Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce ....Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce water treatment costs in Australia. This is made possible by the collaboration with Australia's largest manufacturer of water treatment membranes. The outcomes will lead towards a lower maintenance water treatment technology available to communities, at lower cost. The application of such a technology will span from local small scale to major installations worldwide.Read moreRead less
A fundamental study of milk ultrafiltration. The Dairy Industry is one of Australia's largest domestic and export industries. The fundamental knowledge and models developed in this project will be used to optimise dairy membrane processing. This will reduce water and energy use to improve the global competitiveness and reduce the environmental impact of the Australian Dairy Industry.
Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such sy ....Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such systems. This work intends to be the first to develop accurate, broadly applicable models for all processes in mist filters, thereby providing immense process efficiency benefits, together with improved worker and environmental protection, and less wastage of dwindling oil resources.Read moreRead less
Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. This project aims to develop a new semi-synthetic route for the manufacture of Codeine from Thebaine. Codeine is manufactured by the chemical conversion of poppy-derived Morphine, which is low yielding and environmentally unfriendly. This project will investigate and optimise two key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway to Codeine and develop an innov ....Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. This project aims to develop a new semi-synthetic route for the manufacture of Codeine from Thebaine. Codeine is manufactured by the chemical conversion of poppy-derived Morphine, which is low yielding and environmentally unfriendly. This project will investigate and optimise two key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway to Codeine and develop an innovative bioreactor to achieve high yield. It will research industrial biotransformations, providing a greener and cheaper process for increased global access to Codeine. Australian opiate manufacturing is expected to benefit from value adding and increased flexibility introduced by a biotechnology approach.Read moreRead less
New fertiliser technologies for sustained food security. This project aims to provide fundamental research to develop next-generation fertiliser products that will improve nitrogen use efficiency, and reduce nitrogen losses in food production systems. It will achieve this goal through a multidisciplinary approach combining experts in synthetic and free radical chemistry, chemical engineering and soil science, with a strong commitment from a fertiliser industry partner. Society is facing the tri ....New fertiliser technologies for sustained food security. This project aims to provide fundamental research to develop next-generation fertiliser products that will improve nitrogen use efficiency, and reduce nitrogen losses in food production systems. It will achieve this goal through a multidisciplinary approach combining experts in synthetic and free radical chemistry, chemical engineering and soil science, with a strong commitment from a fertiliser industry partner. Society is facing the triple challenges of food security, environmental degradation and climate change The availability of new, highly-efficient fertilisers is critical for addressing these challenges, and for the competitive advantage of the Australian fertiliser industry.Read moreRead less
Pilot-scale production of therapeutically-active cannabinoids . The Isolation of minor therapeutically-active cannabinoids from cannabis at pilot scale would establish a commercially competitive Australian industry and lead to a superior position in the global marketplace. This project aims to select elite clones from genetically diverse cannabis strains for yield of minor, but therapeutically-active, cannabinoids, and develop a pilot-scale extraction and separation procedure that can be scaled- ....Pilot-scale production of therapeutically-active cannabinoids . The Isolation of minor therapeutically-active cannabinoids from cannabis at pilot scale would establish a commercially competitive Australian industry and lead to a superior position in the global marketplace. This project aims to select elite clones from genetically diverse cannabis strains for yield of minor, but therapeutically-active, cannabinoids, and develop a pilot-scale extraction and separation procedure that can be scaled-up for commercial production. This would contribute to the growth of the agri-biotechnology sector and a skilled multidisciplinary workforce in rural Australia, thus providing significant economic benefit. The novel scale-up procedure has potential for industry adoption to add value to Australian manufacturing.
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Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will ....Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will consider silica and silica-rich nanoparticles in concert with cations and organics, with the aim of better managing cations so to facilitate nanoparticle lubrication. Project outcomes may include more productive use of assets, improved pre-treatment infrastructure to support reverse osmosis operation, and the environmental benefits of reduced chemical waste and increased water recovery.Read moreRead less
Development of advanced ceramic membranes: a robust solution to sustainable water treatment. Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. While available fresh water supplies dwindle, options to treat 'used' water for reuse are gaining rapid popularity. Membranes are now state-of-the-art for water treatment, including all new desalination plants, but as they are polymeric based, they must be routinely cleaned with chemicals and replaced. The outcomes of this research will demonstrate innovat ....Development of advanced ceramic membranes: a robust solution to sustainable water treatment. Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. While available fresh water supplies dwindle, options to treat 'used' water for reuse are gaining rapid popularity. Membranes are now state-of-the-art for water treatment, including all new desalination plants, but as they are polymeric based, they must be routinely cleaned with chemicals and replaced. The outcomes of this research will demonstrate innovative functional ceramic membranes which last longer and have lower requirement for cleaning chemicals and expert maintenance. This, in turn, will deliver water at lower cost and reduced environmental burden (chemical and membrane disposal), giving industry more sustainable solutions to treat water, which has now become an essential practice in society.Read moreRead less
Membrane distillation development for concentrated solar thermal systems. Membrane distillation development for concentrated solar thermal systems. This project aims to develop a new membrane distillation module that works with a high efficiency solar thermal tower system. Fresh water and energy are inextricably linked and form the basis for all human activity. Remote locations in Australia and the Middle East and North Africa are blessed with abundant solar resources and increasing levels of de ....Membrane distillation development for concentrated solar thermal systems. Membrane distillation development for concentrated solar thermal systems. This project aims to develop a new membrane distillation module that works with a high efficiency solar thermal tower system. Fresh water and energy are inextricably linked and form the basis for all human activity. Remote locations in Australia and the Middle East and North Africa are blessed with abundant solar resources and increasing levels of development, but burdened by access to reliable water treatment and electricity generation facilities. This project will use recently developed materials and design tools to overcome technical challenges that limited membrane distillation technology. This is expected to open up an innovative method for co-production of water and electricity which can handle transient solar and water quality inputs.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel process for recovering fluoride from spent pot-lining as AlF2(OH) using industrial waste solutions. Every year approximately 40,000 tonnes of a hazardous waste known as spent pot-lining is generated by Australia’s aluminium industry. It contains significant levels of leachable cyanide and fluoride and is currently being stored awaiting a suitable treatment technology. This project will develop a novel low-energy and low-cost process for extracting the fluoride as a usefu ....Development of a novel process for recovering fluoride from spent pot-lining as AlF2(OH) using industrial waste solutions. Every year approximately 40,000 tonnes of a hazardous waste known as spent pot-lining is generated by Australia’s aluminium industry. It contains significant levels of leachable cyanide and fluoride and is currently being stored awaiting a suitable treatment technology. This project will develop a novel low-energy and low-cost process for extracting the fluoride as a useful aluminium fluoride product that can be recycled back into the aluminium industry; destroy the cyanide; and recover other components for use in the metallurgical industry. If commercialised the benefit will be an end to the stockpiling of spent pot-lining in Australia, a more sustainable aluminium industry, and protection of the world’s natural fluoride resources.Read moreRead less