QUT has launched an $18 million upgrade to its Mackay-based QUT Pioneer BioPilot, transforming it into Australia's leading pilot-scale fermentation facility and advancing Queensland's ambition to become an Asia-Pacific biomanufacturing hub.
With funding from the Australian and Queensland governments and in association with Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA), the QUT Pioneer BioPilot has been upgraded into Australia's leading pilot-scale fermentation food-grade facility. This will empower innovative companies to work with QUT researchers to create new types of food and other bioproducts offering dietary alternatives and sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges.
Senator Corinne Mulholland said, "This investment positions Australia as a serious player in the global bioeconomy and, importantly, it will make Mackay one of the driving forces for our future economy."
"Like many, I am passionate about ensuring that Queensland's regional centres see the economic benefits of transitioning to Net Zero by 2050.
"The Albanese Government has been clear that this transition is not just an investment in our planet, but an investment in the jobs, skills and technology of tomorrow. These facilities are a clear demonstration of that."
The global bioeconomy, currently valued at US$4 trillion, is predicted by the World Bioeconomy Forum to grow to US$30 trillion by 2050, equivalent to a third of total global economic value.
QUT Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy researcher Professor Ian O'Hara said the QUT Pioneer BioPilot, formerly called the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP), had played a crucial role for industry for the past 15 years in the real-world translation of research, converting biomass such as sugarcane biogases into biofuels, green chemicals and bioproducts.
"The QUT Pioneer BioPilot is pioneering research and innovation in biomanufacturing, working with government and industry to position Queensland as a globally connected innovation hub," Professor O'Hara said.
"QUT is leading regional innovation across Queensland, empowering communities and driving sustainable economic growth.
"Real-world impact is at the heart of QUT's research commitment, where knowledge and innovation tackle global challenges and deliver locally grounded solutions.
"This opens opportunities in areas such as biofuels, enhancing impact and sustainability."
Assistant Minister for Primary Industry Development, Water and Western Queensland Sean Dillon said, "This is about turning Queensland's agricultural strengths into global opportunities, aligning with our bold vision for primary industries in Prosper 2050."
"The upgraded MRBPP gives local researchers and industry the tools to turn biomass into high-value products – right here in Mackay.
"It's a powerful demonstration of how regional Queensland is open for business, strongly appealing to companies looking to use sugar feedstocks for their products."
Professor O'Hara, who is also Deputy Dean of the QUT Faculty of Engineering, said a key feature of the cutting-edge facility was its fermentation bioreactors, which allowed companies to fast-track product development in the food and beverage sector.
"This facility will enable innovative companies to take their ideas beyond the lab and into commercial reality, building Queensland's reputation as a regional leader in biomanufacturing," Professor O'Hara said.
"No one else can provide the capability we are offering Australian industries through the QUT Pioneer BioPilot.
"The feedstocks we are developing for this process are diverse, but the sugarcane industry is the key driver for much of this work. This puts Queensland, which has 95 per cent of Australia's cane industry, at the heart of this area of innovation and opportunity."
"Precision fermentation is a technology that allows us to convert sugars into a range of other food ingredients and products in brewery-style fermentation tanks," Professor O'Hara said.
"The advantages of precision fermentation are that it can lead to new food products and ingredients that supplement production through traditional methods, providing sustainability benefits and increasing consumer choice."
FaBA Director Dr Chris Downs said the facility improved access for companies right across Australia.
"The QUT Pioneer BioPilot provides key infrastructure, allowing companies to take new innovations from the lab to pilot-scale," Dr Downs said.
"FaBA is investing in precision fermentation so that companies of all sizes can develop new products and ingredients, in turn helping grow Australia's food and beverage manufacturing sector."
Using the QUT Pioneer BioPilot, QUT researchers are partnering with Eclipse Ingredients and other institutions in a $5.5 million project to commercialise human lactoferrin, a powerful protein in breastmilk and immune cells with immune-boosting, iron-enhancing, anti-inflammatory properties.
Eclipse Ingredients CEO Siobhan Coster said she was thrilled to be working with QUT and FaBA on the project, which has the potential to transform health outcomes across the lifespan.
"The partnership with QUT is crucial because it bridges the gap between breakthrough science and real-world impact," Ms Coster said.
"It allows us to scale our product and process from lab to commercial readiness right here in Queensland, Australia."
Main photo: Professor Ian O'Hara at the QUT Pioneer BioPilot
