating fuel in our homes. Use of biofuels also ensures that our homes are environmentally friendly and have lower carbon emissions.

Our monthly production of Wood Vinegar is estimated to be 50,000 Litres per month per line. The current price for Wood Vinegar in Australia is AUD$5 per litre.

Wood vinegar is a natural, biological product that can be used in a variety of segments. While there are many possible applications, one of the most promising markets for wood vinegar is related to agriculture and organic farming.

Wood vinegar is an excellent pesticide and fertilizer that improves soil quality, helps elimination of pests, and assists in the plant growth control by being able to accelerate the development of plants. It is often used to increase the amounts of fruits produced in orchards.

Benefits of wood vinegar for organic farming

• Increasing vitality and quality of crops by spraying diluted wood vinegar on plant leaves
• Protection from the harmful insects and specific plant diseases
• Control of the biological activity of the soil by helping to influence the concentration of useful microbes
• Help in the development of stronger roots for the plants
• Reduction of odours from produced manures
• Facilitation of composting – wood vinegar as a compost activator helps to accelerate the materials conversion into organic compost