John Board

Why ethanol could be the sweetener for sugarcane growers

Queensland grower John Board knows ethanol production from sugarcane could be the saviour of his beloved industry. 

He’s invested in the outcome, returning to growing sugarcane by buying a 420-hectare property near Ingham, but knows profitability needs to change for growers to stay in the industry.

Here’s where ethanol enters the discussion, and where John finds more than a glimmer of hope, so much so that he’s embarked on his study “A sugarcane circular bio-economy - Profitable farming for generations”.

John says new processing methods means sugarcane can produce both crystal sugar and ethanol. With Australia already unable to currently supply enough ethanol for the E10 unleaded petrol market, John says the scope is enormous, let alone the ability to tap into the aviation fuel sector.

Sugarcane already produces crystal sugar, molasses and energy from processing. The addition of ethanol would not only make it attractive to existing mills but might also encourage new players. That can only be good, John says, for communities in eastern Australia which are heavily dependent on the industry.

John might be a sugarcane grower, but he’s also a fierce defender and believer in its future, and will travel to Brazil and India, fellow sugarcane-growing regions, to ensure the industry can not only survive but thrive.