Nufarm announces partnerships to further expand biofuel platform

Nufarm has announced the establishment of strategic R&D partnerships to further expand its bioenergy and sustainable oils platform.
In recent years, the company acquired Biomass Oil trait technology developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, comprising a estate of patents relating to technology traits that when deployed into crops enable novel production and accumulation of oil in plant tissue.
This acquisition and subsequent potential advancements are intended to bring new sustainable oil feedstock volumes to downstream industries.
To advance this technology, Nufarm has established R&D partnerships with the University of Florida USA and the Instituto Agronomico Brazil and expanded its R&D partnership with CSIRO to create a strategic pathway to advance this R&D technology.
Nufarm’s proprietary energy cane and forage sorghum genetics offer two of the highest biomass crops suited for the development and introgression of the Biomass Oil trait. In conjunction with the acquisition of the Biomass Oil Technology, Nufarm has created a strategic pathway to advance this R&D technology, and associated know-how.
When crops are harvested, the lipids in the aerial part of plants can be removed via crushing and/or an enzyme extraction process and then refined into biofuels such as biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or used as a feedstock for other uses including a broad range of consumer goods. After separation from the lipids, bioethanol can be created from the remaining sucrose content.
“These biomass oil IP assets provide a potentially transformational complement to Nufarm's bioenergy and beyond yield platform strategy aligned with our objective to develop an industry-leading bioenergy and consumer goods position from advanced feedstock crops,” said Greg Hunt, CEO of Nufarm Limited.
“In addition to our proprietary plant genetics and research capability, this consortium of world-class R&D and technical partners was selected for their specific complementary capabilities and experience related to the activities required and the project is well underway.”
Nufarm is also working with additional strategic partners to identify new opportunities for technical project development and future downstream commercialisation.