Root effects on soil organic matter: a double-edged sword. This project aims to understand how plant roots build and destroy soil organic matter in grasslands and what the impacts are of drought. Soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial reservoir of nutrients for plant growth, but paradoxically, formation of new soil organic matter by plant roots also requires external nutrients. This project will address this apparent paradox by using a new root-centric framework and stable isotope techni ....Root effects on soil organic matter: a double-edged sword. This project aims to understand how plant roots build and destroy soil organic matter in grasslands and what the impacts are of drought. Soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial reservoir of nutrients for plant growth, but paradoxically, formation of new soil organic matter by plant roots also requires external nutrients. This project will address this apparent paradox by using a new root-centric framework and stable isotope techniques. The project will use state-of-the art computer models that incorporate the latest frameworks on soil organic matter interacting with plant roots. Benefits include an improved capacity to manage and predict grassland productivity and soil organic matter dynamics with greater resolution and accuracy.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the anchors of soil organic carbon to manage climate change. Soil is the largest reservoir of terrestrial organic carbon. Most of the organic carbon in soils is preserved by association with minerals, however, the composition and stability of mineral-associated organic carbon remain poorly understood. The project will use novel and emerging techniques to discover the composition of organic carbon and stability of organic carbon present in mineral-organic associations in representative ....Unlocking the anchors of soil organic carbon to manage climate change. Soil is the largest reservoir of terrestrial organic carbon. Most of the organic carbon in soils is preserved by association with minerals, however, the composition and stability of mineral-associated organic carbon remain poorly understood. The project will use novel and emerging techniques to discover the composition of organic carbon and stability of organic carbon present in mineral-organic associations in representative Australian soils. Expected outcomes include new knowledge necessary for emerging global carbon cycling models and improve future climate projections. Read moreRead less
Developing a novel carbon negative fertiliser . Food security is vital to support our growing population. However, our increasing reliance on intensive farming systems necessitates increased fertiliser use, leading to increased water pollution and soil degradation - threatening both the Australian environment and food security. Increasing carbon storage capacity by soil and decreasing fertiliser use are two of the primary pathways for restoring the bio-support capacity of soils and reducing farm ....Developing a novel carbon negative fertiliser . Food security is vital to support our growing population. However, our increasing reliance on intensive farming systems necessitates increased fertiliser use, leading to increased water pollution and soil degradation - threatening both the Australian environment and food security. Increasing carbon storage capacity by soil and decreasing fertiliser use are two of the primary pathways for restoring the bio-support capacity of soils and reducing farming footprints. This innovative and first-of-its-kind project aims to develop a cost-effective, carbon negative fertiliser that reduces fertiliser inputs and increases soil carbon storageRead moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. This Centre aims to develop carbon-based catalysts for clean energy, CO2 capture, and green chemistry to reduce emissions. The Centre expects to use pioneering data-guided atomic-precision synthesis and multiscale analysis to transform fundamental science of carbon materials. Expected outcomes of this Centre will benefit new technologies for energy, environmental, and green che ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. This Centre aims to develop carbon-based catalysts for clean energy, CO2 capture, and green chemistry to reduce emissions. The Centre expects to use pioneering data-guided atomic-precision synthesis and multiscale analysis to transform fundamental science of carbon materials. Expected outcomes of this Centre will benefit new technologies for energy, environmental, and green chemical industries by utilising abundant sunlight, seawater, and waste feedstocks. This should provide significant benefits, through industry collaborations, our new world-leading capacity will train a next generation of game changers to empower emerging carbon industries to solve grand socio-economic challenges, ultimately meeting zero-carbon emissions targets.Read moreRead less
Design of Nanoporous BCN with Tunable Pores for CO2 Capture and Conversion. This project aims to design and develop advanced boron carbon nitride-based materials with high specific surface areas, tunable pores and functional groups, guided by theoretical calculations for the capture of CO2 at ambient conditions. By introducing single metal atoms in the above nanostructures, we also aim to design a novel catalytic system for the effective conversion of CO2 into fine chemicals. This project will o ....Design of Nanoporous BCN with Tunable Pores for CO2 Capture and Conversion. This project aims to design and develop advanced boron carbon nitride-based materials with high specific surface areas, tunable pores and functional groups, guided by theoretical calculations for the capture of CO2 at ambient conditions. By introducing single metal atoms in the above nanostructures, we also aim to design a novel catalytic system for the effective conversion of CO2 into fine chemicals. This project will offer new knowledge on the design of low-cost advanced materials with specific functionalities for the simultaneous capture and conversion of CO2. This project will make a significant impact on Australian industries and further offer job opportunities and economic benefits by offering new technologies for a clean environment.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100005
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,225,000.00
Summary
