Development of symbiont based approaches to pest and disease control in sugarcane. This project aims to develop a new approach to the control of insect damage to sugarcane in Australia. It focuses on the manipulation of bacteria that are intimately associated with insects that feed on sugarcane, so as to decrease their ability to cause crop damage both directly through feeding and indirectly through the transmission of disease
Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost produ ....Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost producer. This project aims to investigate the use of unique solvent extraction methods to remove deleterious impurities from the raw cane juice in sugar mills with the consequent improvement in both sugar yield and quality.Read moreRead less
In vitro evolution of more thermostable dextranases for the Australian sugar industry. Dextrans are polysaccharides that adversely affect the productivity of sugarcane mills. The Australian sugar industry currently imports dextranases to deal with this problem but they are not heat stable so the mills have run at lower temperatures than optimal. We have isolated dextranases from thermophilic microorganisms and aim to improve their performance by generating superior heat-stable dextranases using ....In vitro evolution of more thermostable dextranases for the Australian sugar industry. Dextrans are polysaccharides that adversely affect the productivity of sugarcane mills. The Australian sugar industry currently imports dextranases to deal with this problem but they are not heat stable so the mills have run at lower temperatures than optimal. We have isolated dextranases from thermophilic microorganisms and aim to improve their performance by generating superior heat-stable dextranases using in vitro evolution, creating new activity levels by random mutation and recombination. The research will be significant in providing novel enzymes for domestic use, allowing import substitution and an outcome will be the development of a product with export potential.
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Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. This project aims to develop enhanced varieties of sugarcane, a highly efficient crop for capturing carbon in plant biomass. This project will use genomic and metabolomic tools to investigate the biochemical and molecular genetic control of carbon partitioning into the major components of sugarcane biomass; identify key genetic controls of sucrose, cellulo ....Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. This project aims to develop enhanced varieties of sugarcane, a highly efficient crop for capturing carbon in plant biomass. This project will use genomic and metabolomic tools to investigate the biochemical and molecular genetic control of carbon partitioning into the major components of sugarcane biomass; identify key genetic controls of sucrose, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin biosynthesis; and establish strategies for genetic selection of sugarcane genotypes with desirable biomass components. Anticipated outcomes are an optimised industrial sugarcane crops with higher sugar content and other biomass components designed for high value end uses such as bio-energy or bio-material production.Read moreRead less
Multiscale Modelling and Thermal Design Optimisation of Large-Scale Biomass Stockpiles for Use in Renewable Energy Products. By minimising the risk of spontaneous combustion this project will significantly contribute to the ability of the Australian sugar industry to store wet bagasse (sugar cane fibre residue) in large stockpiles. This will facilitate the year-round availability of biomass as a feedstock in renewable energy production. The mathematical models developed in this project deliver a ....Multiscale Modelling and Thermal Design Optimisation of Large-Scale Biomass Stockpiles for Use in Renewable Energy Products. By minimising the risk of spontaneous combustion this project will significantly contribute to the ability of the Australian sugar industry to store wet bagasse (sugar cane fibre residue) in large stockpiles. This will facilitate the year-round availability of biomass as a feedstock in renewable energy production. The mathematical models developed in this project deliver an enabling mechanism for facilitating the diversification of the sugar industry with the potential to produce significant financial returns for the industry. This research has the potential to initiate considerable and extremely positive, down-stream environmental impacts for Australia by enhancing feedstock production for ecologically sustainable power generation systems.Read moreRead less
Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in ....Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in the development of intelligent systems techniques for industrial applications and provide a better decision making strategy for pan stage operations with the benefit of reduced costs of sugar manufacture and increased profitability of the Australian sugar industry.Read moreRead less
