Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits ....Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits for sludge drying, including high efficiency and low costs, and produces a non-offensive product with a high energy value suitable for (renewable) power generation.Read moreRead less
Advanced Particles and Systems for Photoinduced Processes. One of the most crucial challenges facing chemical scientists is the need for ecologically clean chemical processes and technology. Solar induced processes, such as photocatalysis, are adept at utilising more of our natural energy resources. However, these processes currently suffer from low efficiencies. The proposed research aims to address these issues. Successful implementation of this technology will help place Australian research a ....Advanced Particles and Systems for Photoinduced Processes. One of the most crucial challenges facing chemical scientists is the need for ecologically clean chemical processes and technology. Solar induced processes, such as photocatalysis, are adept at utilising more of our natural energy resources. However, these processes currently suffer from low efficiencies. The proposed research aims to address these issues. Successful implementation of this technology will help place Australian research at the forefront of sustainable methods for water treatment and material synthesis for functional applications. This will provide economic and social benefits due to improvements in processes with higher efficiencies and greater use of clean, natural resources.
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PREDICTING THE CLOGGING OF STORM WATER INFILTRATION SYSTEMS. Infiltration systems are widely used in sustainable management of stormwater in both urban and rural areas. They are also an integral part of large stormwater-harvesting facilities. However, they tend to fail due to clogging (infiltration medium gets filled by silt from runoff), and this phenomenon is far from being understood. The aim of this project is to develop a new prediction method of clogging of stormwater infiltration systems. ....PREDICTING THE CLOGGING OF STORM WATER INFILTRATION SYSTEMS. Infiltration systems are widely used in sustainable management of stormwater in both urban and rural areas. They are also an integral part of large stormwater-harvesting facilities. However, they tend to fail due to clogging (infiltration medium gets filled by silt from runoff), and this phenomenon is far from being understood. The aim of this project is to develop a new prediction method of clogging of stormwater infiltration systems. Extensive 1D and 2D laboratory experimental programmes will be carried out. Models of unit processes that occur in infiltration systems will be defined/developed and built into a physically based model of an infiltration system. This model could be used for reliable design of stormwater drainage and harvesting systems, bringing major benefits to the people of drier and more populated areas of Australia.Read moreRead less
Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated waste ....Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated wastewater from STPs, making the wastewater suitable as a water resource. The newly developed nano-fibre catalysts and photocatalytic technology in the teatm will be used and further developed in this novel process. The research will focus on the water quality objectives in terms of technical reliability, and economic and environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such ....Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such lakes and assess the possibility of using mining lakes as valued water resources in these regions. The primary outcome of the research will be improved management of the lakes for optimal long term water quality.Read moreRead less
Optimising permeable pavements with underlying reservoirs to enhance urban tree performance. This project will determine the optimal configuration of permeable pavements with underlying storage reservoirs and water delivery system to resolve the water security challenges that trees face in urban environments. This project will promote the healthy growth of urban trees and will lead to more liveable and healthier cities.
Removal of Potential Impact of Pharmaceutical Active Compounds during Wastewater Treatment. The increasing application of antimicrobial compounds in pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) requires improved understanding of their impact on the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a major removal process, however little is known about why certain PPCPs are removed during wastewater treatment and other are not. The project aims to study the fate of PPCPs and the spread of ....Removal of Potential Impact of Pharmaceutical Active Compounds during Wastewater Treatment. The increasing application of antimicrobial compounds in pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) requires improved understanding of their impact on the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a major removal process, however little is known about why certain PPCPs are removed during wastewater treatment and other are not. The project aims to study the fate of PPCPs and the spread of bacterial resistance in wastewater treatment. Studies will compare the effects of different treatment processes, operational conditions and environmental factors on the removal and treatment of PPCPs. The outcome will be the development of more sustainable WWTPs design and operation in terms of PPCPs removal.Read moreRead less
Production, Fate and Transport of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Waterways. Australian waterways are under severe pressure from both large variation in precipitation patterns and various sources of contamination. In particular, the management of algal blooms costs Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Through the use of a unique approach this project will provide the necessary information for a science based decision making strategies to eradicate, as much as possible, algal blooms and ....Production, Fate and Transport of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Waterways. Australian waterways are under severe pressure from both large variation in precipitation patterns and various sources of contamination. In particular, the management of algal blooms costs Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Through the use of a unique approach this project will provide the necessary information for a science based decision making strategies to eradicate, as much as possible, algal blooms and to reduce the risk of severe injuries to the public, livestock and the environment, resulting from contamination waterways by algal toxins. Read moreRead less
Packed bed reactor for continuous biodiesel production process. One of the few oppoutunities for significant substitution of liquid fossil fuels by renewable energy resources is through biodiesel. This project seeks to develop a continuous process for biodiesel production from beef tallow, including feed preparation, reaction and the separation processes of the product exiting the reator. A key reqirement is to develop a heterogeneous catalyst for the chemical conversion, enabling the use of a p ....Packed bed reactor for continuous biodiesel production process. One of the few oppoutunities for significant substitution of liquid fossil fuels by renewable energy resources is through biodiesel. This project seeks to develop a continuous process for biodiesel production from beef tallow, including feed preparation, reaction and the separation processes of the product exiting the reator. A key reqirement is to develop a heterogeneous catalyst for the chemical conversion, enabling the use of a packed bed reactor for the conversion step. The process offers the potential to use poor quality and wet feed materials with much higher efficency and product quality than existing processesRead moreRead less
Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project ....Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project is strongly supported by a consortium of industry partners including the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, Metricon Homes, Building Commission, Origin Energy, City West Water, Melbourne Water, Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria and Hassell Architects.
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