Research Theme 2
Addressing engineering constraints associated with the scale-up of technology
Theme leader: Professor Paul Lant
Alignment with Partner Organisations: Qld Govt, Council of the City of Gold Coast
This research theme focuses on making advances for PHA production at both laboratory and pilot scale. PHA is emerging as a particularly attractive material, as it is the only bioplastic that is hydrophobic (water resistant), bioderived and truly biodegradable in natural environments. Market growth in PHA is faster than any other biopolymer. Research will focus on integrating bioresource development with bioplastic manufacture, to avoid the expense associated with refining feedstocks. It will also target engineering bottlenecks which have largely been overlooked.