Multipurpose separation platforms for protein purification. Over the next decades, many new therapies and products will be needed to enhance the quality of human life. Biopharmaceuticals and other protein-based products will thus be increasingly in demand. This will require significant improvements in biotechnological procedures, particularly sophisticated purification technologies. Through the development of a novel technology, this project is anticipated to significantly contribute to these so ....Multipurpose separation platforms for protein purification. Over the next decades, many new therapies and products will be needed to enhance the quality of human life. Biopharmaceuticals and other protein-based products will thus be increasingly in demand. This will require significant improvements in biotechnological procedures, particularly sophisticated purification technologies. Through the development of a novel technology, this project is anticipated to significantly contribute to these societal needs and provide a new way to purify these important molecules. National and community benefits will accrue from this scientific innovation and from its application, which is expected to provide more efficient manufacturing opportunities for key biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Performance Chemistry of Thermoset Surface Coatings. Surface coatings employed in the COLORBOND® range of pre-painted steel products are remarkable materials that are warranted against fading, peeling and cracking for 25 years. Unfortunately, the desired durability can never be uniform across all applications and performance failures do occur and are costly. Classic durability testing often provides misleading information. This project aims to develop a sound mechanistic model for polyester-is ....Performance Chemistry of Thermoset Surface Coatings. Surface coatings employed in the COLORBOND® range of pre-painted steel products are remarkable materials that are warranted against fading, peeling and cracking for 25 years. Unfortunately, the desired durability can never be uniform across all applications and performance failures do occur and are costly. Classic durability testing often provides misleading information. This project aims to develop a sound mechanistic model for polyester-isocyanate performance chemistry and to develop strategies for 'superdurable polyester' formulations based on these findings. This research will provide recommendations to BHP Coated Steel Australia on adoption of isocyanate based technology in the COLORBOND® range of products.Read moreRead less
Improving Energy Efficiency through Cool Polymers in Building Materials. The advantages of using cool polymers in industrial applications such as building materials are significant. Cooler buildings are a positive contribution to our global environment with reductions in urban heat and smog through energy efficiency. Moreover, by reducing the overall temperature of the surface coating through inclusion and optimization of IR-reflective pigments, this should lead to polymers which are more durabl ....Improving Energy Efficiency through Cool Polymers in Building Materials. The advantages of using cool polymers in industrial applications such as building materials are significant. Cooler buildings are a positive contribution to our global environment with reductions in urban heat and smog through energy efficiency. Moreover, by reducing the overall temperature of the surface coating through inclusion and optimization of IR-reflective pigments, this should lead to polymers which are more durable when exposed in exterior environments. It is anticipated that the results from this work will have direct impact on the Australian paint market and potentially the commercial and residential building industries of Australia, combined with obvious economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Generation of Ultra-Clean Fuel from Victorian Brown Coal and Its Oxygen-Enriched Combustion Characteristics. Completion of this project can significantly contribute to the national priority of developing alternative energy technologies and ecologically sustainable power generation systems, as well as provide solutions to reduce and capture greenhouse gas emissions during Victorian brown coal firing. Improvements in the quality of Victorian brown coal and its value in national/international trad ....Generation of Ultra-Clean Fuel from Victorian Brown Coal and Its Oxygen-Enriched Combustion Characteristics. Completion of this project can significantly contribute to the national priority of developing alternative energy technologies and ecologically sustainable power generation systems, as well as provide solutions to reduce and capture greenhouse gas emissions during Victorian brown coal firing. Improvements in the quality of Victorian brown coal and its value in national/international trade markets can be achieved through the generation of ultra-clean fuel from coal. Substitution of ultra-clean fuel for Victorian brown coal in energy industries would greatly improve the competitiveness of the Victorian economy in a carbon-constrained future, and ensure power generation near-zero emissions.Read moreRead less
