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Figure 4.5(b)<br />
Energy balance <strong>of</strong> conversion <strong>of</strong> biomass using fast pyrolysis.<br />
4.4 Mallee Products, Markets and Value.<br />
Whilst a wide range <strong>of</strong> products can be derived from Oil Mallee trees, the market availability for the<br />
products will be the most significant issue. Key issues to be determined relating to an initial<br />
assessment <strong>of</strong> these products includes:<br />
• Current Australian or if relevant worldwide production <strong>of</strong> the product;<br />
• Estimated current ex-factory price for the product;<br />
• Potential production from a full scale potential Western Australian or Australian industry;<br />
• An estimate <strong>of</strong> the ex-factory value <strong>of</strong> the price <strong>of</strong> the product if the nominated potential<br />
production was achieved.<br />
Current Production: Australian or Worldwide production <strong>of</strong> the range <strong>of</strong> products is estimated as a<br />
pre-cursor to what impact a significant Industry would have on the domestic and international supply<br />
chains.<br />
Current Price: The estimated current ex-factory price for the product based on a limited search and<br />
known data. For example, the current price paid for Mallee Oil as a boutique product is in the order <strong>of</strong><br />
$10/kg, however Australian production is 150t/year and total world production is approximately<br />
4,000t/year. The price <strong>of</strong> other potential products can be derived from known data.<br />
Potential for Increased Production: The adoption <strong>of</strong> Mallee in the WA wheat belt as portrayed in<br />
section 1.3.1 would result in about 8 million tonnes fresh weight <strong>of</strong> whole tree product per year. This<br />
is a significant resource, although <strong>of</strong> modest value against the typical annual West Australian wheat<br />
harvest <strong>of</strong> over 4M tonnes. This could potentially produce about 80,000 tonnes <strong>of</strong> oil annually in<br />
Western Australia alone.<br />
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