About us

Our goal is to assist you to 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, contact brf@qut.edu.au

BRF is an arm of QUT’s Research Infrastructure (RI). We aim to assist researchers to develop innovative products and processes that enhance development of a sustainable and profitable biorefining industry in Australia. Our team engages in projects and consulting activities with academic and industry partners as part of our everyday business.

BRF has two primary locations:

In addition, our staff also collaborate with other research facilities to achieve real-world outcomes for our partners e.g. QUT’s Banyo Pilot Plant and Central Analytical Research Facility.

Our facilities

Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant

Our Mackay Pilot Plant is pioneering research and innovation in biorefining.

The Pilot Plant is hosted by Mackay Sugar Limited, and is based on-site with an operating sugar factory, giving our researchers direct access to sugar, biomass and sugarcane co-products.
Access to raw materials and a dedicated, unique space means that our researchers can develop and demonstrate a range of technologies at pilot scale.

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Fermentation and Bioprocessing Laboratory

BRF’s Brisbane Gardens Point Q620 PC2 biotechnology facility which has a range of equipment for bioprocessing research & development.

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Capabilities

We assist you to develop products and processes for research, industry and government partners in the biorefining sector.

We help create end-to-end fermentation processes from strain development through to fermentation optimisation and scale-up. Our expertise encompasses all stages of the fermentation process and can be segmented or scaled to suit project scope.

  • strain development (genetically modified and non-genetically modified)
  • screening and selection of fermentation strains
  • feedstock selection and media optimisation
  • 1L with scale up to 2,000L fermentations
  • batch, fed-batch and continuous
  • process monitoring, control and optimisation.

We have a range of laboratory and pilot scale materials processing equipment to modify industrial materials to suit your bioprocessing needs. From concentration, drying to separation of components of interest from complex mixtures our team have a broad range of expertise and equipment to assist your bioprocessing requirements.

  • solid-liquid separation and concentration (e.g. centrifugation; TFF)
  • evaporation
  • clarification
  • cell disruption and homogenisation
  • distillation
  • solvent extraction
  • vacuum drying
  • spray drying
  • freeze drying.

We operate thermal and chemical extraction equipment which may be utilised to transform a variety of materials from pre-processed materials through to agricultural biomass and other waste materials such as textiles and digestates. 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.

  • horizontal reactor: provides the flexibility to perform a diverse range of pre-treatment technologies using various chemicals at moderate temperatures
  • vertical reactor: materials are pressurised up to 24barG (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
  • continuous hydrotreater: involves the application of hydrogen in the presence of a high activity catalyst at a suitable pressure (50-100 bar) and temperature to transform materials
  • Pparr high temperature and pressure batch reactors: 5, 7 and 20L capacities
  • continuous hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reactor: 10lph 250 bar operating conditions
  • REACH process pilot plant
  • extrusion – equipment details to be confirmed as part of MRBPP upgrade
  • Sanflo Mill.

Case studies

Our staff

Dr Jo Blinco
Position
Manager, Biorefining Research Facility
Division / Faculty
Research Portfolio
Research field
Electrical engineering
Email
Dr Laura Navone
Position
Visiting Fellow
Division / Faculty
Research Portfolio
Research fields
Industrial biotechnology
Biochemistry and cell biology
Microbiology
Email
Dr Rachel Self
Position
Biorefining Technologist (Laboratory Coordinator)
Division / Faculty
Research Portfolio
Email
Ms Karen Cardona Rosales
Position
Manager, Pilot Plant Operations
Division / Faculty
Research Portfolio
Email

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