ISSN 1329-7759

RSWA Proceedings November 2011

ATTENTION LIBRARIANS:

This publication should be catalogued under "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia"

Biofuels  from  algae  in  Western  Australia:  From  the  Lab  to  the  pilot  plant  and  beyond  Professor  Michael  A.  Borowitzka:    Algae  R&D  Center,  Murdoch  University    The  imminence  of  Peak  Oil  as  well  as  global  warming  due  to  anthropogenic  CO2  emissions  has  led  to  great  activity  to  develop  environmentally  sustainable  renewable  sources  of  energy.  Algae  are  seen  as  one  of  the  best  sources  of  renewable  liquid  fuels  (i.e.  biodiesel  and  bioethanol)  as  they  have  lipid  productivities  which  are  5-­‐10  times  greater  than  alternative  oil  seed  crops  such  as  canola  and  oil  palms,  and  because  they  can  be  grown  on  land  unsuitable  for  agriculture  using  saline  water.  Western  Australia  is  especially  well  suited  for  algae  culture  for  biofuels  because  of  regions  with  high  sunshine,  large  areas  of  flat  land  and  many  suitable  water  sources.  However,  before  algal  fuels  become  a  reality  many  problems  have  to  be  resolved,  especially  the  high  cost  of  algae  production.    Our  research  at  Murdoch  University  over  the  last  20  years  has  led  to  the  isolation  and  characterisation  of  a  number  of  elite  strains  of  local  microalgae  well  suited  for  commercial-­‐scale  culture  for  biofuels.  Together  with  colleagues  from  the  University  of  Adelaide  we  have  been  trialing  these  algae  in  outdoor  ponds  in  Perth  to  select  the  best  strain  and  to  optimise  culture  conditions  for  the  production  of  lipids  which  are  the  feedstock  for  biodiesel  production.  We  have  also  been  developing  efficient,  low  cost  methods  of  harvesting  and  dewatering  the  algae  and  for  the  extraction  of  the  lipids.  Our  results  show  very  high  productivities  over  the  whole  year  under  Perth  climatic  conditions.    In  November  2010  we  commissioned  the  first  Australian  algae  biofuels  pilot  plant  in  Karratha,  next  to  the  Rio  Tinto  Yurrila  Maya  Power  station.  The  pilot  plant  allows  the  testing  and  optimisation  of  the  algae  under  the  optimum  climatic  conditions  of  the  Pilbara  at  a  scale  that  will  allow  actual  production  costs  for  a  production  plant  to  be  determined  and  a  fully  commercial  process  to  be  developed.  The  Pilbara  has  many  advantages  for  commercial  scale  algae  biofuels  production  and  an  American  company,  Aurora  Algae,  have  also  established  a  pilot  plant  there  recently.      This  talk  will  cover  the  journey  from  the  lab  to  the  pilot  plant  and  beyond  and  our  findings  and  the  future  challenges  to  developing  this  new  industry  for  Western  Australia.  

REPORT  FROM  THE  RSWA    ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING  2011  

The Royal Society of Western Australia’s 2011 Annual General Meeting was held on Monday 18th July in the Webb Lecture Theatre at the University of Western Australia. The meeting was preceded by refreshments, giving the medallists and their guests an opportunity to meet councillors, members and each other. The meeting was officially opened by the President, Dr Lynne Milne, at 7.30 pm. The Minutes of the 2010-2011 AGM were presented and accepted. The President briefly explained why a formal election for the 2011-2012 Council was being held, why it had been delayed and that the Electoral Commission had now been engaged to conduct the election. The main points of the upcoming Constitution ballot were summarised. The President then presented the Annual Report that will shortly be available in full on the new RSWA website (royalsocietyofwa.com). She reported another successful year of events that included the exceptionally well-attended Kimberley Coast and Marine Symposium and the Journal issue dedicated to it. Another highlight of the year was the successful application for a Lottery West Grant to establish and pay for a new website for three years, and the development of the website. The President thanked all councillors for their contribution to the success of the year, in particular the hardworking editorial group, Professor Lyn Beazley for her contribution as Vice-Patron, the WA Museum for housing the Society’s Library and the Board of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority and The School of Earth and Environment at UWA for providing venues for meetings. The treasurer in presenting his report showed a surplus for the year that this time but noted that this was a false surplus as monies from the Kimberley Symposium have to be returned to WAMSI and a number of invoices are outstanding. The president then presented the new RSWA Brochure developed by Council member J Wege and called on Dr Phil O’Brien to launch the new website that he had worked so hard to bring to fruition.

