Major vaccine manufacturing facility opens in Victoria
Moderna has opened the Southern Hemisphere’s only mRNA vaccine manufacturing site in Victoria, aiming to make 100 million doses a year.
Monash betadine battery breakthrough begets new company
Engineering researchers from Monash University have formed a new lithium sulphur (Li-S) battery startup, armed with chemistry inspired by an over-the-counter antiseptic and initially targeting drone applications. According to a statement from the university on Tuesday, the team behind Ghove Energy has “overcome one of the last remaining barriers to commercialisation” for the battery type.…
$60m in defence quantum technology grants announced
The federal government has invested $60 million in quantum and counter disinformation technologies critical to defence and to a future made in Australia. The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDT) programme has signed 21 contracts with Australian universities and industry partners. The investment was made under the National Defence Strategy and…
Food scientists create “super yoghurt” formula with sweet lupins
Monash University food engineers have developed a “super yoghurt” formula using lupins, which the university says represents a “major advancement in the plant-based food sector” due to its fast fermentation time, texture, and nutritional benefits. According to a statement from Monash on Wednesday, researchers at the BioPRIA institute led a study investigating how different probiotic…
Optiscan to develop AI gastrointestinal endomicroscope
Optiscan Imaging and Monash University have agreed to work together on its its project to develop the next-gen gastrointestinal (GI) flexible endomicroscope and Edge-AI-enabled technology. The agreement represents a further extension of the longstanding relationship Optiscan has with Monash University, with the company’s technology originally created at the university. AI capabilities are critical to Optiscan’s…
Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed
GreenHY2 receives first grant funding for Telstra project Hydrogen Energy storage manufacturer GreenHY2 has received the 1st Instalment of the grant funds allocated by the federal government to provide its Hy2MEDI generation and storage system to Telstra. The amount received is $432,000 plus GST, with the total grant for the project valued at $1.5 million.…
Monash lithium technology could treat new mineral sources
Monash University engineers have developed and tested EDTA-aided loose nanofiltration (EALNF), a new method enabling direct lithium extraction from lithium-rich saltwater sources which are untappable using current methods. With some predicting global lithium supply could fall short of demand as early as 2025, the innovative technology sets a new standard in lithium processing, according to…
New electrified gas reformer promises lower costs versus traditional approaches
A novel electrified reactor developed by Monash University researchers could offer a lower-temperature, lower-cost and environmentally gentler alternative to chemical manufacturers using methane reforming to make syngas, according to the university. In a statement on Wednesday, Monash said the reactor for dry reforming of methane (DRM) could cut emissions by up to 60 per cent…
Research shows potential for a new “off-the-shelf” cell-based therapy for tissue healing
Researchers from Monash University, led by Associate Professor Mikaël Martino from the university’s Australian Regenerative Medical Research Institute, have discovered a cell in blood which can rapidly promote healing, suggesting potential in off-the-shelf therapies. The group’s research showed cells known as Regulatory T cells “rapidly becoming a cell type specific for the injury it needs…
ElectraLith produces lithium hydroxide through novel membrane tech
Melbourne-based ElectraLith Pty Ltd has announced that its next-generation DLE-RTM technology has successfully produced battery grade lithium hydroxide from very concentrated brines known as Salar brines, geothermal oilfield brines and spodumene (lithium ore) leach. The technology, Backed by Rio Tinto, IP Group and Monash University, included production of 99.9 percent pure lithium hydroxide from a…