Biomass Funding
Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes: My question is addressed to the Hon. John Della Bosca on behalf of the Minister for Primary Industries. Is the Minister aware that the development of biomass, or second- generation biofuels, produces more environmental and economic benefits than ethanol? If climate change experts are predicting a hotter, drier New South Wales with even greater variability of harvests, why is the Government on one hand building a desalination plant in response to climatic prediction while on the other hand proposing a grain ethanol industry whose operations under the same climatic predictions will be even more unworkable? Given that the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed in recent years and the conversion of food to fuel has contributed to starvation and civil unrest for millions of the world’s poor, can the Minister indicate what strategic research and development policies will be established to ensure that biomass is part of the answer to our energy problem?
The Hon. John Della Bosca: I thank the member for his question. What a great shame it is that our colleague the Hon. Ian Macdonald is not here today to answer it. I have heard him wax lyrical on this very subject on a number of occasions. He certainly does give you an education in four minutes or less in response to the kind of question that Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes has asked. Unfortunately, I am unable to wax so lyrical. I will take the question on notice and draw it to the Minister’s attention. I am sure he will provide an answer to the member at his earliest convenience.
Deferred answer
The Hon. Tony Kelly: On 12 November 2008 Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes asked a question without notice on biomass funding. I am advised that the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries is working collaboratively with the University of New England through the National Centre for Rural Greenhouse Gas Research on research and development in second-generation biofuels produced from biomass. This research does not include the use of grains. The research aims to quantify biomass from various sources in New South Wales—for example, forestry waste, agricultural stubbles, bagasse from sugar cane waste—and to investigate novel treatments to break down lignose and cellulose into constituent sugars, which can then be fermented into ethanol. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries is investigating other innovative techniques, such as the use of pyrolysis to turn biomass into biofuels. Pyrolysis is the process of converting waste biomass into syngas, which is a form of heavy crude oil, which can then be used as fuel.