The student medals and certificates were presented by councillor Prof Kate Wright, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research Training (Research and Development), Curtin University. The Presidential Address, Grains of Truth: Pollen in the forensic arena was delivered by Dr Lynne Milne who was due to

retire as President at the AGM, but continued to preside over Council until the 2011-2013 Council was elected, was followed by further refreshments.

NEW  MEMBERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY   It  is  required  by  the  constitution  that  the  names  of  new  members  of  the  RSWA  are  published  in  the  Proceedings.    

Ordinary Members Dr Dean Thorburn Dr Mike Cappo Dr Danny Rogers Mr Jonathan Davies Ms Jane Fyfe Dr Brett Maloney Ms Linda Villiers Ms Nimue Pendragon Ms Lynette Howearth Student Medallists and Postgraduate Student Symposium Presenters. Both the medalists and the presenters are traditionally awarded a one year membership. STUDENT MEDALLISTS Ms Alicia Sutton Ms Linette Umbrello Ms Stephanie Austin Ms Vanessa Stylianou Mr Eric Law POSTGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM PRESENTERS Ms Leigh Shepherd Ms Desiree Moon Ms Nannapat Natchakumlasap Mr James Tweedley Ms Maggie Triska Ms Anais Pages Mr Daniel McDonald Ms Tian Rui Mr Umar Farooq Mrs Shari Gallop Mr Martin Paesold Ms XiXi Li Ms Ailene Tawang Ms Jessie Moniodis Ms Hazel Gaza Ms Xiangling Fang Mr Siddhartha S Verma Mr Xinjjiang Zhu

       

PRESENTATION  OF  RSWA  STUDENT  MEDALS    Each  year  the  RSWA  awards  a  student  medal  to  the  student  with  the  highest  aggregate  score  in  their  undergraduate  degree  from  each  of  the  WA  universities.    The  students  are  nominated  by  their  university.    The  medals  were  presented  to  the  students  at  this  years  AGM  by  Prof  Kate  Wright,  Associate  Deputy  Vice  Chancellor,  Research  and  Training,  Curtin  University      

   Alicia  Sutton,  Murdoch  University.    

 Linette  Umbrello  UWA    

 Stephanie  Austin  Curtin  University.    

 Eric  Law  Notre  Dame.    

 Vanessa  Stylianou,  Edith  Cowan  University  (Vanessa’s  father  accepted  the  medal  on  her  behalf).    

DEVONIAN  REEF  COMPLEXES  OF  THE  CANNING  BASIN,  WESTERN  AUSTRALIA    This  talk  was  given  by  Tony  Cockbain  in  November  2010,  on  behalf  of  Phil  Playford  who  was  unable  to  attend  the  meeting.  The  talk  was  based  on  a  selection  of    slides  prepared  by  Phil;  a  small  summary  of  the  talk  was  published  in  the  December  2010  Proceedings.  This  abstract  is  taken  from  GSWA  Bulletin  145  with  the  above  title.    ]  

