Commissioning of mobile distillation unit for eucalyptus oil industry

27/1/95

Western Australia's emerging eucalyptus oil industry entered a new phase this week with the commissioning of a new mobile distillation unit.

The unit, built by the Department of Agriculture researcher Phil Scott, will be used to extract oil from demonstration plots of oil producing mallees.

The still is in Woodanilling, where the first harvest of mallees is due to be processed early in February.  Later it will be taken for further processing trials at Kalannie and Canna.

Euc-oil has been identified as a potentially profitable cash crop for wheatbelt farmers. Preliminary work by the Department of Conservation and Land Management, the Department of Agriculture, Murdoch University and the Department of Commerce and Trade has been encouraging but further detailed commercial investigation of the concept is needed.

Research so far indicates the keys to successful commercial development will be genetic improvement of oil mallee species to improve leaf oil content, reducing oil extraction costs, pricing and marketing.

The income earned from euc-oil production will also provide added incentive for farmers to plant mallees for their environmental benefits such as reducing water tables for combating the spread of salinity.

Environment Minister Kevin Minson and Primary Industry Minister Monty House said the aim of the extraction trials was to produce small batches of oil for product and market development.

The Ministers said It would help develop harvesting techniques in collaboration with farmers who had planted oil producing mallees in the past two years.

Euc-oil, at the moment, had a small market mainly in pharmaceuticals.  But research by Murdoch University had shown the oil was an excellent natural solvent.

Alcoa of Australia had successfully used euc-oil in its workshops as an industrial degreaser and solvent and was supporting further research into the product's solvent properties.

The industrial solvent market was huge and some existing degreasers are now being phased out because of their impact on ozone levels.

The oil mallee project is being funded by CALM and the Department of Agriculture. Other funds have come from the Commonwealth's Farm Forestry Program, the National Landcare Program and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

So far, 1,500 hectares have been planted in six wheatbelt localities, Toolibin, Woodanilling, Esperance, Narembeen, Kalannie and Canna.

This year a further 3,000 hectares will be planted with three million seedlings CALM has raised at its Manjimup and Narrogin nurseries and private nurseries.  The target is for 30,000 hectares to be under oil-mallees by 1998. This will enable 15,000 hectares a year to be harvested yielding 1,200 tonnes of euc-oil.

The new still uses a conventional steam extraction process. The unit is trailer-mounted and only needs a water supply such as a farm dam to operate.  Gas burners heat the water to generate steam which passes through the cut leaf and steam material.

The steam and oil mix enters a condenser where it is cooled.  The oil is allowed to float to the top and is decanted.

The still is adequate for experimental and small scale development purposes. Researchers also are looking at other methods such as microwave and solar technology which could reduce extraction costs.

A recent preliminary trial at Merredin resulted in 40 litres of oil from 2.5 tonnes of leaf and stem.

Media contacts: Caroline Lacy, Will Henwood (09) 222 9595