The future bioenergy potential of Australia
Ian F. Thomas
Principal, I F Thomas & Associates
ifta@ifta.com.au
Abstract
An investigation into biofuel use has yielded positive results but for insufficiency of available growing land in
the world. The most suitable species for oil fuel production are the salt-tolerant species known as halophytes.
Many grow naturally in Australia and are capable of surviving in desert conditions. They can also be used to
reclaim salt-affected agricultural land which may otherwise reach 300,000 km2 by 2050. By careful selection
of plant and tree species, use of saline/sodic borewater and of seawater irrigation, I have found that a
significant area could be used to grow sustainable fuel crops.
The country has an area of 7.7 million km2 comprising mostly little-used arid and semi-arid land. It has a
stable government and is the sixth largest singly-managed land mass in the world. It is one of the least
populated and least cultivated land-masses having 74.9% of its area available for potential other uses. Much
of mainland Australia contains naturally saline soils and coastal areas are prone to acid sulphate soil
presence.
This work considers climate, soil type, groundwater availability, coastal proximity, soil salinity, soil sodicity,
dryland salinity risk, urban area salinity risk, the presence of protected areas, other land uses and precedents
created by similar land-masses in other countries. The available area established for propagating halophyte
fuel crops is conservative because it does not include tropical areas where many oil-producing tree species
can be grown.
Based solely upon the propagation of halophyte ground crops and trees in arid and semi-arid areas, an
estimated 6.5% of the country (500,000km2) is available without encroaching on other land uses. Australia
therefore has the potential to become a world leader in biofuel production.
Key words: Halophyte, salinity, bioenergy