2006: Future is green for UQ graduate

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Tags: centenary-edition, engineering

Arthur Kollaras, MPhil

A background in chemical engineering does not necessarily have to spell a future in oil, gas or mining, UQ alumnus Arthur Kollaras has discovered.

Arthur Kollaras

The Master of Philosophy graduate has turned his education into a career developing green technologies as Manager of Bioprocess Engineering with yeast research company Microbiogen.

Mr Kollaras’ role involves adapting traditional yeast-dependent processes used in baking and brewing to produce cellulosic ethanol, which is produced from wood-derived sugars.

“The era of cheap oil for transportation fuel is coming towards an end,” he said.

“Our demand and dependence on such a finite resource is a highly charged political football. Ethanol is a clean-burning and renewable liquid fuel.

“It can be converted relatively cheaply and efficiently from starch or glucose sugars into ‘beer’ using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same type of yeast used for thousands of years for baking and brewing.”

Crops including corn, wheat, sorghum, cassava and sugarcane can be used to produce ethanol, and Mr Kollaras said Microbiogen was refining the process, through the adaption of non-genetically modified yeasts, to allow them to use plant shoots, stems, fruits and leaves.

“The challenge of developing high volumes of cheap ethanol and protein from agricultural wastes is being addressed,” he said.

“For ethanol to be considered as a true substitute to petroleum, the next generation of ethanol-plants need to be able to use the whole accompaniment of ‘wood sugars’ by converting them into value added products, which not only include ethanol, but high protein animal feed supplements.

“It is exciting and rewarding to be part of a fledgling industry working towards securing sustainable biofuels for transportation.”

Mr Kollaras said he hoped his career path would encourage chemical engineering students to consider environmentally friendly options.

By Tegan Taylor

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