Optimising Fouling Control in Membrane Bioreactors. Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are growing in importance for wastewater treatment because they offer an alternative for producing higher effluent quality wastewater within a more compact space compared to conventional processes. However, due to the pumping and bubbling used to keep the membranes clear of foulants resulting from the biological processes in MBR's, controlling fouling incurs significant energy usage and costs. The proposal aims to red ....Optimising Fouling Control in Membrane Bioreactors. Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are growing in importance for wastewater treatment because they offer an alternative for producing higher effluent quality wastewater within a more compact space compared to conventional processes. However, due to the pumping and bubbling used to keep the membranes clear of foulants resulting from the biological processes in MBR's, controlling fouling incurs significant energy usage and costs. The proposal aims to reduce the costs of fouling control by understanding the optimal conditions to remove these depositions and improve the design of MBR modules, operating conditions and shear delivery in the membrane system.Read moreRead less
WAVELET-BASED MODELLING AND MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF COMPLEX MULTIDIMENSIONAL CRYSTALLISATION PROCESSES. The results of this project will directly contribute to a better understanding of crystallisation which is an important unit operation to achieve high purity separations. Many Australian industries for example, mineral processing, sugar processing, pharmaceuticals, etc will benefit from the results in order to enhance optimal operation and control to ensure globally competitive production ....WAVELET-BASED MODELLING AND MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF COMPLEX MULTIDIMENSIONAL CRYSTALLISATION PROCESSES. The results of this project will directly contribute to a better understanding of crystallisation which is an important unit operation to achieve high purity separations. Many Australian industries for example, mineral processing, sugar processing, pharmaceuticals, etc will benefit from the results in order to enhance optimal operation and control to ensure globally competitive production which is on time, minimize wastes and raw materials and inventories. The leading edge results will increase the contributions of these industries to the Australian economy and our global competitiveness necessary to maintain our culture and the beauty of our environment. Read moreRead less
Macromolecular Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors. As the demands for domestic and industrial water increasing in Australia and overseas, membrane bioreactors (MBR) offer an alternative for producing higher effluent quality wastewater compared to conventional processes. However, aeration costs used to remove fouling deposits (which reduce the operating performance) need to be further minimised. The proposal aims to study fundamental mechanisms involve in the deposition of foulant components by usin ....Macromolecular Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors. As the demands for domestic and industrial water increasing in Australia and overseas, membrane bioreactors (MBR) offer an alternative for producing higher effluent quality wastewater compared to conventional processes. However, aeration costs used to remove fouling deposits (which reduce the operating performance) need to be further minimised. The proposal aims to study fundamental mechanisms involve in the deposition of foulant components by using model systems of polysaccharides, proteins and microbial cells and comparing these with real MBR systems. The effect of bubbling varied gas compositions (air/H2S ratios) a novel approach in this study will be investigated to prevent or remove foulants in MBR systems. Read moreRead less
Dynamic Controllability Analysis for Plantwide Process Design and Control. World-wide chemical plants represent many billions of dollars of investment. Improvements to the process designs in terms of controllability would have the potential to provide large economic benefits, as it implies improved productivity, reduced operating costs and product variability. This proposed research will be a step towards integration of process design and control, which has been widely recognized as the key to t ....Dynamic Controllability Analysis for Plantwide Process Design and Control. World-wide chemical plants represent many billions of dollars of investment. Improvements to the process designs in terms of controllability would have the potential to provide large economic benefits, as it implies improved productivity, reduced operating costs and product variability. This proposed research will be a step towards integration of process design and control, which has been widely recognized as the key to this improvement. The outcomes from this project may be readily implemented in process design practice, and therefore have a direct impact to the Australian and world-wide process industries, helping to build a more efficient and environmental conscious Australian process industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
