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
Amelioration strategies to reduce environmental deterioration and agricultural production losses in water repellent regions. Millions of hectares of potentially productive agricultural land in Australia are affected by water-repellency. Water repellency causes non-uniform infiltration of water in soils and promotes surface erosion. Consequently, water repellent soils cannot be satisfactorily used for agricultural production, resulting in production losses of millions of dollars annually. This in ....Amelioration strategies to reduce environmental deterioration and agricultural production losses in water repellent regions. Millions of hectares of potentially productive agricultural land in Australia are affected by water-repellency. Water repellency causes non-uniform infiltration of water in soils and promotes surface erosion. Consequently, water repellent soils cannot be satisfactorily used for agricultural production, resulting in production losses of millions of dollars annually. This investigation is part of a genuine international effort that will develop new procedures to ameliorate water-repellent soils. New and improved mathematical models and decision support tools will also be developed to improve water-repellent land management, reduce environmental risk and minimise agriculture production loss.Read moreRead less
Advanced Stability Sensor for Anaerobic Digestion Processes. Australia is firmly committed to energy reduction and production, where possible, renewable energy production. Anaerobic digestion is the only in-use wastewater treatment option that not only can have net zero energy consumption, but that actually produces energy. This energy is from renewable carbon sources is therefore a zero contributor to greenhouse gases. Australia has some of the strongest environmental limit laws in the world. ....Advanced Stability Sensor for Anaerobic Digestion Processes. Australia is firmly committed to energy reduction and production, where possible, renewable energy production. Anaerobic digestion is the only in-use wastewater treatment option that not only can have net zero energy consumption, but that actually produces energy. This energy is from renewable carbon sources is therefore a zero contributor to greenhouse gases. Australia has some of the strongest environmental limit laws in the world. While this is reasonable - given our sensitive environment -assisting industry in meeting those limits in a cost effective manner is a priority. Given sufficient process stability and transparency, anaerobic digestion is a low capital and operating cost option. Read moreRead less
Optical fibre dip-sensors for in-situ environmental monitoring. This project will continue to build Australia's reputation as a global leader in both the science and technology of emerging optical fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in medicine, defence, and sensing. It will be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. The new class of low-cost environmental sensors to be created here will provide benefit to Austr ....Optical fibre dip-sensors for in-situ environmental monitoring. This project will continue to build Australia's reputation as a global leader in both the science and technology of emerging optical fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in medicine, defence, and sensing. It will be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. The new class of low-cost environmental sensors to be created here will provide benefit to Australia, enabling environmental and agricultural managers to more effectively monitor and manage natural resources such as water and nutrients and will lead to a more productive and sustainable economy.Read moreRead less
Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predomin ....Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predominantly rural electorate in northern NSW that is strongly affected by this combination of environmental stresses, causing serious degradation of water quality culminating in regular fish kills. The technology developed from this project will be readily transferable to other rural coastal communities worldwide.Read moreRead less