Catalytic Conversion of Waste Plastics to Hydrocarbon Fuels. This project aims to investigate the catalytic conversion of waste plastics to liquid fuels. Plastics comprise about 20% of municipal waste by volume, and are a major environmental concern as the present practice of disposal by landfilling has long-term hazard potential and is unsustainable. We propose to study the kinetics of the catalytic degradation of pure component plastics as well as their mixtures in a laboratory screw extrusi ....Catalytic Conversion of Waste Plastics to Hydrocarbon Fuels. This project aims to investigate the catalytic conversion of waste plastics to liquid fuels. Plastics comprise about 20% of municipal waste by volume, and are a major environmental concern as the present practice of disposal by landfilling has long-term hazard potential and is unsustainable. We propose to study the kinetics of the catalytic degradation of pure component plastics as well as their mixtures in a laboratory screw extrusion reactor, compare alternative catalysts, and develop process models to be used for scale up. The process and know-how developed will contribute to sustainable development, and provide an internationally competitive advantage to Australia.Read moreRead less
Dry Processing of Fine Coal Using the Reflux Classifier. New and efficient separation technologies are crucial for developing the concept of Dry Coal Processing. The benefits to the industry of Dry Processing are compelling, with savings in water consumption, and much larger savings in dewatering and transportation of the product. The Reflux Classifier is a new fluidized bed technology developed in Australia using the more conventional water fluidization approach. Already the technology is contr ....Dry Processing of Fine Coal Using the Reflux Classifier. New and efficient separation technologies are crucial for developing the concept of Dry Coal Processing. The benefits to the industry of Dry Processing are compelling, with savings in water consumption, and much larger savings in dewatering and transportation of the product. The Reflux Classifier is a new fluidized bed technology developed in Australia using the more conventional water fluidization approach. Already the technology is contributing to Australian exports in the rapidly growing area of mining services. The purpose of this project is to establish its potential for use in the Dry Processing of fine coal. Other benefits of the study include the education and training of researchers in this field.Read moreRead less
Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will incr ....Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will increase yields from arable land, reduce water requirements and fertiliser applications, fortifying foods for better nutrition leading to improved human health and wellbeing. It leverages and applies recent significant advances in surface science and nanotechnology to gain improved outcomes in agriculture.Read moreRead less
Discrete Element Method for Analysis and Design of Pharmaceutical Encapsulation. Tablets represent the preferred method of dose delivery in the pharmaceutical industry, with over 80% of the market. PressFit - gelcaps have recently been developed, which encase a tablet core within a gelatin coating. The product combines the consumer appeal of capsules with the processing convenience of tablets, and provides a high degree of tamper-resistance. An important issue is that the caplets are required ....Discrete Element Method for Analysis and Design of Pharmaceutical Encapsulation. Tablets represent the preferred method of dose delivery in the pharmaceutical industry, with over 80% of the market. PressFit - gelcaps have recently been developed, which encase a tablet core within a gelatin coating. The product combines the consumer appeal of capsules with the processing convenience of tablets, and provides a high degree of tamper-resistance. An important issue is that the caplets are required to have very precise dimensional precision, an issue not previously of high priority for tabletting . This project seeks to enhance the competitive advantage of this new technology, through a combination of advanced mathematical modeling supported by experiments.Read moreRead less
Scale-up and Intelligent Control of Granulation Processes. Granulation is the process that forms granular products with carefully targeted properties from powdery or liquid feeds. Granular products abound in the pharmaceutical, agricultural & industrial chemicals, and food & consumer goods industries. Poor understanding of the granulation causes delays in the time to market of new products and poor efficiency in large scale continuous granulation plants. This project will build on recent adva ....Scale-up and Intelligent Control of Granulation Processes. Granulation is the process that forms granular products with carefully targeted properties from powdery or liquid feeds. Granular products abound in the pharmaceutical, agricultural & industrial chemicals, and food & consumer goods industries. Poor understanding of the granulation causes delays in the time to market of new products and poor efficiency in large scale continuous granulation plants. This project will build on recent advances in the understanding of granulation fundamentals to (1) develop new robust design and scale up rules (2) develop intelligent control schemes for continuous granulation circuits, and (3) develop a new generation of regime separated granulators. The project is receiving substantial support from 3 industry partners (MSD Australia, Incitec and WMC Fertilizers) with cash contributions over 40% of the ARC grant requested, as well as very substantial in-kind contributions.Read moreRead less
