Rio Tinto signs five-year bio pellet offtake deal with SuperChar for Gladstone refineries

Rio Tinto signed a five-year offtake agreement with SuperChar for locally produced bio pellets for Gladstone alumina refineries.

Deliveries are targeted to start in 2028, with initial use expected at Yarwun and then Queensland Alumina Ltd, subject to approvals.

Operational tests indicated bio pellets could replace up to 30% of coal used for steam generation in refinery boilers.

The agreement supports demonstrations of 5% to 50% bio pellet blends. SuperChar plans a 35,000-ton-a-year plant using bana grass feedstock.

At full contract volumes, Rio Tinto estimates up to 90,000 tonnes a year of Scope 1 CO2e reductions under Australia reporting rules.