Anticipating closure of bauxite refineries in Western Australia: the water quality implications of a proposed new design in residue storage areas. Refining bauxite is a major industrial activity in Australia, with economic benefits and a high potential for environmental impact. Many bauxite refineries are sited in rural areas. Community interests are given high priority in developing strategies for long-term storage of residue. These community interests include minimal impact on farmland, water, ....Anticipating closure of bauxite refineries in Western Australia: the water quality implications of a proposed new design in residue storage areas. Refining bauxite is a major industrial activity in Australia, with economic benefits and a high potential for environmental impact. Many bauxite refineries are sited in rural areas. Community interests are given high priority in developing strategies for long-term storage of residue. These community interests include minimal impact on farmland, water, health and natural ecosystems. Some of the refinery residue can be re-used in applications such as road construction, thus reducing the need to find other materials for this purpose. This project will investigate new residue management practices which could lead to better ways of establishing a sustainable vegetation cover and avoiding the impact of drainage water on the environment.Read moreRead less
Optimal management of coastal ecosystems for blue carbon sequestration. Optimal management of coastal ecosystems for blue carbon sequestration. This project aims to develop decision tools to predict how different management plans could affect the persistence of coastal ecosystems and their capacity to sequester carbon. Coastal ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems (seagrasses, saltmarshes, mangroves) are among Earth’s most efficient carbon sinks, but coastal development and climate change threaten their capa ....Optimal management of coastal ecosystems for blue carbon sequestration. Optimal management of coastal ecosystems for blue carbon sequestration. This project aims to develop decision tools to predict how different management plans could affect the persistence of coastal ecosystems and their capacity to sequester carbon. Coastal ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems (seagrasses, saltmarshes, mangroves) are among Earth’s most efficient carbon sinks, but coastal development and climate change threaten their capacity to sequester carbon. Resource managers urgently need guidance to manage coasts to minimise carbon losses and maximise gains. This project is expected to develop knowledge of how to manage blue carbon ecosystems to achieve maximum carbon sequestration capacity, and to put Australia at the forefront of international efforts to incorporate coastal carbon within carbon dioxide mitigation strategies.Read moreRead less
Identifying cost-effective reforestation approaches for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration in southern Australia. The project will determine the reforestation approach that maximises the native biodiversity found in bushland/shrubland regrowth in South Australia, while maximising the carbon sequestered for the lowest cost. This project will use controlled planting experiments modifying tree/shrub diversity and plant density combined with species and carbon monitoring.
Urban biochar: towards prescriptive biochar use for maximum economic productivity and sustainability benefits in urban environments. This project will develop a life cycle assessment of waste management options for green waste and biosolids based on a clear understanding of productivity benefits of urban biochar application to high value production systems.
Synthetic natural gas and biochar from biomass for energy services in remote communities and soil carbon sequestration. Resources, industry and rural communities, the backbone of Australian economy, are confronted by unprecedented challenges of carbon pollution reduction, land conservation and eco-sustainability to combat global climate change. This exciting, highly integrated and multidisciplinary project will develop a scientific basis and technological options for the resources industry and r ....Synthetic natural gas and biochar from biomass for energy services in remote communities and soil carbon sequestration. Resources, industry and rural communities, the backbone of Australian economy, are confronted by unprecedented challenges of carbon pollution reduction, land conservation and eco-sustainability to combat global climate change. This exciting, highly integrated and multidisciplinary project will develop a scientific basis and technological options for the resources industry and remote communities to respond to these challenges. The outcomes of this research will enable the deployment of renewable biomass energy technology, bio-char for carbon storage, and affect the restoration of marginal lands and salinity levels in an environmentally and economically sustainable way, thus contributing to the development of an environmentally sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Development of innovative technologies for oil production based on the advanced theory of suspension flows in porous media. The project will significantly improve the commercial and technological competitiveness of the Australian oil industry and will result into immediate financial benefits for the largest Australian oil company SANTOS. The outcomes will find their application in a number of developing environmental and chemical engineering technologies, which fall into Australian Research Prio ....Development of innovative technologies for oil production based on the advanced theory of suspension flows in porous media. The project will significantly improve the commercial and technological competitiveness of the Australian oil industry and will result into immediate financial benefits for the largest Australian oil company SANTOS. The outcomes will find their application in a number of developing environmental and chemical engineering technologies, which fall into Australian Research Priorities such as clean water production, emission reduction and storage of green house gas, and industrial waste management. The new theory and models to be developed in this project will provide quantitative tools for comprehensive assessment of large-scale geological and industrial projects. The project will also train a high quality research and engineering personnel.Read moreRead less
Fires, black carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon balance of southern sclerophyll forests. Ecologically sustainable forest management requires an understanding of the role of fire in the carbon balance of native forests, and in Australia's overall carbon balance. Fires are crucial to both this carbon balance and to the ecology of the forests. This project will help forest managers make decisions about using prescribed fire to manage fuels while at the same time managing carbon. An ....Fires, black carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon balance of southern sclerophyll forests. Ecologically sustainable forest management requires an understanding of the role of fire in the carbon balance of native forests, and in Australia's overall carbon balance. Fires are crucial to both this carbon balance and to the ecology of the forests. This project will help forest managers make decisions about using prescribed fire to manage fuels while at the same time managing carbon. An aim of management is to identify fire regimes that will optimise the carbon outcome as well as provide protection to life and property. This project will help managers meet that aim by developing a quantitative understanding of how much stable, black carbon (charcoal) is produced and how it affects other soil processes.Read moreRead less
Ecosystem services from large urban green spaces - the biodiversity and carbon benefit of urban golf courses. Golf courses in our cities provide localised cooling, Carbon sequestration and biodiversity habitat benefits. To safeguard these urban green spaces from development these ecosystem services need to be quantified. This project will quantify the Carbon and biodiversity benefit of urban golf courses so that they can be better valued and managed for the future.
Maximising carbon sequestration in freshwater wetlands. Maximising carbon sequestration in freshwater wetlands. This project aims to determine how manipulation of wetland hydrology can alter sulphur and iron cycling to inhibit methane emission and improve wetland net-carbon sequestration. Wetlands are among earth's most efficient ecosystems for carbon sequestration, but methane emission can offset this capacity. Redox cycling of sulphur and iron in wetlands can inhibit methane emission, but the ....Maximising carbon sequestration in freshwater wetlands. Maximising carbon sequestration in freshwater wetlands. This project aims to determine how manipulation of wetland hydrology can alter sulphur and iron cycling to inhibit methane emission and improve wetland net-carbon sequestration. Wetlands are among earth's most efficient ecosystems for carbon sequestration, but methane emission can offset this capacity. Redox cycling of sulphur and iron in wetlands can inhibit methane emission, but the precise biogeochemical processes and their efficiency are very poorly constrained due to a lack of studies—especially in Australian freshwater wetlands. This project is expected to inhibit methane emission in freshwater wetlands and maximise their net carbon sequestration efficiency.Read moreRead less
From organo-mineral nanocomposite to Australian basins; an integrated approach to unconventional gas exploration and development. Gas production from unconventional shale reservoirs is a potential major energy boom in Australia that will lower carbon emissions over comparable coal and oil use. The geological controls of shale are currently too poorly understood to direct effective exploration. This project will be the largest international effort to develop this knowledge.