Why is ColorbondR steel greener on the other side of the fence? Designing additives to retard weathering of surface coatings. COLORBONDR steel, the flagship pre-painted steel product of BlueScope Steel Limited, has become an iconic part of both suburban and outback landscapes whether installed as roofing, walling or water conservation accessories (tanks, down-pipes etc). This proposal aims to provide a detailed understanding of molecular level changes in COLORBONDR steel surface coatings brought ....Why is ColorbondR steel greener on the other side of the fence? Designing additives to retard weathering of surface coatings. COLORBONDR steel, the flagship pre-painted steel product of BlueScope Steel Limited, has become an iconic part of both suburban and outback landscapes whether installed as roofing, walling or water conservation accessories (tanks, down-pipes etc). This proposal aims to provide a detailed understanding of molecular level changes in COLORBONDR steel surface coatings brought about by levels of heat and radiation encountered in-service. These insights will lead to further improvements in both lifetime and aesthetic durability of COLORBONDR steel, ensuring continuing economic success of BlueScope in the domestic building market with consequent benefits to manufacturing communities throughout the supply-chain nationwide.Read moreRead less
Single walled carbon nanotubes of one stereochemistry - material for the oncoming carbon age. Carbon nanotubes are finding application in nanotechnology. However currently they are prepared as a mixture of zig-zag, chiral and armchair isomers. Their properties could be improved if they could be prepared with one stereochemistry. The approach here is to use a nanocrystallisation and thermal maturation process involving stereo controlling additives. The new carbons are expected to have outstandin ....Single walled carbon nanotubes of one stereochemistry - material for the oncoming carbon age. Carbon nanotubes are finding application in nanotechnology. However currently they are prepared as a mixture of zig-zag, chiral and armchair isomers. Their properties could be improved if they could be prepared with one stereochemistry. The approach here is to use a nanocrystallisation and thermal maturation process involving stereo controlling additives. The new carbons are expected to have outstanding flexibility and strength and novel thermal and electrical properties. The new products could give Australia a lead in new battery, hydrogen storage, flat screen technology and nanoelectronics.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
Iron and Silica Co-precipitation from Industrial Zinc solutions. The aim of this research project is to gain a molecular level understanding of the physical processes that occur during the co-precipitation of iron and silica from electrolytic zinc liquors. The research program will be specifically focussed on systems in which similar concentrations of iron and silica are present in the liquor. Such systems are of interest to the industry partner as they represent the expected characteristics of ....Iron and Silica Co-precipitation from Industrial Zinc solutions. The aim of this research project is to gain a molecular level understanding of the physical processes that occur during the co-precipitation of iron and silica from electrolytic zinc liquors. The research program will be specifically focussed on systems in which similar concentrations of iron and silica are present in the liquor. Such systems are of interest to the industry partner as they represent the expected characteristics of future process requirements, but they are also of broader relevance to a range of mineral processing industries, as iron and silica occur as impurities in many mineral ores.Read moreRead less
Chemistry of uranium extraction - studies on the dissolution of uranium ores in a complex solution matrix. Olympic Dam is the world's largest uranium deposit. With a planned massive expansion of the mine's operations, it could generate more than $10b per year. The mineral ores found there, however, are highly complex and poorly understood. This project will investigate and determine the detailed characteristics and chemistry of the mineral ore and offer process improvements that will increase th ....Chemistry of uranium extraction - studies on the dissolution of uranium ores in a complex solution matrix. Olympic Dam is the world's largest uranium deposit. With a planned massive expansion of the mine's operations, it could generate more than $10b per year. The mineral ores found there, however, are highly complex and poorly understood. This project will investigate and determine the detailed characteristics and chemistry of the mineral ore and offer process improvements that will increase the productivity and improve the economics of extraction of the ore. This project will also address the serious deficiency of researchers in this field by creating a sustainable skills development program in mineral extraction and separation technology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0239647
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,000.00
Summary
Infrared chemical imaging and high temperature emission spectroscopy facility. Infrared spectroscopic imaging uses infrared radiation to analyse the chemical properties of microscopic samples in a fast and powerful manner. The images produced provide information about the different molecular chemistry at each pixel in the image. This is one of the latest and perhaps most important developments in vibrational spectroscopy, with wide applications in materials science, forensic science and the biol ....Infrared chemical imaging and high temperature emission spectroscopy facility. Infrared spectroscopic imaging uses infrared radiation to analyse the chemical properties of microscopic samples in a fast and powerful manner. The images produced provide information about the different molecular chemistry at each pixel in the image. This is one of the latest and perhaps most important developments in vibrational spectroscopy, with wide applications in materials science, forensic science and the biological sciences. It is an exceptional tool for the analysis of heterogeneous solids, whether these be seized drug samples, cancer cells, fibres left at a crime scene, layers of paint from a car or a Monet painting, or polymer blends.Read moreRead less