The TPRG aims for excellence in research and development, underpinned by strong industry linkages, driving innovation, commercialisation, and education in the new plastics economy.
Total funding: $929,149
Period: 17/8/17 – 17/9/2020
This project is funded by the Queensland government through the Advance Queensland Innovation Partnerships program and Manildra group. Our collaborators are in the Advanced Water Management Centre, School of Agriculture and Food Science, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and James Cook University.
The project will manufacture novel materials, test their performance and characterise their relevant physico-chemical properties along three development streams:
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Total funding: $799182
Period: 9/12/16 – 8/12/19
This project is funded by the ARC and Shoalhaven Starches (a subsidiary of Manildra Group).
To this end, the project pursues characterisation, manufacturing and performance streams of research to:
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Total funding: $1.5 million from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)
Period: Jan/2018 – April/2021
This project seeks to capitalise on the variable response that is observed in cattle with ingestion of plant toxins by isolating microbes capable of degrading toxins (for use as preventative probiotics), and investigating toxin absorbents and/or biopolymers to foster toxin-degrading microbe populations. The approach is to devise strategies to enable toxin breakdown in the rumen before absorption into the bloodstream. Initially this research will be applied to the Pimelea toxin, simplexin, which causes frequently fatal poisoning in cattle grazing inland pastures of Australia. Project aims to produce a rumen inoculum containing microbes able to detoxify the Pimelea toxin, secondly to investigate biopolymer for slow-release systems for the rumen that would have broad utility across a range of plant toxins. Thirdly, toxin sponges or absorbants such as clay which could act as absorbent as well as slow release component to deliver low toxins doses, will be explored.
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Total funding: $270,000
Period: 9/12/16 – 8/12/19
This project is funded by the ARC and Norske Skog Paper Mills (Australia) Limited through ARC Linkage Project.
This project pioneers the development of tough bio-based and biodegradable WPCs, directly addressing a key end-user demand. This project will lead to new products and markets for the globally challenged Australian forestry industry, satisfying the needs of new and diverse market of Australian manufacturing industries Australia’s competitive advantage in biomass-derived product.