Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354511
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Soil Acidification, the Environment and Production. Soil acidification affects 50% of Australia's agricultural land and is the most important economic constraint to agricultural. In addition, major external offsite impacts include greenhouse gas emissions, reduced stream and ground water health, reduced biodiversity, increased salinity and waterlogging and infrastructure damage. The aim of this network is to quantify the acidification processes and the connection of these processes to the offsit ....Soil Acidification, the Environment and Production. Soil acidification affects 50% of Australia's agricultural land and is the most important economic constraint to agricultural. In addition, major external offsite impacts include greenhouse gas emissions, reduced stream and ground water health, reduced biodiversity, increased salinity and waterlogging and infrastructure damage. The aim of this network is to quantify the acidification processes and the connection of these processes to the offsite impacts. This will lead to development of strategic plans for acidified and potential acid soils and associate offsite impacts, as well as identifying knowledge gaps and building research and policy synergies. Read moreRead less
Collaborative planning support tools for optimising farming systems (CPSTOF). What you know about what you can grow is becoming a key issue in farm management. Better guidance on alternative land cropping systems that can be grown to optimise farm productivity is needed. Micro-level land classes maps have been identified hby AgWA, farmers and regional development and community groups as an urgent need to enable them to design resilient and diversified farming systems. To this end, we propose ....Collaborative planning support tools for optimising farming systems (CPSTOF). What you know about what you can grow is becoming a key issue in farm management. Better guidance on alternative land cropping systems that can be grown to optimise farm productivity is needed. Micro-level land classes maps have been identified hby AgWA, farmers and regional development and community groups as an urgent need to enable them to design resilient and diversified farming systems. To this end, we propose integrating high resolution digital multispectral images, GIS and multi-criteria decision analysis techniques to help farmers use input appropriate to the productive capacity of their paddocks and to elaborate sound farm planning based on the potential of the land for specific land uses.Read moreRead less
Towards a Molecular-Scale Understanding of Sorption of Organic Pollutants to Soil. The toxicity, mobility and persistence of organic pollutants in soils are in large part controlled by their sorption to soil organic matter. The chemical nature or quality of the organic matter affects not only the amount of chemical sorbed, but also the reversibility of sorption and the rate of sorption and desorption. Until now, only bulk measures of soil organic matter chemistry have been considered in sorption ....Towards a Molecular-Scale Understanding of Sorption of Organic Pollutants to Soil. The toxicity, mobility and persistence of organic pollutants in soils are in large part controlled by their sorption to soil organic matter. The chemical nature or quality of the organic matter affects not only the amount of chemical sorbed, but also the reversibility of sorption and the rate of sorption and desorption. Until now, only bulk measures of soil organic matter chemistry have been considered in sorption studies. This project introduces novel spectroscopic techniques that for the first time identify the chemical environment of sorbed molecules at the molecular scale. This will enable better prediction of pollutant transport and degradation.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected t ....Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected to be valued in excess of 60 billion dollars. However, continued and rapid expansion in the development of these resources is contingent on environmental oversight and adoption of an adaptive management approach. This research will thus make a major contribution to understanding the Pilbara ecosystems that provide tremendous economic wealth for all Australians.Read moreRead less
Stabilisation of erodible and dispersive soils with natural wood processing by-products. Lignosulfonate is a by-product of paper and wood processing industry, which is an environmentally friendly organic compound with an immense potential for stabilising erodible and dispersive soils when mixed in small quantities. This project will deliver practical design guidelines and specifications for sustainable performance of road and rail embankments that are treated with lignosulfonates. Utilisation of ....Stabilisation of erodible and dispersive soils with natural wood processing by-products. Lignosulfonate is a by-product of paper and wood processing industry, which is an environmentally friendly organic compound with an immense potential for stabilising erodible and dispersive soils when mixed in small quantities. This project will deliver practical design guidelines and specifications for sustainable performance of road and rail embankments that are treated with lignosulfonates. Utilisation of lignosulfonates in soil stabilisation is not only cost-effective, but also has the benefit of eliminating a waste disposal problem. The proposed project will improve industrial competitiveness and Australia's export earnings through increased commercialisation and technology transfer in the region.Read moreRead less
How do soils grow? Modelling soil development in the landscape. This project addresses the fundamental environmental issue of land degradation in Australia. The environment is both sensitive and diverse with uses from intensive agriculture, grazing, to large scale industrial. This project will build a model that will enable us to understand how soil forms and landscape evolves with time, to reconstruct the history of soil. The model will allow us to make the Australian populous aware of the frag ....How do soils grow? Modelling soil development in the landscape. This project addresses the fundamental environmental issue of land degradation in Australia. The environment is both sensitive and diverse with uses from intensive agriculture, grazing, to large scale industrial. This project will build a model that will enable us to understand how soil forms and landscape evolves with time, to reconstruct the history of soil. The model will allow us to make the Australian populous aware of the fragility of soil formation. This will lead to greater social awareness of our precarious position on the Australian landscape.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the Effects of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions on an Australian Savanna. Queensland Nickel's Yabulu refinery produces 3,400 tonnes of CO2 daily. CO2, a fertiliser, may affect plant growth in surrounding coastal savannas.
