力拓合作生質能混燒減碳

全球礦業巨頭力拓（Rio Tinto）已承諾於 2030 年前將範疇 1 與範疇 2 的溫室氣體排放量減少 50%，並在 2050 年實現淨零排放。為達成此目標，力拓正積極投資再生能源、設備電氣化及更清潔的工業技術，並尋求煉油與精煉過程所需製程熱能的替代方案。

In a milestone step toward decarbonizing heavy industry process heat, Rio Tinto has entered into a strategic operational agreement with SuperChar to test and scale the use of plant-based bio pellets as a coal substitute in its alumina refining operations.

力拓最新宣布與 SuperChar 展開合作，旨在替代其氧化鋁精煉廠目前用於生成蒸氣的部分煤炭。根據雙方資料，先前使用不同比例煤炭與生質顆粒（Bio Pellets）進行的營運測試顯示，在測試條件下，生質燃料最高可替代精煉廠鍋爐中 30% 的煤炭消耗量。

The initiative targets Rio Tinto's core Scope 1 emissions reduction goals - aiming for a 50% reduction by 2030 and net-zero status by 2050 - by replacing fossil coal used for refinery steam generation with renewable charcoal derived from locally cultivated Bana grass.

根據新協議，力拓將進行一系列生質顆粒混合比例介於 5% 至 50% 的營運示範。第一階段預計於雅文（Yarwun）氧化鋁精煉廠展開，並在取得監管批准及營運就緒後，進一步擴大至昆士蘭氧化鋁（Queensland Alumina）設施使用。

Strategic & Operational Highlights:

力拓鋁業太平洋營運董事總經理 Armando Torres 表示，減少對化石燃料的依賴需要多種技術協同作用，此次協議將有助於公司更深入了解生質顆粒在格萊斯頓（Gladstone）營運區進行大規模應用的可行性。

SuperChar 採用高產且快速生長的多年生能源作物「巴那草（Bana grass）」來生產再生生物炭，該作物可直接使用標準甘蔗農業設備進行耕作與收割，能作為替代天然林木與熱帶硬木製成之傳統木炭的永續方案。

Proven Fuel Substitution: Preliminary operational trials demonstrated that bio pellet blends can successfully replace up to 30% of coal in refinery boilers under test conditions.

為支援此合作，SuperChar 計劃於格萊斯頓地區建設一座生質顆粒製造廠，利用在地種植的巴那草作為原料，初始階段預計每年可生產約 3.5 萬噸生質顆粒。

Phased Rollout: Multi-stage demonstrations featuring 5% to 50% bio pellet blends will commence at the Yarwun alumina refinery before potential expansion to the Queensland Alumina facility.

若該計畫達到最大合約供貨量，估計每年可為力拓減少高達 9 萬噸二氧化碳當量（$\text{tCO}_2\text{e}$）的範疇 1 排放。

Substantial Carbon Abatement: At full contract volumes, the integration of SuperChar’s bio pellets is projected to displace up to 90,000 tonnes of $\text{tCO}_2\text{e}$ in reported Scope 1 emissions annually.

協議亦允許在技術驗證成功後，隨時間推移增加生質顆粒的供應量。

Regional Industrial Infrastructure: SuperChar plans to construct a localized processing plant in the Gladstone region, producing roughly 35,000 tonnes of bio pellets annually in its initial phase using standard agricultural supply chains.

SuperChar 執行主席 Michael Palmer 指出，此計畫不僅展現了在地生產再生生質能作為工業燃料的潛力，也能為格萊斯頓地區創造全新的經濟機遇，支持澳洲向低碳製造業轉型。

"Decarbonizing industrial heat requires high-integrity, scalable technological solutions," stated Armando Torres, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations. "This partnership strengthens our roadmap to evaluate regenerative biomass at commercial scale across our Gladstone facilities."