{"id":61719,"date":"2019-03-26T07:35:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T06:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=61719"},"modified":"2019-03-22T14:13:05","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T13:13:05","slug":"sugar-set-for-energycane-reinvention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/sugar-set-for-energycane-reinvention\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar set for \u2018energycane\u2019 reinvention"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"QAAFI
Professor Henry is conducting the first gene-editing experiments to effectively produce biofuels and bioplastics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gene-editing sugarcane for use in renewable energy and bio-plastics could help secure the industry\u2019s future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The University of Queensland\u2019s Professor Robert Henry<\/a> said sugarcane\u2019s reinvention\u00a0as an \u201cenergycane\u201d crop could sustain the industry in the face of falling global demand for sugar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry must think beyond just producing sugar, to also producing electricity, biofuels for transportation and oils to replace traditional plastics,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

Professor Henry, Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI)<\/a> at UQ, is conducting the first gene-editing experiments to tailor sugarcane production to effectively produce biofuels and bioplastics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about reinventing sugarcane as a crop with a wider range of end uses, and sugarcane is ideal for renewables because it is fast-growing with abundant biomass,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He is working with a global team to sequence the sugarcane genome as part of a US Joint Genome Institute project.<\/p>\n

\u201cSugar is the last major cultivated plant to have its genome sequenced, and we expect to see it fully decoded by 2020,\u201d Professor Henry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving sugar\u2019s genetic template will allow us to look at growing sugarcane as a biofuel and a source of \u00a0100 per cent recyclable bioplastic, making it a \u00a0substitute for petroleum in the production of countless items from cosmetics to car parts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Professor Henry\u2019s call to rethink sugarcane is supported by Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia<\/a> Chair Ms Sheriden Morris.<\/p>\n

\"QAAFI
Sugarcane at Meringa research station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cGene-editing of the sugarcane genome will allow the sugar industry to explore adaptations that will reduce environmental impacts, especially on the Great Barrier Reef,\u201d Ms Morris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will help the industry to broaden the potential of a sugar crop to a wider range of uses. Biofuels and bioplastics will be important to the long-term future of the industry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Professor Henry, who has helped lead genomic breakthroughs in decoding the sugarcane genome, said the science was quickly developing to allow growers to tap into the commercial opportunities in renewables.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralia\u2019s sugarcane growers are facing a falling sugar price \u2013 \u00a0driven by declining world demand and increased competition in India and Brazil.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry must look to the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

QAAFI researchers supported by the US Joint BioEnergy Institute and Sugar Research Australia through an Australian Research Council Linkage <\/a>grant are testing a range of sugarcane varieties to identify which types produce ethanol most effectively and efficiently.<\/p>\n

Researchers are also collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi to investigate processes that break down sugarcane fibre to make bioplastics.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrink bottles made from sugarcane bioplastics are just one product on the agenda from this collaboration,\u201d Professor Henry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEconomics is the key. Now that we understand more about the genetics of sugarcane, these sorts of products are becoming commercially realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

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