This  article  with  larger  figures  can  be  downloaded  from  the  RSWA  website  at    http://www.royalsocietyofwa.com/      The  bulletin  can  also  be  purchased  from  Mineral  House  for  $77.    ABSTRACT  Middle   and   Upper   Devonian   (Givetian,  Frasnian,   and   Famennian)   reef   complexes  are   spectacularly   exposed   on   the   Lennard  Shelf,   along   the   northern   margin   of   the  Canning   Basin.   They   form   a   belt   of   rugged  limestone  ranges,  some  350  km  long  and  up  to  50  km  wide,   that   is  commonly  known  as  the   ‘Devonian   Great   Barrier   Reef’.   The   reef  

complexes   form   a   northwest-­‐trending  barrier-­‐reef   system,   composed   of   fringing  reefs,  atolls,  and  banks,   that  grew  along  the  mountainous   mainland   shore   of   the  Kimberley  block  and  around  rugged  islands  of   Proterozoic   igneous   and   metamorphic  rocks.   One   reef   complex   grew   on   a   fault  block  of  Ordovician  dolomite  and  shale.  The  maximum   thickness   of   the   Devonian   rocks  is   estimated   to   be   at   least   2500m.   In   some  areas   the  reef  complexes  are  cut  by  normal  faults,   some   of   which   moved   during   the  Devonian,   with   associated   tilting   and  folding,   but   over   large   areas   the   Devonian  rocks   remained   almost   undeformed.  Conglomerates,  that  interfinger  with  or  pass  through   the   reef   complexes,   were   derived  from  the  scarps  of  active  faults   in  adjoining  Precambrian   basement   rocks.   Movement  along   some   faults   continued   during   the  Carboniferous,   but   since   then   there   has  been  little  or  no  faulting  in  the  area.      Three  main  facies  are  recognized  in  the  reef  complexes:   platform,   marginal-­‐slope,   and  basin   facies.   The   reefal   platforms,   which  stood  tens  to  hundreds  of  metres  above  the  adjacent   sea   floor,   were   constructed   by  shallow-­‐water   organisms,   especially  stromatoporoids,   corals,   and   microbes.  Many   platforms   were   rimmed   by   rigid  wave-­‐resistant   reefs.   The   platform   facies   is  subdivided   into   reef-­‐margin,   reef-­‐flat,  pinnacle   reef,   and   back-­‐reef   subfacies.  Where   no   reef   is   developed   around   a  platform  margin,  the  platform  is  regarded  as  a  bank  and  its  deposits  as  bank  sub  facies.    

 Fig 1: Geological map of the Devonian reef complexes.  The   platform   deposits   were   laid   down  essentially   horizontally,   in   shallow   subtidal  to   intertidal   and   supratidal   environments.  The  reef-­‐margin  and  reef-­‐flat  deposits  were  mainly  formed  in  shallow  water  depths,  but  in   some   places   the   reef   grew   in   water  estimated   to  have  been  up   to   a   few   tens  of  

metres   deep.   The   back-­‐reef   areas   ranged  from   supratidal   to   subtidal,  with   estimated  water   depths   of   up   to   10   m.   Cyclicity   is  evident  in  many  of  the  back-­‐reef  deposits    

 Fig 2: Morphology diagram of the reef complexes.  Marginal-­‐slope  deposits  were   laid  down  on  slopes   in   front  of   the  platforms,  descending  to   water   depths   of   up   to   several   hundred  metres.  The  marginal-­‐slope  facies  in  front  of  a   reefal   platform   is   subdivided   into   reefal-­‐slope   and   fore-­‐reef   subfacies.   Where   the  platform   is   a   bank   the   slope   deposits   are  regarded  as  fore-­‐bank  facies.      Reef-­‐margin   and   reef-­‐flat   boundstones   and  back-­‐reef   biostromes   were   built   by  microbes,   stromatoporoids,   and   corals  during  the   late  Givetian  and  early  Frasnian,  microbes   and   stromatoporoids   during   the  late   Frasnian,   and   microbes   alone   in   the  Famennian.   The   reefal-­‐slope   subfacies  consists   of   microbial   boundstone   that  accreted  at   the   tops  of   the  marginal   slopes.  The  reefal-­‐slope  deposits  show  depositional  dips   ranging   from   nearly   vertical   to   about  40°,  and  they  pass  downwards  into  fore-­‐reef  subfacies.    The   fore-­‐reef   deposits   consist   largely   of  platform-­‐derived  debris,  and   include  debris  flows   and   isolated   allochthonous   blocks   of  reef,   together   with   indigenous   fossil  organisms   and   terrigenous   clastic  material.  Depositional   dips   in   the   fore-­‐reef   subfacies  decline  progressively   from  about  40°  at   the  top   of   a   slope   to   a   few  degrees   at   the   foot,  where   the   fore-­‐reef   subfacies   interfingers  with   basin   facies.   Fore-­‐bank   deposits  generally   lack   steep   depositional   dips,   and  they  interfinger  directly  with  bank  deposits  at  the  top  of  the  slope  and  with  basin  facies  at  the  base.      The   basin   facies,   which   was   laid   down  essentially   horizontally   in   water   depths  from  a  few  tens  to  several  hundreds  metres,  consists  largely  of  calcareous  shale,  siltstone  and   sandstone,   with   some   interbedded  