Dietary sugarcane-derived polyphenols reduce obesity. The Australian Sugar Industry is a billion dollar industry with refined sugar being calorie-rich but nutrition poor. Consumption of refined sugar is a main contributor to the increasing problem of obesity and metabolic syndrome, costing the Australian health system billions of dollars annually. The principal outcomes of this project will be to show that the polyphenols contained in the waste products from sugar refining can be used to reduce ....Dietary sugarcane-derived polyphenols reduce obesity. The Australian Sugar Industry is a billion dollar industry with refined sugar being calorie-rich but nutrition poor. Consumption of refined sugar is a main contributor to the increasing problem of obesity and metabolic syndrome, costing the Australian health system billions of dollars annually. The principal outcomes of this project will be to show that the polyphenols contained in the waste products from sugar refining can be used to reduce body fat and insulin resistance. These outcomes have enormous implications for human health and disease, and for the sugar industry, thus providing a competitive edge in the world sugar market.Read moreRead less
Combustion Modelling and Control for Biomass Fuelled Boilers . This Project aims to improve the operation of bio-fuelled boilers in the sugar industry by using novel approaches to modelling and control of the combustion process. In the sugar industry, sugarcane residue is used as biofuel for boilers. The steam from the boilers is used to crystallise sugar and generate electricity, which is used to power machinery and is also exported to the grid. However, due to poor fuel consistency and poor c ....Combustion Modelling and Control for Biomass Fuelled Boilers . This Project aims to improve the operation of bio-fuelled boilers in the sugar industry by using novel approaches to modelling and control of the combustion process. In the sugar industry, sugarcane residue is used as biofuel for boilers. The steam from the boilers is used to crystallise sugar and generate electricity, which is used to power machinery and is also exported to the grid. However, due to poor fuel consistency and poor combustion conditions, critical problems arise that hinder production. Expected outcomes include: improved sugar production, safer operation of boilers, reduced downtime, and better electricity co-generation.
This will provide significant benefits to sugar manufacturing and biofuel energy generation in AustraliaRead moreRead less
Control strategies for Bagasse-fuelled boiler units. This project aims to improve sugar production and electricity cogeneration capabilities in the sugar industry by utilising novel control ideas for boiler units. In the sugar industry, sugarcane residue is used as biofuel for boiler units. Boilers use steam to crystallise sugar and generate electricity. However, variable steam demand and poor fuel consistency severely hinder production. The project aims to improve safe operation of boilers, red ....Control strategies for Bagasse-fuelled boiler units. This project aims to improve sugar production and electricity cogeneration capabilities in the sugar industry by utilising novel control ideas for boiler units. In the sugar industry, sugarcane residue is used as biofuel for boiler units. Boilers use steam to crystallise sugar and generate electricity. However, variable steam demand and poor fuel consistency severely hinder production. The project aims to improve safe operation of boilers, reduce downtime, and maximise electricity generated to the grid. This will provide significant benefits to sugar manufacturing and, more broadly, biofuel energy generation in Australia.Read moreRead less
Selective Detection and Removal of Contaminants That Have an Adverse Impact on Australian Raw Sugar Quality. Sugar is Australia's 2nd largest agricultural crop with 80-85% exported earning $2 billion in export revenue. Whilst Australia is arguably the most reliable supplier of premium raw sugar the implementation of improved processing technologies by rivals has (and without appropriate research strategies will continue to) eroded some of the long-held Australian advantages.
Our innovative a ....Selective Detection and Removal of Contaminants That Have an Adverse Impact on Australian Raw Sugar Quality. Sugar is Australia's 2nd largest agricultural crop with 80-85% exported earning $2 billion in export revenue. Whilst Australia is arguably the most reliable supplier of premium raw sugar the implementation of improved processing technologies by rivals has (and without appropriate research strategies will continue to) eroded some of the long-held Australian advantages.
Our innovative approaches will improve raw sugar quality, measurement methods, and allow new product development (value adding), enabling Australia to maintain its? world leading position. Importantly, our technologies enable improvements of specific quality issues (and potentially as yet unidentified issues), further differentiating the Australian product in the international marketplace.
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