As a leading innovator in agricultural engineering research, University of Southern Queensland is home to an array of field and laboratory testing facilities.
In addition to the suite of cutting-edge technology available through Agricultural Science and Engineering Precinct, key sites include laboratories focused on Anaerobic Digestion, Soil & Fertiliser, Robotics, and Irrigation and Water management.
The Anaerobic Digestion laboratory allows researchers to further understand and manipulate the anaerobic digestion process as well as service industry consultancy demand.
Anaerobic Digestion laboratory features:
- 2x Automated methane potential test system II (Bioprocess Control, Sweden)
- 30L continuous stirred-tank reactor
- Bioreactor simulator (Bioprocess Control, Sweden)
- 5L continuous stirred-tank reactors
- 7x 10L continuous stirred-tank reactors
- Geotech biogas 5000 gas meter
Additional analytical equipment and supporting equipment:
- LABEC laboratory oven
- Nabertherm P330 muffle furnace
- Tuttnauer 3870EL autoclave
- Sigma 2-16P benchtop centrifuge
- Hettich Mikro 185 microfuge
- Merck Spectroquant Pharo 100 spectrophotometer
- Merck Spectroquant TR 320 heating block
- Hach Titralab AT1000 series autotitrator
- Hanna HI 84531 total alkalinity analyser
- WTW pH3110 pH meter with SenTix pH electrode & magnetic stirrer base
- Wilks Infracal 2 oil and grease analyser
- Merck reflectoquant RQflex plus 10 reflectometer
- A&D HR-250 AZ analytical balance
- Kern KB balance
- Merck Elix Essential 10 reverse osmosis water purification system
- Thermoline refrigerated incubator
- Masterflex L/S peristaltic pump
The Soil & Fertiliser laboratory has two key pieces of equipment that enables the formation of granulated fertilisers and the investigation of nutrient breakdown in soil systems, while the remaining equipment is used to prepare materials for characterisation:
- Eirich lab-scale granulator
- RATEK OM6 orbital shaker
- EST-FG2H (horizontal) motorised test stand (penetrometer)
- CH2093-001 stirrer with heating options
- COMPUDIL 3 HT2 diluter
- ATI Orion 170 conductivity meter
- A&D FX 3000i laboratory balance
- Stuart SB3 Rotator
- Steridium environment chamber
The Robotics laboratory is used to research the robotic processing of beef meat:
- ABB IRB 1200 manipulator
- 6-axis ABB force sensor module 165
- Sony FDR-X3000 cameras
A comprehensive suite of agriculture machinery, alongside a netted hectare of agricultural land to grow crops and showcase technologies, provides the ideal landscape for research into farming systems innovation, and irrigation and water management:
- Valley Lateral Move Irrigator
- Ultrasonic Flow Measuring Syst
- Ultrasonic flowmeter
- Automatic Weather Station (including app for data monitoring)
- SonTek FlowTracker2 Wading Rod
- SonTek-IQ Plus Flow Meter Unit
- John Deere Utility Tractor
- John Deere Linkage Sprayer
- John Deere 6120R Tractor
- JD Starfire 6000 receiver (GPS guidance)
- JD Starfire 900RTK Radio
- Gyral Little Ripper 9T Plough
- Berti TSB230 High Body Mulcher
