Scion hopes to build NZ biofuel industry

New Zealand could be making its own biofuel within the next five years. Scion, a Rotorua-based research institute, hopes to end the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels by establishing a bio-energy industry here. Integrated bio-energy portfolio leader Paul Bennett says his team had already made significant progress.

Scion’s wood-based aviation fuel was its most promising product and would likely be the first to reach the market. Liquid biofuel from wood, for instance, can deliver an 85 percent reduction in C02 emissions.