According to researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Exeter, and the University of Adelaide, the agave plant (known for tequila) could help alleviate Australia’s fuel shortage. The same process that would be used to process agave for fuel can also produce ethanol for hand sanitizer, which is a popular item as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The study is published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Currently, agave is being grown as a source for biofuel at the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland by MSF Sugar. The researchers believe that agave will be a better source of bioethanol than sugarcane and corn. According to Dr. Daniel Tan, who led the economic analysis, “Agave is an environmentally friendly crop that we can grow to produce ethanol-based fuels and healthcare products. It can grow in semi-arid areas without irrigation, and it does not compete with food crops or put demands on limited water and fertilizer supplies. Agave is heat and drought tolerant and can survive Australia's hot summers." Compared to sugarcane and corn, agave uses much less water for the biofuel production. Agave uses 69% less water than sugarcane and 46% less than corn.
Lead study author, Dr. Xiaoyu Yan, led the lifecycle assessment. Notes Yan, “Our analysis highlights the possibilities for bioethanol production from agave grown in semi-arid Australia, causing minimum pressure on food production and water resources. The results suggest that bioethanol derived from agave is superior to that from corn and sugarcane in terms of water consumption and quality, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ethanol output."
While the research is promising, creating bioethanol from the agave is not financially viable without governmental support. In the wake of the current coronavirus pandemic, various ethanol-based products like hand sanitizers are in high demand, and this increased demand could make the production of agave biofuel cost-effective.