Mercurius Australia

Mercurius Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of Mercurius Biorefining Inc., has been collaborating with QUT for >7 years to first validate their biorefining technology on Queensland based on sugarcane bagasse feedstocks at the laboratory scale and then design, build and operate a pilot plant to process 100 kg/day of biomass into fuels and chemicals. The pilot plant was housed at QUT’s Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant precinct located adjacent to Racecourse Sugar Mill.

The Mercurius Biorefinery Process is based on a novel Renewable Acid-hydrolysis Condensation Hydrotreating (REACH™) technology which bypasses sugars and can produce drop-in hydrocarbons and green chemicals from low value lignocellulosic biomass such as sugarcane bagasse. The REACH technology consists of three main steps involving:

• Acid hydrolysis of biomass to non-sugar intermediates in high yields;
• Condensation of the intermediates to increase carbon chain length of the products as precursors to jet fuel and diesel products; and
• Hydrotreating to deoxygenate the intermediates. The final fuel products are a drop-in blend ready for use in the general liquid fuels market.

Operational support and technology development for the pilot plant was provided through an Advance Queensland Industry Fellowship program. This also included assistance with the preparation of a feasibility evaluation and technoeconomic and lifecycle assessment of the fuels and chemicals produced by the Mercurius biorefining technology.

In partnership with Mercurius Australia we’re developing biorefining technology and commercialisation opportunities in Queensland.

This project received funding from the Department of State Development – Biofutures Acceleration Program (BAP) and Jobs and Regional Growth (JARG) program, Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Federal Grant and Advance Queensland Industry Fellowship program.