ABOUT CSR ETHANOL
A brief history of CSR in sugar
On 1 January 1855, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company was established in Sydney to refine imported raw sugar for the domestic market. Incorporated in 1887, the company changed its name to CSR Limited in 1973. Refining operations expanded to Melbourne in 1857, and to New Zealand in 1884. The company began raw sugar milling in 1870 in northern New South Wales. Over the next two decades, sugar milling was expanded to Queensland and Fiji. (The Fiji mills were sold in 1972 and the NSW mills in 1978.) CSR first distilled ethanol from molasses in northern NSW in 1873. In 1923, CSR entered into the first of 66 annual toll refining agreements with the Queensland Government to refine and market the sugar crop. In 1989, the company resumed refining as a commercial business when arrangements for an import embargo and administered price were repealed. The Sugar Australia joint venture was formed in March 1998.
Ethanol
Australia’s leader in ethanol
CSR Ethanol is one of two major Australian producers of ethanol products, supplying around half of the domestic ethanol market and exporting throughout the Asia Pacific region.
CSR produces its ethanol (ethyl alcohol) by fermenting molasses, a by-product of sugar production. CSR Ethanol’s Sarina Distillery in Queensland produces up to 60 million litres of 96% strength ethanol per year. Much of it goes to CSR’s Yarraville Distillery in Melbourne where it is further distilled to create 100% strength ethanol or blended to create a range of high-quality products.
Ethanol manufacture
The pure and methylated ethanol products CSR Ethanol manufacture supply a wide range of domestic and export markets. We regularly develop new products to suit customer needs, such as Flexol® flexographic and gravure printing solvents, Cleansol cleaning solutions, Alcool refrigeration products, and Biodunder™, a cost-effective organic fertilizer.
CSR Ethanol also distributes a number of chemical products, Enzymes and Food additives from Australian and international manufacturers. The industrial chemical product range includes iso-propanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, n-propanol and n-propyl acetate. The enzyme and food additive range includes sugar and sorbitol products, flavour enhancers, probiotics, MSG and activated carbon, and a range of enzymes for use in a variety of applications.
Ethanol, fuel and the environment
Ethanol is a sustainable and renewable product with proven green credentials. In particular, using ethanol as a fuel additive has many advantages - for the environment, for engine performance, and for the economy.
Adding just 10% ethanol to petrol increases the amount of oxygen in the fuel combustion process (i.e. it raises the fuel’s octane level). This results in a cleaner and more complete burn, reducing the amount of carbon monoxide formed by 30-40%.
Ethanol in fuel also reduces the production of greenhouse gasses associated with climate change. Studies have found that 1,000 litres of ethanol in a 10% blend with petrol will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.58 tonnes.
Ethanol also reduces engine knock and makes the engine run more efficiently because the extra oxygen it carries delivers more energy to an engine than petrol alone.
The market for fuel ethanol is well established in many countries, including the USA and Brazil. Closer to home, Japan and Thailand are discovering the benefits. We are taking the lead in advocating ethanol as a fuel additive in Australia.
