QUT receives funding to commercialise biorefinery products

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Type of post: NEWS.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research on biorefining has received a major boost in the form of funding for the Phase 2 of the Biorefineries for Profit project.
Press release: “Funding boost to commercialise biorefinery products”, 9/9/2019.

Figure 1. Professor Ian O'Hara (QUT’s Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities) at the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Plant (taken from the press release)

QUT leads the research and development activities of this project which is supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. Phase 2 will investigate the critical issue of turning sugarcane and cotton by-products into higher-value products (highly digestible animal feeds, feed supplements and industrial chemicals).

Three of the most promising technologies from Phase 1 have been selected to progress towards commercialization:
- Two of them are related to producing animal feed products. Their applications will be demonstrated through animal feeding trials.
- The other one is the demonstration at a pilot scale of the conversion of cotton gin trash into a specialty chemical. This compound can be used to produce biobased fuels and plastics.

QUT is undertaking a significant part of its research at the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP). Major outcomes already achieved at the pilot plant include the development of improved animal feed supplements (currently in commercial trials) and the support for the Mercurius Biorefining pilot facility in Gladstone where sugarcane waste is being turned into jet and diesel fuels and chemicals.
Related post: “Mercurius Biorefining plans to establish pilot and demo plants in Queensland”, 23/2/2018.

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