QNPL is sponsoring research that uses an open-air CO2-enhancement facility to assess the potential benefits and costs of emissions. An Australian first and a world tropics first, this research will quantify potential impacts of CO2 on vegetation dynamics, soil pro ....Quantifying the Effects of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions on an Australian Savanna. Queensland Nickel's Yabulu refinery produces 3,400 tonnes of CO2 daily. CO2, a fertiliser, may affect plant growth in surrounding coastal savannas.
QNPL is sponsoring research that uses an open-air CO2-enhancement facility to assess the potential benefits and costs of emissions. An Australian first and a world tropics first, this research will quantify potential impacts of CO2 on vegetation dynamics, soil processes, soil carbon dynamics and livestock management options
Expected outcomes include the validation and extension of biophysical grazing management models, estimation of the carbon sequestering capacity of tropical rangelands, and increased understanding of climate change effects on the Australian tropics.
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High resolution digital soil mapping. Soil mapping is a key part of land-resource assessment for sustainable environmental management. This project aims to build a methodology to provide a high quality digital soil maps. The output will enable the use of soil data and information to give a clear understanding of the status of, and changes in, the nation's land, vegetation and water resources and implications for their sustainable use.
Conversion of Lignite to Biochars to Enhance Soil Fertility. Lignite, or brown coal, is used in power generation, but it is uneconomic to transport and acts as a significant source of greenhouse gases. The conversion of lignite to liquid fuel and char provides an economic source of fuel and the generation of a char which also lowers the carbon footprint associated with lignite processing. Lignite-derived char has potential to act as an agent for both promoting plant growth and improving soil hea ....Conversion of Lignite to Biochars to Enhance Soil Fertility. Lignite, or brown coal, is used in power generation, but it is uneconomic to transport and acts as a significant source of greenhouse gases. The conversion of lignite to liquid fuel and char provides an economic source of fuel and the generation of a char which also lowers the carbon footprint associated with lignite processing. Lignite-derived char has potential to act as an agent for both promoting plant growth and improving soil health. This project will do much to promote the use of chars, from a lignite source, which will increase the economic viability of mining brown coal. Read moreRead less
Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated sites using arsenic hyperaccumulating plants. The legacy of using arsenical compounds in pest control activities has resulted in many contaminated sites. Since the inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic, stringent laws have been enforced to control arsenic (As) in the environment. This project investigates the potential of using the recently discovered (Ma et al, 2001) arsenic hyperaccumulating (22,000 mgAs/kgDW) fern, Pteris vittata, in the removal of arsen ....Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated sites using arsenic hyperaccumulating plants. The legacy of using arsenical compounds in pest control activities has resulted in many contaminated sites. Since the inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic, stringent laws have been enforced to control arsenic (As) in the environment. This project investigates the potential of using the recently discovered (Ma et al, 2001) arsenic hyperaccumulating (22,000 mgAs/kgDW) fern, Pteris vittata, in the removal of arsenic from dip sites and railway tracks in Qld, and orchards in northern NSW. The impacts of growing hyperaccumulating plants on grazing animals and the environment, and the disposal of arsenic from contaminated plants will also be studied.Read moreRead less