Photodegradation of Oestrogenic Pollutants in the aquatic environment. Recent media attention has highlighted the problem of oestrogenic pollutants in the aquatic environment. This research proposes to investigate Photocatalysis of oestrogens in water using the magnetic titanium dioxide particles developed at the Centre for Particle and Catalyst Technologies in the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The natural oestrogens 17b-oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol and the synthetic oestrogen 17a- ....Photodegradation of Oestrogenic Pollutants in the aquatic environment. Recent media attention has highlighted the problem of oestrogenic pollutants in the aquatic environment. This research proposes to investigate Photocatalysis of oestrogens in water using the magnetic titanium dioxide particles developed at the Centre for Particle and Catalyst Technologies in the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The natural oestrogens 17b-oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol and the synthetic oestrogen 17a-ethynyl oestradiol (the main constituent of the contraceptive pill) will be investigated in the photocatalytic system. Degradation will be monitored using various analytical techniques. Other commercial catalysts will also be investigated and compared with the magnetic catalyst and previous catalysts tested.Read moreRead less
Low Temperature Catlytic Wet Oxidation of Organics from Strippped Sour Water. The commercialisation of a ~$3billion Australian oil shale industry heavily depends upon environmental sustainability of its technology. One key environmental issue of this technology is a need to remove organics from an aqueous industrial stream (stripped sour water). This proposal aims to develop a method based on catalytic wet oxidation for removing organics from stripped sour water. Research will be focused to deve ....Low Temperature Catlytic Wet Oxidation of Organics from Strippped Sour Water. The commercialisation of a ~$3billion Australian oil shale industry heavily depends upon environmental sustainability of its technology. One key environmental issue of this technology is a need to remove organics from an aqueous industrial stream (stripped sour water). This proposal aims to develop a method based on catalytic wet oxidation for removing organics from stripped sour water. Research will be focused to develop and study potential catalytic systems to lower the activation energy of the rate-determining step and to increase the rate of organics oxidation. The development of such a method would be a substantial technology achievement with many applications in pollution control for wastewater treatment in many other industries.Read moreRead less
Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will desi ....Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will design catalysts with multiple complementary metal centres tailored to bind and activate nitrogen gas to facilitate its reaction with hydrogen or other reagents.Read moreRead less
A study of high temperature transformation of oil shale - In-situ mineral reactions and structure analysis. In the current energy market, non-traditional fuels like oil shale are becoming more economically important. Australia has >33 billion tonnes of oil shales resources with potential for >1800 million tonnes of recoverable oil. This potential multi-billion dollar industry depends upon development of an efficient technology leading to economical oil production and much cleaner organic liquid ....A study of high temperature transformation of oil shale - In-situ mineral reactions and structure analysis. In the current energy market, non-traditional fuels like oil shale are becoming more economically important. Australia has >33 billion tonnes of oil shales resources with potential for >1800 million tonnes of recoverable oil. This potential multi-billion dollar industry depends upon development of an efficient technology leading to economical oil production and much cleaner organic liquid fuels. Retorting and combustion, which are core parts of oil shale conversion technology, would benefit from improved process conditions. This research proposal intends to investigate the in-situ complex oil shale thermal conversion reactions that occur during the retorting and combustion processes. Improved understanding of these complex reactions could lead to substantial economic and environmental improvements in oil shale processing.Read moreRead less
From Nanostructured Functional Materials to Sustainable Processes. Nano-structured functional materials in the areas of catalysis and reversible hydrogen storage will be developed with the view to arrive at (a) sustainable processes and (b) the adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier. These aims are driven by a global need to change the industrial paradigm due to environmental pressures and limited resources, particularly in terms of energy. Expected outcomes are new avenues to process intens ....From Nanostructured Functional Materials to Sustainable Processes. Nano-structured functional materials in the areas of catalysis and reversible hydrogen storage will be developed with the view to arrive at (a) sustainable processes and (b) the adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier. These aims are driven by a global need to change the industrial paradigm due to environmental pressures and limited resources, particularly in terms of energy. Expected outcomes are new avenues to process intensification, leading to novel commercial routes, and a hydrogen storage technology which has the potential to play a strong part in the global economy.Read moreRead less