Introduction:

Above - vegetable crops are grown and then converted into ethanol fuel.

Imagine if all Australian farmers planted vegetable crops which could be processed to become fuel for power stations, as well as for our cars, trucks, buses, trains and aircraft. And imagine what a tidy world it would be if we could recycle all our rubbish and turn it into energy and other useful products. The idea of using plant and animal wastes, vegetable crops and rubbish (generally called “biomass”) to produce various forms of energy is not new.

For centuries the people of India have used dried cow dung to fuel their fires, and in Turkey remote villagers mix animal dung with straw, dry it and use it as a fuel. However, the world is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels – petroleum, coal and natural gas – to produce electricity and other forms of energy.

But as the demand for these limited fossil fuels increases, their prices will escalate. During the mid-1970s there was a dramatic increase in the price of petroleum in nearly all countries, including Australia, although the effect was not as bad here because we can supply much of our own needs. However, Australia’s ability to supply most of its own needs is decreasing. Since the 1970s, Australian scientists have investigated natural sources to generate electricity and other forms of energy.

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