
PhD (Queensland University of Technology), GradCertAcadPrac (Queensland University of Technology), BEng(Chem)Hons (University of Adelaide)
Tom conducts experimental and financial modelling research relating to the process engineering of biomass, energy production and filtration problems. He is Course Coordinator for Engineering (u/grad) and a recipient of The Caltex Award for excellence in chemical engineering education.
Key research areas:
Cellulose nanofiber materials
Advanced filtration problems (liquid and gas phase)
Pyrolysis and HTL biocrudes
Pulp and paper- all areas: specialising in sugarcane bagasse, paper formation and property testing
Thermochemical biofuels and their diesel engine performance
Technoeconomic evaluation
Process modelling (e.g. Aspen)
PhD opportunities: There are opportunities to work in Dr. Rainey’s process engineering group. Applicants are welcome to contact him to discuss potential projects. He leads a program investigating the nanocellulose, filtration problems and refinement of biofuels for performance testing in affiliation with the Biofuels Engine Research Facility (BERF). This is underpinned by technoeconomic assessment as part of their studies. https://research.qut.edu.au/berf/
Publications http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Rainey,_Thomas.html
Projects
- Fractional distillation of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) biocrude
- Integration of concentrated solar thermal energy for high-temperature industrial process
- Opportunity Assessment: Electrification and renewables to displace fossil fuel process heating (B3)
Additional information
Professional Experience:
- Present Associate Professor, School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, QUT
- 2013 to 2019 Senior Lecturer/Lecturer, Science and Engineering Faculty, School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, QUT
- 2005 to 2012 Research Fellow, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, QUT
- 2003 to 2005 Research Engineer, Sugar Research Institute (SRI), Mackay, Queensland
- 2000 to 2003 Process Technologist, Kimberly – Clark, Millicent Paper Mill and Tantanoola Pulp Mill, South Australia
Grants: in such fields as:
- Alternative filtration approaches (gas and liquid)
- Bagasse paper formation and filtration
- Process modelling and technoeconomics
External collaborations (academic)
- Monash University- Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute, India
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
- University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Chair of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Queensland members branch. Also, Chair of the Queensland Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (IChemE and Engineers Australia) 2019-2021.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- The Caltex Award for excellence in Chemical Engineering
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Board member IChemE Australia
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Member of the organising committee for the 2020 & 2021 Chemeca conference which is the regional chemical engineering conference. Also member of the technical program sub-committee.
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- RPEQ in chemical engineering. Required to provide engineering service.
- Type
- Membership of Learned Societies
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Chartered Engineer, Member IChemE
- Taghipour, A., Ramirez, J., Rakhmetova, O. & Rainey, T. (2022). A method for HTL biocrude simulation using multi-objective optimisation and fractional distillation. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 157. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/226668
- Onigbajumo, A., Taghipour, A., Will, G., Chu Van, T., Couperthwaite, S., Steinberg, T. & Rainey, T. (2022). Effects of process-thermal configuration on energy, exergy, and thermo-economic performance of solar driven supercritical water gasification. Energy Conversion and Management, 251. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/226746
- Obeid, F., Chu Van, T., Horchler, J., Guo, Y., Verma, P., Miljevic, B., Brown, R., Ristovski, Z., Bodisco, T. & Rainey, T. (2022). Engine Performance and Emissions from Fuels Containing Nitrogen and Sulphur. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 14. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/227362
- Taghipour, A., Hornung, U., Ramirez, J., Brown, R. & Rainey, T. (2021). Aqueous phase recycling in catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction for algal biomass and the effect on elemental accumulation and energy efficiency. Journal of Cleaner Production, 289. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207171
