Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business ....Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business and tourism precincts. The economy, community and environment will benefit due to reduced use of potable, river and ground water. Wide application of this technology to wastewater and brackish water will lead to similar benefits and an environmentally sustainable Australia.
Read moreRead less
Biotransformation and biodegradation of organic nitrogen compounds from wastewater in bio-electrochemical systems. The rapid emergence of water recycling in Australia requires more vigilant control of pollutants that are discharged to sewers. This project will develop a novel, cost-effective process to remove organic nitrogen compounds (and likely other organics) present in many industrial wastewaters. It could provide an excellent solution for the pre-treatment of such industrial wastewaters at ....Biotransformation and biodegradation of organic nitrogen compounds from wastewater in bio-electrochemical systems. The rapid emergence of water recycling in Australia requires more vigilant control of pollutants that are discharged to sewers. This project will develop a novel, cost-effective process to remove organic nitrogen compounds (and likely other organics) present in many industrial wastewaters. It could provide an excellent solution for the pre-treatment of such industrial wastewaters at the source without any chemical addition, hence reducing the challenge and risks facing the water recycling plants. This innovative technology will further expand the growing research capacity and know-how in water recycling in Australia.Read moreRead less
Novel Concept for Wastewater Treatment with Integrated Power Production based on Microbial Fuel Cells. Microbial fuel cells are a novel process concept that enables organics, such as sugars, to be converted directly to electricity with the help of naturally occurring microorganisms. This technology has particularly exciting applications in the environmental field, namely in wastewater treatment. It offers significant benefits over current processes, particularly reduced energy consumption or eve ....Novel Concept for Wastewater Treatment with Integrated Power Production based on Microbial Fuel Cells. Microbial fuel cells are a novel process concept that enables organics, such as sugars, to be converted directly to electricity with the help of naturally occurring microorganisms. This technology has particularly exciting applications in the environmental field, namely in wastewater treatment. It offers significant benefits over current processes, particularly reduced energy consumption or even electricity generation and lower sludge production. This project will demonstrate the performance and application of such microbial fuel cells for the removal of organic and nitrogen-based pollutants from wastewater. If successful, this technology offers major advances in both water treatment and renewable energy aspects.Read moreRead less
Optimising biodegradation and removal of organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater using constructed wetlands. The urgency of water recycling is dictated by drying climate and rapid expansion of population in Australia. Constructed wetlands are environmentally-benign way to purify wastewater by removing inorganics and facilitating biodegradation of organic pollutants, thus producing recycled water that can be used in a variety of fit-for-purpose applications. This project will produce a dec ....Optimising biodegradation and removal of organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater using constructed wetlands. The urgency of water recycling is dictated by drying climate and rapid expansion of population in Australia. Constructed wetlands are environmentally-benign way to purify wastewater by removing inorganics and facilitating biodegradation of organic pollutants, thus producing recycled water that can be used in a variety of fit-for-purpose applications. This project will produce a decision-support system for optimising wetland performance in removing inorganics and biodegrading organic pollutants from wastewater, thus enhancing water recycling and reuse in this drying continent of ours.Read moreRead less
Hydrogen production from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste using a novel membrane. Solid organic waste is a potentially large, decentralized and sustainable source of hydrogen. The potential hydrogen yield from the anaerobic digestion of solid organic waste in Sydney alone could power over 750,000 passenger vehicles. Hydrogen is always generated in the digestion of organic material, but under natural conditions it is scavenged by methanogens. Recently developed silica membranes are sel ....Hydrogen production from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste using a novel membrane. Solid organic waste is a potentially large, decentralized and sustainable source of hydrogen. The potential hydrogen yield from the anaerobic digestion of solid organic waste in Sydney alone could power over 750,000 passenger vehicles. Hydrogen is always generated in the digestion of organic material, but under natural conditions it is scavenged by methanogens. Recently developed silica membranes are selectively and highly permeable to hydrogen, and these can be used to draw hydrogen from the digester. The digester will be run at high temperatures (>65oC) because this favours organisms that produce hydrogen over methanogens. Anaerobic digesters are well established in Europe and at least 3 municipal plants already exist in Australia.Read moreRead less
The use of chiral pharmaceutical compounds to characterise sewage treatment processes and sewage contamination of surface waters. Contamination by poorly treated and untreated sewage can severely degrade the quality of Australian surface waters. However, the behaviour of organic chemicals during conventional sewage treatment processes remains poorly understood. Furthermore, raw sewage pollution is generally not distinguishable from properly discharged treated sewage effluent by current analytica ....The use of chiral pharmaceutical compounds to characterise sewage treatment processes and sewage contamination of surface waters. Contamination by poorly treated and untreated sewage can severely degrade the quality of Australian surface waters. However, the behaviour of organic chemicals during conventional sewage treatment processes remains poorly understood. Furthermore, raw sewage pollution is generally not distinguishable from properly discharged treated sewage effluent by current analytical methods. The proposed research will provide a chemical marker for characterising treatment processes and identifying untreated sewage pollution. This will help to identify sources of such pollution so that they may be corrected. A principal outcome of the research will be the improved ability to protect Australia's valuable surface waters from sewage pollution.Read moreRead less
An optimally integrated treatment process for food waste and wastewater to maximise sustainability in a decentralised treatment plant. Decentralised small scale treatment plants are required for remote communities, resort locations and 'rural residential' developments. This project has access to an operational plant in urban Brisbane serving 21 houses, the first development in urban Australia with full approval for an onsite treatment facility. The plant has been designed to treat an integrate ....An optimally integrated treatment process for food waste and wastewater to maximise sustainability in a decentralised treatment plant. Decentralised small scale treatment plants are required for remote communities, resort locations and 'rural residential' developments. This project has access to an operational plant in urban Brisbane serving 21 houses, the first development in urban Australia with full approval for an onsite treatment facility. The plant has been designed to treat an integrated kitchen waste and blackwater stream, with upstream anaerobic digestion that reduces the survival of wastewater pathogens and generates soluble organic carbon for the biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorous. The project will produce expertise in decentralised treatment systems, including the development of two PhD students in this area.Read moreRead less