First of Its Kind in Australia

Proserpine Sugar Mill on Queensland's central coast is hoping to become the country's first producer of furfural.

Furfural is a solvent that's made out of bagasse, a by-product of the sugar milling process which is used in the manufacture of a wide range of products from paint, to golf balls and pharmaceuticals.

Mill spokesperson, Chris Connors says a 5000 tonne plant would represent a substantial investment for the co-op. “In very broad terms it could be a figure between $10 million - $12 million in initial stages but I mean that's a 5,000 tonne plant. If the thing proves up the way we expect, we'd be expecting to develop up to around 30, 000 tonnes in five years.

“It looks promising, we're certainly - we'll call it ‘moderately excited’ about it at the moment. I think it’s a good thing for the sugar industry.”

Anticipation over furfural first - Kate O'Toole
Proserpine Sugar Mill on Queensland's central coast is hoping to become Australia's first producer of Furfural. Furfural is a solvent that's made out of bagasse, a by-product of the sugar milling process, and it's used in the manufacture of a wide range of products from paint, to golf balls and pharmaceuticals. Chris Connors, Company Secretary of the mill says a five thousand tonne plant would represent a substantial investment for the co-op. "In very broad terms it could be a figure between $10 and $12 million in initial stages but I mean that's a 5-thousand tonne plant. If the thing proves up the way it could prove up, we'd probably be expecting to develop up to around 30,000 tonnes in 5 years. It looks promising, we're certainly - we'll call it moderately excited about it at the moment and I think its a good thing for the sugar industry," Mr Connors said.
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Chris Connors: Secretary, Proserpine Mill