Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will re ....Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will resolve uncertainties in the underlying phenomena. The expected outcome should support future high quality cell cultures suitable for transplantation therapies.Read moreRead less
Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the producti ....Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the productivity of coal seam gas wells in Queensland, and leads to 10-15 days’ production downtime a year. The expected outcomes of the project include fundamental understanding of the solids breakage phenomena, a predictive tool to classify potential solids risks in coal seam gas wells, and a novel rock-selective wellbore coating technology to control solids production. The potential economic impacts from the project are lower gas production costs and improved gas supply security.Read moreRead less
Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fu ....Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fundamentally understand the relationship between physical-chemical properties and efficacy. Completion of this project aims to produce potent nanoparticle-based adjuvants underpinned by novel manufacturing technology, to ultimately facilitate the development of more effective and protective vaccines for animals and humans.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100213
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
x-ray transparent core flood apparatus . X-ray transparent core flood apparatus: This facility is a novel X-ray transparent flow vessel and ancillaries for achieving direct, near-real-time, 3D measurement and visualisation of material flow inside rock samples. It will enable direct evaluation of how liquid, liquid-solid, gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid flows behave in cores replicating conditions in underground reservoirs. The coal seam gas, shale gas and oil, and geothermal energy recovery rely ....x-ray transparent core flood apparatus . X-ray transparent core flood apparatus: This facility is a novel X-ray transparent flow vessel and ancillaries for achieving direct, near-real-time, 3D measurement and visualisation of material flow inside rock samples. It will enable direct evaluation of how liquid, liquid-solid, gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid flows behave in cores replicating conditions in underground reservoirs. The coal seam gas, shale gas and oil, and geothermal energy recovery rely on precise understanding and simulation of subsurface flow. This apparatus will provide a new method to measure and visualise otherwise inaccessible flow behaviour, at a high level of detail, providing characterisation and model validation data underpinning reservoir simulations.Read moreRead less
Advanced environmental technologies for increasing coal seam permeability. This project aims to understand the physical/chemical mechanisms occurring when benign chemicals interact and dissolve minerals and coal surfaces in the natural fractures during the extraction of coal seam gas. Technologies for increasing the permeability of coal have become necessary for commercially viable coal seam gas (CSG) extraction in Australia. Currently available methods from the conventional gas industry, are pr ....Advanced environmental technologies for increasing coal seam permeability. This project aims to understand the physical/chemical mechanisms occurring when benign chemicals interact and dissolve minerals and coal surfaces in the natural fractures during the extraction of coal seam gas. Technologies for increasing the permeability of coal have become necessary for commercially viable coal seam gas (CSG) extraction in Australia. Currently available methods from the conventional gas industry, are problematic for coal, and fail to capitalise on coal’s existing fracture network. The intended project outcome is a range of new coal-specific technologies for enhancing permeability that avoid unwanted and irreversible damage to seams and protect the environment. Combined with reduced costs, these methods would benefit sustainable growth of Australia’s CSG industry.Read moreRead less
Production of Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers using Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Process Technology. The aim of this project is to develop a sustainable process for producing biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs)polymers from an innovative aerobic-anaerobic biological wastewater treatment process, ?treating? high strength food industry effluent. These biopolymers offer enormous potential for use as renewable and biodegradable thermoplastics.
It is proposed to inve ....Production of Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers using Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Process Technology. The aim of this project is to develop a sustainable process for producing biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs)polymers from an innovative aerobic-anaerobic biological wastewater treatment process, ?treating? high strength food industry effluent. These biopolymers offer enormous potential for use as renewable and biodegradable thermoplastics.
It is proposed to investigate two process configurations, namely the sequencing batch reactor and a continuous two step anaerobic-aerobic reaction system. These will be studied at bench-scale. The outcomes include:
1. Determination of the optimum microbial conditions and key growth
parameters for the production of PHA.
2. Optimisation of the process configuration, operating strategies
and operating conditions to maximise the
production of PHA.
3. Assessment of the influence of the feed composition (e.g. VFA)
on the PHA composition (PHB/PHV).
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989675
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Interface-specific facility for quantifying adsorption and structures at particulate interfaces. The facility will be used by the collaborating universities to investigate adsorption and interface properties with great precision, and to develop new and improved technologies for coal and mineral processing, saline water utilisation, water desalination, energy production and environment protection. In particular, the project will investigate innovative ways of using ion-interface interactions in ....Interface-specific facility for quantifying adsorption and structures at particulate interfaces. The facility will be used by the collaborating universities to investigate adsorption and interface properties with great precision, and to develop new and improved technologies for coal and mineral processing, saline water utilisation, water desalination, energy production and environment protection. In particular, the project will investigate innovative ways of using ion-interface interactions in saline water for cleaning coal and recovering value minerals by flotation, and for improving dissolved air flotation used in water treatment and desalination to produce drinking water. The project will further investigate novel ways of capturing CO2, storing natural gases and hydrogen, and tailoring nutrient nano-crystals for foliar delivery.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
Modelling of multiscale systems in engineering and science supports large-scale equation-free simulations and analysis. A persistent feature of complex systems in engineering and science is the emergence of macroscopic, coarse grained, coherent behaviour from the interactions of microscopic agents (molecules, cells) and with their environment. In current modeling, ranging from ecology to materials science, the underlying microscopic mechanisms are known, but the closures to translate microscale ....Modelling of multiscale systems in engineering and science supports large-scale equation-free simulations and analysis. A persistent feature of complex systems in engineering and science is the emergence of macroscopic, coarse grained, coherent behaviour from the interactions of microscopic agents (molecules, cells) and with their environment. In current modeling, ranging from ecology to materials science, the underlying microscopic mechanisms are known, but the closures to translate microscale knowledge to a system level macroscopic description are rarely available in closed form. Our novel, equation free, computational methodologies will circumvent this stumbling block, and promises to radically change the modeling, exploration and understanding of complex system behavior. We continue to develop this powerful computational methodology. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775649
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
An Integrated Multi-Node Microfluidics Facility. The establishment of the proposed facility will enhance Australia's position in microfluidics research, thus contributing to all National Priority areas, particularly the National Priority area 3 through advancement in breakthrough science and frontier technologies. In addition to researchers from participating institutions, the Facility will be made available to other Australian researchers from non-participating organisations at minimum cost. Th ....An Integrated Multi-Node Microfluidics Facility. The establishment of the proposed facility will enhance Australia's position in microfluidics research, thus contributing to all National Priority areas, particularly the National Priority area 3 through advancement in breakthrough science and frontier technologies. In addition to researchers from participating institutions, the Facility will be made available to other Australian researchers from non-participating organisations at minimum cost. The socio-economic potentials of the research carried out using the proposed facility are significant and include: R&D development, small scale high technology manufacture, exports, and improved methods of biochemical processing and medical diagnostics.Read moreRead less