A ground-breaking Queensland invention, which is set to greatly improve manufacturing efficiencies in ethanol production and sugar cane processing, has recently been awarded a Full Patent in the US, foreshadowing potential growth into markets worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The patent was awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to privately owned Australian company Biomass Technologies Pty. Ltd., for its biomass processing technology. This confirms the company’s technology is unique in its field.
The status of Full Patent in the US market is much sought after, and for many products and technologies, never achieved. In this case, it gives the biomass processing technology (invented by the company’s Technical Director Trevor Cullinger) unique protection in the US markets, meaning nobody can use or sell the technology without a license from Biomass Technologies.
The company already has a full patent in Australia and has applied in other countries including the US, China and Europe.
The awarding of the US patent is a crucial milestone for Biomass Technologies Pty Ltd. The company has built the first unit utilising the technology (called the BT10) and it has already drawn intense interest both from local as well as international producers seeking to gain access to the technology.
“The introduction of our biomass processing technology to the sugar cane and ethanol industries is an absolute game changer,” said Mark Diamond, Chairman of Biomass Technologies. “For the ethanol producers, the key factor is that the technology requires very little water to run. The cost-saving impact of avoiding evaporation in the production cycle cannot be understated...it is a total quantum leap.”
The BT10 Processor separates fresh cut sugar cane into pure juice and fibre on the spot, without resorting to a traditional mill, reducing transport costs and increasing sucrose capture. It has a custom built shredder, produces clean fresh juice and beautifully dry and clean fibre, and has surprisingly low energy and water consumption. It is currently designed to process at a rate of 10 to 15 tonnes per hour, with future units likely to target around 50 tonnes per hour.
The biomass processing technology is a world first in its field, and is 100 per cent Australian owned and built.
“We believe our technology is cutting edge, highly efficient and affordable,” said Mark Diamond. “Our goals are to get the technology taken up as widely as possible within the sugar and ethanol production industries, as well as broader applications in sweet sorghum and other crops, and to keep it Australian owned.”
The BT10 starts its first full scale production run in the Burdekin in the coming weeks. It will be the first time in the history of the sugar industry that biomass processing has been done on a commercial scale.
Copyright © 2011. Fairfax Media.
