In 2026, global mining and metals giant Rio Tinto signed a five-year bio-pellet offtake agreement with Australian renewable biomass charcoal firm SuperChar. Scheduled for delivery starting in 2028, the locally produced bio-pellets will be trialled as a coal substitute at Rio Tinto’s alumina refineries in Gladstone, supporting the company’s climate targets of cutting Scope 1 and 2 operational emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Building on previous operational trials and feasibility studies that verified bio-pellets could replace up to 30% of coal used for boiler steam generation under test conditions, the partnership will conduct further practical blending tests with bio-pellet ratios ranging from 5% to 50%. The new fuel solution will first be adopted at the Yarwun refinery before being scaled up at the Queensland Alumina facility pending regulatory and operational approvals. SuperChar will build a local production plant in the Gladstone region using high-yield, renewable Bana grass as feedstock, with an initial annual production capacity of 35,000 tonnes of bio-pellets. At full operational capacity, the project is expected to reduce Rio Tinto’s Scope 1 emissions by up to 90,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum. This collaboration marks a key step in Rio Tinto’s efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in alumina refining and accelerate its low-carbon transition, while driving industrial fuel innovation based on sustainable local biomass resources and delivering economic benefits for regional communities.
Source: https://www.esgtoday.com/rio-tinto-signs-deal-to-replace-coal-in-refineries-with-bio-pellets/