An advanced thermogravimetric analysis system for world-leading research in clean energy, catalysis, material science and nanotechnology. Many chemical reactions occurring in solid materials during heating significantly affect the materials' stability, and subsequently affects the processes of production of clean energy, material synthesis, catalyst preparation, and nanotechnology. No equipment currently exists in Australia that will mitigate the wide range of conditions in such reactions in ma ....An advanced thermogravimetric analysis system for world-leading research in clean energy, catalysis, material science and nanotechnology. Many chemical reactions occurring in solid materials during heating significantly affect the materials' stability, and subsequently affects the processes of production of clean energy, material synthesis, catalyst preparation, and nanotechnology. No equipment currently exists in Australia that will mitigate the wide range of conditions in such reactions in materials processing. This situation impedes research progress in Australia, disadvantages Australian research students, and ultimately makes our research less competitive internationally. The establishment of the proposed apparatus will increase the competitiveness of Australian science and engineering, and contribute to the development of new Australian technologies that are important to the Australian economy and to environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. ....Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. It will promote capacity of Australia for manufacturing global biomaterial products for tissue engineering. We will also develop in-situ imaging analytical protocols for the rapid analysis of broad arrays of functional molecules, with significant bearing on BioMEMS design to develop methods for diagnosis of fatal diseases.Read moreRead less
Force Interactions in Packed and Fluidised Beds at Micro-Scale Operation. Industrial processing in the 20th century was about increasing size to gain benefit from economies of scale. This century, the focus is on micro devices like lab-on-a-chip and high speed computer processors that deliver their product directly to the consumer. There are significant obstacles facing this new technology. Mixing is reduced due to laminar flow, and a large amount of energy is needed to move the fluid through su ....Force Interactions in Packed and Fluidised Beds at Micro-Scale Operation. Industrial processing in the 20th century was about increasing size to gain benefit from economies of scale. This century, the focus is on micro devices like lab-on-a-chip and high speed computer processors that deliver their product directly to the consumer. There are significant obstacles facing this new technology. Mixing is reduced due to laminar flow, and a large amount of energy is needed to move the fluid through such small devices. Particles are often added to improve mixing and heat transfer, but their presence adds to the energy requirements. This study will help us overcome these challenges. Read moreRead less
Analysing Instabilities in Complex Combustion Models for Different Geometrical Configurations. Anyone who has gazed into a fire will appreciate the complexity of combustion. To date only the simplest of models have been comprehensively analysed. This project, which aims to analyse more complex combustion models, will address some of the fundamental issues of combustion theory. Results from this project will lead to a better understanding of combustion processes, with the potential to prevent exp ....Analysing Instabilities in Complex Combustion Models for Different Geometrical Configurations. Anyone who has gazed into a fire will appreciate the complexity of combustion. To date only the simplest of models have been comprehensively analysed. This project, which aims to analyse more complex combustion models, will address some of the fundamental issues of combustion theory. Results from this project will lead to a better understanding of combustion processes, with the potential to prevent explosions in reactors and storage tanks. Other potential applications range from bushfires to the manufacture of exotic materials. Furthermore, the novel mathematical techniques developed in this project can be easily adapted to other types of systems such as those used in biology (eg. epidemiology and tumour growth), economics, physics etc. Read moreRead less
Development of High Performance Nanocomposite Filtration Membranes: Fabrication and Fouling Mechanisms. This project will develop high performance membranes for the filtration of water and wastewater using novel nanotechnology processes. This will reduce the costs and environmental impact of water treatment and risk from low-level chemical contaminants such as micropollutants. The project will also provide an enhanced technology base for producing low cost, hybrid inorganic-organic materials fo ....Development of High Performance Nanocomposite Filtration Membranes: Fabrication and Fouling Mechanisms. This project will develop high performance membranes for the filtration of water and wastewater using novel nanotechnology processes. This will reduce the costs and environmental impact of water treatment and risk from low-level chemical contaminants such as micropollutants. The project will also provide an enhanced technology base for producing low cost, hybrid inorganic-organic materials for widespread environmental, agricultural and food applications.Read moreRead less
Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of g ....Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of generating air bubbles, to gain fundamental understanding of the foaming mechanism in currently used gassing techniques, and to invent ways to stabilise large bubbles within the emulsion. The project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of a new range of emulsion explosives manufactured by Orica for Australian and international markets, maintaining the Orica's position as a leader in the field of emulsion explosives.Read moreRead less