Remediation of PFAS contaminated soil using soil washing and immobilisation. This project aims to assess the applicability of soil washing and immobilisation as cost-effective techniques for the remediation of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) contaminated Australian soils. The project expects to establish the efficacy of the remediation of a range of PFASs, including many polyfluorinated precursors of perfluorinated, chemically-persistent legacy pollutants which are of concern. The proj ....Remediation of PFAS contaminated soil using soil washing and immobilisation. This project aims to assess the applicability of soil washing and immobilisation as cost-effective techniques for the remediation of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) contaminated Australian soils. The project expects to establish the efficacy of the remediation of a range of PFASs, including many polyfluorinated precursors of perfluorinated, chemically-persistent legacy pollutants which are of concern. The project will provide a scientific basis for understanding the benefits and limitations associated with soil washing and immobilisation techniques and a more comprehensive understanding of future liabilities associated with formation of PFASs from precursors remaining in remediated soils. Collaboration with stakeholders will ensure benefits are captured both commercially and environmentally, as well as removing a potential and on-going health threat to communities exposed to these contaminants.Read moreRead less
Physico-chemical effects on long-time fluid transport for CO2 geostorage. This project aims to develop an efficient multi-scale laboratory-based modelling framework for the analysis of nonequilibrium transport and reaction processes occurring in CO2 storage scenarios. In a significant technological advance two non-destructive analysis techniques, Xray computed tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance, are combined with pore-scale simulations to address uncertainties in dynamic wettability alter ....Physico-chemical effects on long-time fluid transport for CO2 geostorage. This project aims to develop an efficient multi-scale laboratory-based modelling framework for the analysis of nonequilibrium transport and reaction processes occurring in CO2 storage scenarios. In a significant technological advance two non-destructive analysis techniques, Xray computed tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance, are combined with pore-scale simulations to address uncertainties in dynamic wettability alteration occurring during gravity driven convection. Expected outcomes are the in-situ characterisation of solid-surface interactions and predictions of multi-phase fluid flow. The project benefits the Australian resources sector by improving injectivity, storage efficiency and security of supercritical CO2 storage projects.Read moreRead less
Carbon in - carbon out: can carbon inputs keep up with losses in peatland? This project aims to quantify the current and predict the future carbon balance of a high altitude, carbon-dense ecosystem, namely sub-alpine grassy peatland, by measuring how environmental variables including experimental warming control the fluxes of carbon and water into and out of the system. In this way, this project will produce new knowledge on the susceptibility of high-altitude peaty soils to climate change. Expe ....Carbon in - carbon out: can carbon inputs keep up with losses in peatland? This project aims to quantify the current and predict the future carbon balance of a high altitude, carbon-dense ecosystem, namely sub-alpine grassy peatland, by measuring how environmental variables including experimental warming control the fluxes of carbon and water into and out of the system. In this way, this project will produce new knowledge on the susceptibility of high-altitude peaty soils to climate change. Expected outcomes include an enhanced ability to predict future carbon accumulation rates and the resilience of the vital water-storage and filtration services provided by these systems. This project will enhance outputs from new infrastructure and assist planning for future flood and drought management across SE Australia.Read moreRead less
Unraveling hexavalent chromium formation and fate in fire-impacted soil. Hexavalent chromium is a cancer-causing toxin. It can form via heating of natural (unpolluted) soil during bushfires. However, little is known of the processes and factors which govern its formation and behavior in fire-impacted soil. Using a combination of field-based investigations, innovative experiments and cutting edge analytical approaches, this project aims to systematically explore hexavalent chromium formation vi ....Unraveling hexavalent chromium formation and fate in fire-impacted soil. Hexavalent chromium is a cancer-causing toxin. It can form via heating of natural (unpolluted) soil during bushfires. However, little is known of the processes and factors which govern its formation and behavior in fire-impacted soil. Using a combination of field-based investigations, innovative experiments and cutting edge analytical approaches, this project aims to systematically explore hexavalent chromium formation via fire-induced heating of soil and to examine its post-fire fate in soil systems. The results will transform our understanding of the chromium cycle at the Earth’s surface, and will facilitate accurate assessment and mitigation of the risks posed by hexavalent chromium formation in fire-impacted soil.Read moreRead less
Transforming residues from meat processing into engineered soil amendments. The aim of this project is to transform organic residues from meat processing into agricultural soil amendments that actively improve nutrient retention and reduce nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions. Current disposal and treatment options for meat processing residues are economically and environmentally unsustainable. In this research, a modified hydrothermal carbonisation process will be developed to tran ....Transforming residues from meat processing into engineered soil amendments. The aim of this project is to transform organic residues from meat processing into agricultural soil amendments that actively improve nutrient retention and reduce nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions. Current disposal and treatment options for meat processing residues are economically and environmentally unsustainable. In this research, a modified hydrothermal carbonisation process will be developed to transform organic residues into novel hydrochars. The influence of these hydrochars on soil nutrient retention and nitrous oxide production will then be assessed using stable isotope tracing, genetic characterisation, and numerical modeling. The project will reduce the economic and environmental costs of organic waste disposal.Read moreRead less