turbidites  and  debris-­‐flow   limestones.  Most  basin  deposits  have  undergone  major  post-­‐burial  mechanical   compaction   (up   to   about  75%).    

 Fig 3: Classic face at Windjana Gorge.    The   reef   complexes   range   in   age   from  Middle   Devonian   (late   Givetian)   to   Late  Devonian   (Frasnian   and   Famennian).   Most  exposed   reefs   are   Frasnian   and   Famennian  in   age.   The  most   precise   dating   of   the   reef  complexes   is   based   on   conodonts   and  ammonoids   in   basin   and   marginal-­‐slope  deposits.   Conodonts   are   absent   and  ammonoids   are   rare   in   platform   deposits.  Two   second-­‐order   sequences   are  recognised   in   the   reef   complexes:   the  Givetian-­‐Frasnian   Pillara   Sequence   and   the  Famennian  Nullara  Sequence.  The  boundary  between  them  is  a  unconformity  in  platform  and   upper   marginal-­‐slope   deposits   and   a  conformity   in   deeper   marginal-­‐slope   and  basin   deposits.   The   fall   in   sea   level   that  caused   this   unconformity   is   estimated   to  have   been   about   50   m.   The   Frasnian-­‐Famennian   boundary   marks   the  culmination   of   a   global   mass   extinction   of  metazoan  organisms   that   apparently   began  during  the   late  Frasnian.  Microbes  survived  the   mass   extinction   virtually   unscathed.  Among   those   microbes,   Renalcis   is  especially   prominent   as   a   reef   builder   in  both   Frasnian   and   Famennian   platforms,  but   non-­‐skeletal  microbes  were   even  more  important  as  reef  builders.    Deep-­‐water   stromatolites   are   conspicuous  features   of   some   marginal-­‐slope   deposits,  above   and   just   below   the   Frasnian-­‐Famennian   boundary.   They   may   have  thrived   at   that   time   because   the   extinction  event   removed   metazoans   that   would  otherwise  have  consumed  the  stromatolite-­‐building  microbes.      The   rigid   early-­‐cemented   reef-­‐margin   and  reef-­‐flat   limestones   were   subjected   to  

