Partnering Opportunities

Schenk Lab recognises the importance of collaboration in research and welcomes new partners for development and commercialisation ventures to deploy science and technology applications in industry.

Available projects for collaboration fall under the following categories:

Plant and Microbial Biotechnology

Food Security is dependent on sustainable agricultural yields. These yields are under threat from abiotic stress and diseases which are predicted to worsen with climate change. Our research provides a picture of how disease resistance and soil microbial communities are causally linked, and is continuously developing new strategies for disease control.

How do you study the plant-microbe interactions?

We simultaneously analyse root gene expression, plant-microbe chemical interactions, and microbial community gene expression. Important new genes and compounds are being identified and evaluated for their ability to improve soil health and increase resistance to soil pathogens and disease. This leads to new strategies to improve crop yield and resilience.

The Plant-Microbe Interactions Group specialises in the discovery of interesting new genes from plants and microorganisms. This team develops disease-resistant plants and identifies novel compounds from microbial communities associated with the rhizosphere of plants.

  • Microbial BioFertilisers and BioPesticides
  • Discovery of New Antimicrobial Peptides

Hydrate Gel Filtration

Tap water in many Asian, African, South and Central American countries is considered unsafe to drink. Even tap water in industrialised nations may still contains hundreds of bacteria and viral pathogens. Schenklab’s Hydrate Gel Filtration project aims to develop simple low-cost prototypes based on our patented technology to enable production of affordable, clean, safe water.

We have developed a new, low-cost nanofiltration-range of separation technologies using a gelatinous layer of hydrate that enables simple and high flux production of filtered water.

The fact that 98% of the hydrate gel consists of water makes Hydrate Gel Filtration ideal for high-flux, low-cost small and large-scale applications in water purification. Properties include at least 4-fold higher unassisted and pressure-assisted flux rates than currently available membranes, pressure-resistance, impenetrability to filtered particles, easy cleaning by backwashing and simple, cost-effective replacement of low-cost gel filter cartridges

As a result, filtration of water (e.g. turbid river water) contaminated with colloids and microorganisms, yields clear water free of measurable particles or detectable microorganisms (including viruses; 99.99999% removal), while small water-soluble molecules (salts, sugars, proteins) remain in the filtrate. Hydrophobic molecules, such as oils and hydrocarbons cannot pass the gel layer.

We have demonstrated the viability of hydrate gel filtration at scale with high-flux, low-cost water purification devices and are currently working with the University of Queensland’s commercialisation team, UniQuest on multiple pilot projects.

  • Hydrate Membrane

Microalgae – A renewable source of feed, fuel and nutraceuticals

The Algae Biotechnology Group aims to sustainably produce oil, protein-rich biomass and high-value products from microalgae.

Microalgae can be farmed without competing for arable land and food production using nearly any type of water (fresh, brackish, seawater or nutrient-rich wastewater). We identify local freshwater and marine strains that are efficient producers of lipids, crude protein and nutraceuticals, then optimise these by using adaptive evolution and metabolic engineering. Our lab takes a “Non-GM” approach to strain improvement specialising in aquatic-crop optimisation aimed at providing our industry partners with cost-effective oil, animal feed and nutraceutical products. We also use the small aquatic plant Lemna for water treatment and efficient nutrient recovery from farm effluents

We have developed simple, low-cost technologies for all steps of algae cultivation, harvesting and extraction processes. This enables simple, farm-scale microalgae production, providing algal based products to the nutraceutical, animal feed biodiesel markets. Our technologies were demonstrated at large scale at the Algae Farm in Pinjarra Hills, Queensland, Australia. Apart from microalgae, the small aquatic plant Lemna is used for water treatment and efficient nutrient recovery from farm effluents.

The algae demonstration farm unlocked microalgae’s potential as a zero-waste bio-refinery concept, using a range of different microalgae to produce oil for omega-3 fatty acids and biodiesel, as well as protein-rich biomass for food and animal feed. For example, remaining biomass after oil extraction is used for high-value protein extraction or animal feed. The option to combine oil extraction with anaerobic digestion of the remaining biomass enables closing the loop for sustainable nutrient recycling and organic farming.

For our industry partners we offer a 360° approach to algae cultivation, harvesting and extraction. This includes supply of suitable strains, training at the Sustainable Solutions Hub, assistance with farm design, techno-economic analyses for various production scenarios, as well as assistance during farm construction and operation during the first 12-24 months.

Further reference material will soon be provided below:

  • Large-Scale Microalgae Cultivation Partnering Opportunities
  • Algal Ponds for Protein Rich Cattle Feed and brief summary via MLA’s Website.
  • Microalgae in Focus – Nannochloropsis
  • Sustainable Protein – Lemna (Water Lentils)

For information on any of the above mentioned projects, or to discuss your own possible collaboration please contact us here or via email p.schenk@susolhub.com.