- Taghipour, A., Hornung, U., Ramirez, J., Brown, R. & Rainey, T. (2021). Fractional distillation of algae based hydrothermal liquefaction biocrude for co-processing: changes in the properties, storage stability, and miscibility with diesel. Energy Conversion and Management, 236. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209322
- Onigbajumo, A., Taghipour, A., Ramirez, J., Will, G., Ong, T., Couperthwaite, S., Steinberg, T. & Rainey, T. (2021). Techno-economic assessment of solar thermal and alternative energy integration in supercritical water gasification of microalgae. Energy Conversion and Management, 230. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207914
- Musa, M., Wolf, J., Stephens, E., Hankamer, B., Brown, R. & Rainey, T. (2020). Cationic polyacrylamide induced flocculation and turbulent dewatering of microalgae on a Britt Dynamic Drainage Jar. Separation and Purification Technology, 233. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/132466
- Ristovski, Z., Bodisco, T., Rainey, T., Brown, R., Obeid, F., Chu Van, T., Horchler, J., Guo, Y., Verma, P. & Miljevic, B. (2020). Engine performance and emissions of high nitrogen-containing fuels. Fuel, 264. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/135079
- Agarwal, R., Rainey, T., Steinberg, T., Rahman, A., Perrons, R. & Brown, R. (2020). LNG regasification - Effects of project stage decisions on capital expenditure and implications for gas pricing. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 78. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/199868
- Musa, M., Doshi, A., Brown, R. & Rainey, T. (2019). Microalgae dewatering for biofuels: A comparative techno-economic assessment using single and two-stage technologies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 229, 325–336. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/128968
- Title
- Pre-Linkage: Making Australia Resilient to Airborne Infection Transmission
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- The Integrated Bio-Economy Project and the Controlled Biosphere
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP180100269
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
- Title
- Flocculation and Sedimentation of Slow Settling Mud and Mud Cake Conditioning(4055)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT056
- Start year
- 2012
- Keywords
- Clarification; Clays; Flocculation; Juice; Sugar Manufacture
- Title
- Process for Making Bagasse Paper Pulp (4029)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT053
- Start year
- 2012
- Keywords
- Bagasse; Biomass; Paper; Pulp; Sugarcane
- Title
- Evaluate Brazilian mud filtration technology to increase the profitability and environmental performance of Australian factories (3959/3960)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT048
- Start year
- 2011
- Keywords
- Cake Moisture; Mud Filtration; Retention; Rotary Vacuum Filtration; Technopulp
- Title
- Advanced Computer Simulation of Sugar Factories - SysCAD (3874)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT040
- Start year
- 2010
- Keywords
- Mass Balances; Energy Balances; Process Simulation; Computer Simulation; Process Flowsheet
- Title
- Opportunities for the Australian Sugar Industry in Greenhouse Gas Abatement and Carbon Trading (3866)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT027
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- LCA; Sugar; Bagasse; Emissions Trading; Renewable; Energy
- Title
- The Production of Biofuels and Value added Co-products from the Thermochemical Processing of Sugarcane Bagasse (3836)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT036
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- Thermochemical Processing; Sugarcane Bagasse; Biofuels; Platform Chemicals
- Status & Optimisation of LNG Regasification Value Chain
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Richard Brown, Professor Ted Steinberg, Professor Robert Perrons - Property methods in process modelling of biocrude
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Richard Brown - Electrochemical and thermochemical water-splitting catalyst: An experimental and computational study on comparision of catalyst performance and economic assessment
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor John Bell, Professor Anthony O'Mullane
- Fractional Distillation of Hydrothermal Liquefaction Biocrude (2021)
- Dewatering of Microalgae from Dilute Suspensions for Biofuels Production: A Single Stage Approach (2020)
- Measurement and Assessment of Ship Emissions (2019)
- Nitrogen in HTL Microalgae Biocrude: Production, Engine Performance and Emissions (2019)
- Experimental Investigation of Thermochemically-Derived Fuels in a Diesel Engine (2018)
- Modelling a Commercial-Scale Bagasse Liquefaction Plant Using ASPEN Plus (2018)
- Economic Analyses of Microalgae Biofuels and Policy Implications in Australia (2017)
- A Larger Laboratory Scale Investigation into the Thermal Liquefaction of High Potential 2nd and 3rd Generation Biofuel Feedstocks (2016)