Development of a concentration process for thermally sensitive liquids by the integration of Osmotic Distillation with Freeze Concentration. There is a need for low temperature concentration of thermally sensitive fruit juices and biological liquids with preserved qualities and nutrients. Although Freeze Concentration has been successful up to about 40% solids, it then requires expensive freezing. This project aims to integrate Osmotic Distillation with Freeze Concentration to achieve up to ab ....Development of a concentration process for thermally sensitive liquids by the integration of Osmotic Distillation with Freeze Concentration. There is a need for low temperature concentration of thermally sensitive fruit juices and biological liquids with preserved qualities and nutrients. Although Freeze Concentration has been successful up to about 40% solids, it then requires expensive freezing. This project aims to integrate Osmotic Distillation with Freeze Concentration to achieve up to about 70% solids, for long-term storage under ambient or refrigerated conditions. If successful, the combined process would enable increased export of high quality agricultural products such as grape concentrate for wine making, as well as other liquid foods, beverages and biotechnological products.Read moreRead less
Surface immobilisation of enzymes for the synthesis of ethanol. The efficiency of ethanol production will be increased by preventing poisoning of enzymes by reaction products as in current technology. Enzymes will be robustly attached to porous surfaces so that a high efficiency continuous flow process can be used. A novel selective membrane for the continuous removal of ethanol will be developed, allowing water to be saved and unreacted inputs to be recycled. The ultimate outcome will be a proc ....Surface immobilisation of enzymes for the synthesis of ethanol. The efficiency of ethanol production will be increased by preventing poisoning of enzymes by reaction products as in current technology. Enzymes will be robustly attached to porous surfaces so that a high efficiency continuous flow process can be used. A novel selective membrane for the continuous removal of ethanol will be developed, allowing water to be saved and unreacted inputs to be recycled. The ultimate outcome will be a process which achieves dramatic water saving and greatly reduced environmental impact. In the final stage of the project we will apply our methods to the processing of cellulose from agricultural and forestry waste, with the potential of preventing the diversion of food resources into the transport fuel industry.Read moreRead less