fissuring  in  response  to  earthquake  shaking,  slippage   along   underlying   marginal-­‐slope  deposits,   and   differential   compaction   of  underlying   basin   deposits   over   basement  topography.   The   fissures   were   filled   with  sediment,   calcite   cement,   and   organic  growths,   forming   networks   of   neptunian  dykes.  Masses   of   terrigenous   conglomerate  interfinger  with  and  extend  through  the  reef  complexes   at   various   localities   along   the  outcrop   belt.   They   are   highstand   deposits  that   interfinger   with   platform,   marginal-­‐slope,   and   basin   deposits   and   were   laid  down   as   alluvial-­‐fan,   fan-­‐delta,   and  submarine-­‐fan   deposits   in   front   of   the  scarps   of   active   faults.   Large   volumes   of  sand  and  mud  poured  into  basins  adjoining  the   conglomerate   bodies,   so   that   the  resulting   basin   deposits   are   largely  terrigenous.    The   area   was   subjected   to   glaciation   by  continental   ice   sheets   during   the   Late  Carboniferous   and   Early   Permian.   The  erosive   action   of   the   ice   sheets   and  associated   subglacial   water   had   profound  effects   on   the   Devonian   rocks.   The   tops   of  the   limestone   ranges   were   planed   off   by  ‘dirty’  ice  and  were  extensively  karstified  by  the   corrosive   action   of   subglacial   water  under   high   pressures   and   sub-­‐zero  temperatures.  Major  cave  systems  formed  in  the  limestones  at  that  time.    Economic  deposits  of  zinc  and   lead  sulfides  have  been  mined  in  several  places  along  the  reef  belt,  mainly  in  the  southeastern  part,  at  Pillara,   Cadjebut,   and   Goongewa.   These  deposits   are   thought   to   have   been   carried  into   the   Devonian   limestones   by   hot   fluids  expelled   from   shales   deep   in   the   Fitzroy  Trough.   They   follow   faults   and  hydrothermal   caverns   in   the   limestones.  The   age  of   this   epigenetic  mineralization   is  Early  Carboniferous  (Tournaisian).    Small   oilfields   have   been   located   in   late  Famennian   reef   limestone   and   overlying  deposits   in   the   subsurface   of   the  northwestern   Lennard   Shelf.   The  Famennian   reef   margin   has   been   well  defined   in   this   area   through   conventional  seismic   surveys.   Although   Frasnian   reef  complexes  are  known  from  drilling  to  occur  below   the   Famennian   carbonate   rocks   in  this   area,   their   detailed   distribution   cannot  be  delineated  by  such  surveys.  It  is  believed  that   Frasnian   reef   complexes   have   the   best  prospects  for  future  oil  discoveries,  and  it  is  

likely   that   they   can   be   successfully  delineated  using  3-­‐D  seismic  techniques.  

 Fig 4: Napier Range at Windjana Gorge.

 

 

Distribution  of  the  RSWA  Proceedings  In   common   with   every   other   society,   the   RSWA   is   facing   financial   constraints   due   to   declining  membership   and   increasing   costs.     So   that   we   can   continue   to   provide   the   events   and   excursions  enjoyed  by  our  members  at  little  or  no  costs  to  our  members  we  have  to  cut  costs  wherever  possible.    Traditionally   we   have   printed   and   mailed   the   Proceedings   to   our   members.     This   costs   us   approx  $7,000  per  annum,  money   that  could  be  put   to  better  use.     It  has   therefore  been  decided  by  Council  that  in  order  to  save  the  costs  associated  with  printing  and  mailing,  the  Proceedings  will  be  delivered  by  email.    If  a  hard  copy  is  required  the  Proceedings  can  be  printed  out.    For  those  members  for  whom  we  do  not  have  a  valid  email  address  we  will  continue  to  post   the  Proceedings.    This  will   take  effect  from  December  2011.  Philip  O’Brien,  President  RSWA    

RSWA  Christmas  Event    This  year’s  RSWA  Christmas  event  will  be  tours  of   the  new  state  of   the  art  WA  Conservation  Science  Centre   in   Technology   Park   off   Hayman   Rd.   in   Kensington   at   the   Department   of   Environment   and  Conservation.     A   map   is   available   at.   http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/view/5515/1808/.     In  addition   to   housing   the  WA  Herbarium   and   Science   Division   research   laboratories,   this   facility   also  houses   the  nation’s   largest   purpose  built   seed  bank.     Find  out   about   the   various   research  programs  conducted  at  the  centre  and  the  role  of  the  WA  Herbarium  in  conservation  of  the  unique  plant  species  found   in  WA.     This   event   will   take   place   on   the   7th   Dec.     Tours   of   the   facility,   including   the   newly  established  planter  boxes  featuring  an  interesting  selection  of  WA  native  plants  will  start  from  4.30  pm  with  a  BBQ  to  follow.    We  ask  that  people  bring  a  plate  of  salad,  desert  or  nibbles  to  share  and  their  own  drinks.    The  RSWA  will  provide  the  meat.        RSWA  FUNCTIONS    

Date Time Venue Event November 21st 7.00 pm King’s Park Administration building Prof. M Borowitzka, Algal Biofuels. December 7th 4.30 pm WA Conservation Science Centre Xmas function.

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