Particle design and recovery of bioactives by crystallisation and precipitation. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions of biomaterials eg. separation of biopharmaceuticals from genetically engineered cell culture, food ingredient processing, functional food and nutraceutical extraction from natural sources. Crystallisation and precipitation will be used as primary separation techniques. We propose a new paradigm in which ....Particle design and recovery of bioactives by crystallisation and precipitation. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions of biomaterials eg. separation of biopharmaceuticals from genetically engineered cell culture, food ingredient processing, functional food and nutraceutical extraction from natural sources. Crystallisation and precipitation will be used as primary separation techniques. We propose a new paradigm in which molecular studies of protein interactions will be used to predict good crystallisation conditions and linked to process crystalliation studies. Studies will use a model system of egg white protein mixtures and a real system of industrial importance - the purification of valuable protein products from soy beans (valued at $500 million per year world wide). Soy beans studies will include pilot scale tests at Dupont's industrial reseach laboratories.Read moreRead less
Skid mounted process for on-demand acetylene production. Skid mounted process for on-demand acetylene production. This project aims to develop a new, cheaper, safer and easier process for providing acetylene for the metal fabrication and construction industries. Mains gas (methane) will be converted into acetylene, on-site and on-demand, using a highly compact, transportable skid-based gas generator that is self-operating with a single touch ON-OFF system. This should remove the need to deliver ....Skid mounted process for on-demand acetylene production. Skid mounted process for on-demand acetylene production. This project aims to develop a new, cheaper, safer and easier process for providing acetylene for the metal fabrication and construction industries. Mains gas (methane) will be converted into acetylene, on-site and on-demand, using a highly compact, transportable skid-based gas generator that is self-operating with a single touch ON-OFF system. This should remove the need to deliver bottled acetylene to metal fabrication works, eliminating road transport and storage risks. There is a high potential for export of the plants to countries like China and India that use a calcium carbide-based process as a distributed acetylene source.Read moreRead less
Application of Water Based Fractionation in the Assessment of Metallurgical Coal. The metallurgical coal market (13% of coal market) is highly specialized, and competitive. The coal, which is utilized as a reducing agent in iron making, represents more than 52% of Australian coal exports. This study addresses growing evidence that organic liquids used to fractionate and in turn assess metallurgical coals lead to negative assessments, hence loss of markets, and lost opportunities. A new water bas ....Application of Water Based Fractionation in the Assessment of Metallurgical Coal. The metallurgical coal market (13% of coal market) is highly specialized, and competitive. The coal, which is utilized as a reducing agent in iron making, represents more than 52% of Australian coal exports. This study addresses growing evidence that organic liquids used to fractionate and in turn assess metallurgical coals lead to negative assessments, hence loss of markets, and lost opportunities. A new water based fractionation method will be established, and a systematic investigation into the effects of the organic liquids will be undertaken. These results will be used to build a case for replacing the organic liquids used in the industry, which are known to have negative health and environmental impacts. Read moreRead less
Volatile Organic Compound removal from indoor air environments by an integrated photocatalytic/filtration system. This project promotes the development of technology for providing improved air quality in indoor environments. Mentoring by internationally renowned experts of young Australian researchers on this issue of high importance will be undertaken by the Chief and Partner Investigators. Success from this project will place Australia as a leader in the global community for developing technol ....Volatile Organic Compound removal from indoor air environments by an integrated photocatalytic/filtration system. This project promotes the development of technology for providing improved air quality in indoor environments. Mentoring by internationally renowned experts of young Australian researchers on this issue of high importance will be undertaken by the Chief and Partner Investigators. Success from this project will place Australia as a leader in the global community for developing technology in air pollution quality control.Read moreRead less
Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and ch ....Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and chemical interactions that occur between the particle and the oil-water interface, and develop a more efficient explosive that can be produced continuously on a commercial scale.Read moreRead less