Power supply Take on fuel
With challenges in place over full electrification for heavy vehicles, and hydrogen fuel technology still in its nascency, some mining companies have turned to biodiesel and other sustainable fuels to help reduce their emissions. Ellys Woodhouse speaks to Peter Chomley, director of Just Biodiesel, the largest biodiesel plant in Australia, to hear how mining companies can embrace these fuels – and the results they can expect.
ining hardly has a reputation for being a clean industry. Yet, as the pressure intensifies for the sector to clean up its emissions and improve its sustainability – and the usual options of electrification or hydrogen options dominate the conversation – many neglect or even forget to consider the potential that biofuels could have on mining’s sky-high emissions.
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There are loud, mainstream calls for the use of biofuels in aviation, with Virgin Atlantic celebrating the first jet powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel completing its London-to-New York jaunt in November, and Qantas and Airbus jointly investing AUS$2m in a biofuel factory in Queensland that will open in 2026. Yet, in mining, progress for biofuel investment and take-up has been slow.
The pollution paradox
“For the rest of the world, sustainable aviation fuel is the primary focus of governments and the renewable industry around the world. And I’m never, never quite sure why,” argues Peter Chomley. “Sure, airlines are important, but you could argue that the mining industry, [particularly] in Australia, is just as important. But that’s the politics and the publicity of the situation.” Chomley may have a vested interest in the issue due to his position as the director of Just Biodiesel, Australia’s flagship biofuel production plant, but he also raises a valid point. As a 2020 report by McKinsey Sustainability found, the mining industry is responsible for 4–7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, rising to an even more
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