About us
We develop innovative products and processes to build a sustainable and profitable biorefining industry in Australia. Our team engage in projects and consulting activities with industry as part of our everyday business.
We aim to increase the uptake of renewable bioproduct technologies, circular economy operations and distributed manufacturing in Australia by developing innovative, commercially viable products and processes.
We want to know your challenges so we can assemble the right team to move your project forward. To arrange a consultation, please contact brf@qut.edu.au
Our facilities
Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant
Our Mackay Pilot Plant is pioneering research and innovation in biorefining.
Fermentation and Bioprocessing Laboratory
Supports researchers, students and project partners with cutting-edge equipment and expertise in fermentation and synthetic biology.
Capabilities
We develop products and processes for research, industry and government partners in the biorefining sector.
Biology and fermentation
Overview
Our expertise encompasses all stages of the fermentation process and can be segmented or scaled up to suit project scope.
Upstream processes
- Strain development (genetically modified and non-genetically modified).
- Screening and selection of fermentation strains.
- Media optimisation.
Fermentation processes
- 1L with scale up to 1,000L fermentations.
- Batch, fed-batch and continuous.
- Gas formation and utilisation.
- Process monitoring, control and optimisation.
Downstream processes
- Solid-liquid separation and concentration.
- Product purification.
- Release of intracellular products.
Equipment
Our team has access to:
- tools for microbial strain development
- facilities for inoculum sterilisation and development
- fermentation capabilities from 1L through to 1000L
- product recovery and formulation capabilities.
Materials processing
Overview
We have a broad range of expertise and equipment to enable the effective separation of components of interest from complex mixtures.
Equipment
Our materials processing equipment allows for:
- evaporation
- cell disruption
- centrifugation
- membrane filtration
- distillation
- solvent extraction
- vacuum drying
- spray drying.
Materials pre-treatment
Overview
Our material pre-treatment systems may be used with a variety of materials from agricultural biomass to other waste materials such as textiles and digestates.
Our materials pre-treatment systems consist of various size reduction equipment, as well as a horizontal pre-hydrolysis reactor and a vertical reactor capable of undertaking steam explosion. The pre-treatment reactors are constructed of corrosion resistant Hastelloy C-2000 to provide the flexibility to perform a diverse range of pre-treatment technologies using various chemicals at moderate temperatures.
Equipment
We operate a variety of pre-treatment systems at QUT.
Reactors
| Equipment | Details |
|---|---|
Horizontal reactor – pre-hydrolysis process Materials are mixed with chemicals and steam to break them up and make them easier to digest. The crystallinity of cellulose is reduced, and the porosity is increased in the process. |
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Vertical reactor – steam explosion In this reactor, materials are pressurised up to 24barG temperature up to 220oC) in the reactor by steam and flashed into a blow-down tank at atmospheric pressure by opening a fast-acting blow valve. This elevated temperature and fast decompression process can cause bursting of cellular tissue and weaken the links between fibrous components. |
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Cutting mill Retsch SM300 Dried materials are cut and grinded down through mechanical shredding processes to reduce the particle size. It is specially designed for the grinding of soft, medium-hard, tough, elastic, fibrous, and heterogeneous mixes of products. |
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Chipper/mulcher This garden shredder / chipper / mulcher reduces the size of biomass feedstocks. Biomass can include, and is not limited to, sugarcane, bagasse, trash, corn stover, wood chip and energy grasses. |
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Scale-up processing and economics
Overview
Our processing and economics capability supports the development of biorefining technologies from laboratory- to pilot-scale. Our multidisciplinary team provides guidance and expertise to enable researchers and technologists to examine the economic viability of projects and create real-world impact.
Our team are experts in a wide range of key biorefining areas including synthetic biology, biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, process modelling and economics.We create a link between research and industry.
Our strong connections with other universities and technology providers enable us to access the best information and collaborators to ensure successful biorefining scale-up outcomes for our partners.
Chemical transformation and extraction
Overview
We provide bioprocessing hydrothermal liquefaction and pyrolysis technologies to produce effective and economically viable outcomes for our research and development project partners.
Thermochemical transformation converts biomass and waste feedstock into biocrude oil, syngas, solid residue and aqueous products in moderate to high temperature oxygen deficient environments to obtain high yielding energy conversions.
Hydrothermal liquefaction is ideal for processing a wide range of feedstocks, including low quality feedstocks having high moisture, oxygen and ash content. Pyrolysis is an alternative thermochemical process and best suited for processing feedstock with a lower moisture content. Typically, these thermochemical transformation technologies can be used to process a variety of feedstocks including:
- lignocellulosic products such as agricultural waste, forestry waste and green waste
- black liquor
- paunch
- food waste
- sewage sludge and biosolids
- stillage and digestate
- biosolids
- green waste
- end-of-life plastics
- municipal solid waste
- tyres.
Components derived from these processes can be used to produce a broad range of products including liquid and gaseous fuels, and bioproducts used in flavours, organic acids, pharmaceuticals, phenolics, resins and plastics.
Our team has established a significant track record in the development of proprietary process conditions and catalyst selection to optimise product yields from conversion of waste feedstock for our partners. We also possess extensive analytical capabilities and bench and pilot scale facilities dedicated to hydrothermal liquefaction and pyrolysis.
Equipment
We have the following equipment to enable hydrothermal liquefaction and pyrolysis.
| Equipment | Details |
|---|---|
| Parr high pressure and temperature batch reactors | 5L, 7L and 20L capacities |
| Pyrolysis process development unit | |
| Continuous hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reactor | 10 L/hr continuous reactor, 250 bar and 340°C operating conditions |
Separation technologies
Overview
We possess a broad range of expertise and equipment to enable the effective separation of components of interest from complex mixtures and ensure accurate and economically viable results for our bioprocessing research and development project partners.
Supercritical fluid extraction and anti-solvent fractionation
Our supercritical fluid group within the Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy explores the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) fractionation of feedstock to produce a variety of products.
SFE is a green extraction technique with proven advantages over more established extraction processes. Benefits include:
- higher extraction yields
- improved selectivity
- better fractionation capabilities
- lower environmental impacts.
The QUT Banyo Pilot Plant houses world-class separation technology equipment including a laboratory variable volume view cell used to study solubility of extracted compounds in dense and supercritical carbon dioxide at elevated pressures.
Feedstocks and products that can be processed on the unit are extremely diverse and include the extraction and fractionation of bioactives, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, bio-crudes, hydrocarbons and heavy metals.
