Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100156
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$471,000.00
Summary
A facility for quantification and isotopic analysis of trace gases. This project aims to develop a new facility for the analysis of trace gases, including nitrous oxide, methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide. This will provide two new capabilities for Australia: 1. It will further our ability to study how microbes cycle trace gases across the continuum from arid soils to the coastal ocean; 2. It will allow us to better understand microbial reactions that remove nitrogen pollution. ....A facility for quantification and isotopic analysis of trace gases. This project aims to develop a new facility for the analysis of trace gases, including nitrous oxide, methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide. This will provide two new capabilities for Australia: 1. It will further our ability to study how microbes cycle trace gases across the continuum from arid soils to the coastal ocean; 2. It will allow us to better understand microbial reactions that remove nitrogen pollution. This will allow us to better understand, monitor and manage microbial processes within soils, sediments, and waters that undertake key ecosystem services, including removal of nitrogen and pollutant gases. Read moreRead less
Revealing the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of avian influenza virus. This project aims to understand how avian influenza virus (AIV) emerges, evolves and spreads in wild birds. AIV has the potential to devastate the poultry industry and cause human pandemics, but the factors that shape the genetic diversity of AIV in its wild bird reservoir are poorly understood. The project plans to combine genomic, ecological and phylogenetic approaches to reveal key aspects of AIV evolution, as well a ....Revealing the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of avian influenza virus. This project aims to understand how avian influenza virus (AIV) emerges, evolves and spreads in wild birds. AIV has the potential to devastate the poultry industry and cause human pandemics, but the factors that shape the genetic diversity of AIV in its wild bird reservoir are poorly understood. The project plans to combine genomic, ecological and phylogenetic approaches to reveal key aspects of AIV evolution, as well as the risk for future viral emergence. Using sampling sites in Australia and Antarctica, it plans to investigate AIV diversity, the evolutionary dynamics of AIV in wild birds and poultry, and the role played by environmental transmission in AIV ecology.Read moreRead less
A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new ....A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new concrete sewers by adding a precursor chemical into the cement, or to slow down the corrosion of existing sewers by infrequently (once every one to few years) spraying the precursor chemical directly onto the concrete surface. Potentially, the project will substantially reduce sewer corrosion.Read moreRead less
Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubted ....Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubtedly have a number of commercial applications this project focuses on the development of products for dental hygiene in animals. Generally, the urgent need for new antimicrobial compounds to combat the growing number of microbes that are resistant to current antibiotics highlights the importance of this project.Read moreRead less
E. coli as an indicator of faecal contamination in the Australian context. The goal of this research is to improve our ability to use Escherichia coli as an indicator of water quality by determining the extent to which non-faecal sources of E. coli contribute to coliform counts and to develop a method to differentiate non-faecal E. coli from those that are faecal derived.
Microbial community characterisation for bioprocessing of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. Due to irresponsible industrial practices, Australia has hundreds of polluted soil and water environments. This includes the notorious groundwater contamination underlying Botany in Sydney, an area of rich industrial, residential and cultural significance. The use of microbes to clean up polluted environments, such as the Botany groundwater, is known as bioremediation - a process exploitin ....Microbial community characterisation for bioprocessing of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. Due to irresponsible industrial practices, Australia has hundreds of polluted soil and water environments. This includes the notorious groundwater contamination underlying Botany in Sydney, an area of rich industrial, residential and cultural significance. The use of microbes to clean up polluted environments, such as the Botany groundwater, is known as bioremediation - a process exploiting the natural metabolic versatility of microbes. To clean up the polluted groundwater in Botany, mixed species communities of pollutant degrading microbes are being produced. Novel tools to reveal the inner workings of these microscopic communities are also being developed, giving Australia an unprecedented advantage in the global bioremediation market.Read moreRead less
New tools to decipher, predict and manage pacific oyster mortality episodes. This project aims to unite cutting-edge genomic and molecular biological tools with novel quantitative modelling analyses to identify the mechanisms behind oyster disease events. Oyster farming contributes almost $100 million to the Australian economy each year and is a cornerstone of coastal communities, but has been decimated by diseases that threaten this important primary industry. While some causative pathogens hav ....New tools to decipher, predict and manage pacific oyster mortality episodes. This project aims to unite cutting-edge genomic and molecular biological tools with novel quantitative modelling analyses to identify the mechanisms behind oyster disease events. Oyster farming contributes almost $100 million to the Australian economy each year and is a cornerstone of coastal communities, but has been decimated by diseases that threaten this important primary industry. While some causative pathogens have been identified, the environmental catalysts of oyster disease remain a mystery. The expected outcome of this project is an innovative coupling of tools that provides new capacity to forecast disease events, delivering the Australian oyster industry a powerful platform to predict, manage and prevent costly disease outbreaks. By identifying environmental thresholds and oyster disease danger periods, an expected outcome of this project is the development of new oyster farming strategies aimed at avoiding multi-million dollar losses associated with disease outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Improved biosecurity through the engineering of microbial ecosystems. This project aims to provide data and understanding that will help develop predictive models for changes in the distribution of drug-resistant bacteria, and surveillance and response programs for key biosecurity threats. Microorganisms, including commensals and pathogens, can live in complex communities in a range of environments including animal hosts. It is now known that these communities (known as microbiomes) can exert a ....Improved biosecurity through the engineering of microbial ecosystems. This project aims to provide data and understanding that will help develop predictive models for changes in the distribution of drug-resistant bacteria, and surveillance and response programs for key biosecurity threats. Microorganisms, including commensals and pathogens, can live in complex communities in a range of environments including animal hosts. It is now known that these communities (known as microbiomes) can exert a profound effect on animal health. This project seeks to understand where antimicrobial resistance genes reside in pig gut microbiotia and how they move between members of this complex microbial community, and to provide information on how probiotics may be used to reduce dependence on antibiotics.Read moreRead less
In situ bioremediation solutions for Australia's organochlorine contaminated aquifers. This project will develop biological technologies to accelerate chlorinated solvent degradation in contaminated groundwater. Bacterial cultures developed in Australia will be injected into groundwater to enhance solvent degradation resulting in environmentally friendly and cost effective environmental restoration.
Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of el ....Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of electric bacteria into sensor systems, will result in a new platform technology that expands our abilities to protect the ecology, agriculture and health of terrestrial, marine and agricultural at risk areas from economic and environmental damage.Read moreRead less