Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100023
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$940,000.00
Summary
Thermal decomposition of PFAS. This project aims to investigate the thermal decomposition of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS). The project will focus on the catalytic destruction of PFAS reactions at elevated temperatures, which is expected to transform PFAS in a controlled and predictable way into benign products. By understanding the fate of these compounds during thermal decomposition, the project will allow the development of a new technology aimed at treating materials which have ....Thermal decomposition of PFAS. This project aims to investigate the thermal decomposition of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS). The project will focus on the catalytic destruction of PFAS reactions at elevated temperatures, which is expected to transform PFAS in a controlled and predictable way into benign products. By understanding the fate of these compounds during thermal decomposition, the project will allow the development of a new technology aimed at treating materials which have been contaminated with or have been used as absorbants for PFAS. The project will provide the technical underpinning of a new technology developed to treat fluorochemical-contaminated material and, in doing so, reduce the environmental impact of these contaminants.Read moreRead less
Biochar as a renewable catalyst for hot gas cleaning. This project aims to generate new knowledge for the development of a novel hot gas cleaning technology. This project expects to understand the mechanisms of tar reforming using biochar as a renewable catalyst, which can avoid the problems associated with the catalyst deactivation and catalyst disposal if conventional supported catalysts are used. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretical framework and a kinetic model describing ....Biochar as a renewable catalyst for hot gas cleaning. This project aims to generate new knowledge for the development of a novel hot gas cleaning technology. This project expects to understand the mechanisms of tar reforming using biochar as a renewable catalyst, which can avoid the problems associated with the catalyst deactivation and catalyst disposal if conventional supported catalysts are used. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretical framework and a kinetic model describing the catalytic reforming of tar as part of the hot gas cleaning during the conversion of biomass. The technology will contribute to Australia’s improved energy security and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the carbon-constrained future.Read moreRead less
Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based ....Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based waste (including food, garden, paper, and wood) and fossil-fuel derived materials (plastics). Using an innovative and environmentally-sustainable catalytic process, the outcomes of this project are aimed alleviating Australia’s dependence on diesel fuel imports and better waste management solutions in Australia.Read moreRead less
Scale-up of catalytic furandicarboxylic acid production at room temperature. This project will use new knowledge acquired from our laboratory-scale discoveries to develop a new process feasible for industrial-scale production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The method makes FDCA, a platform chemical for future chemical industry, from a completely renewable source derived from plant sugars, 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural. This is an essential process for production of biodegradable plastic from s ....Scale-up of catalytic furandicarboxylic acid production at room temperature. This project will use new knowledge acquired from our laboratory-scale discoveries to develop a new process feasible for industrial-scale production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The method makes FDCA, a platform chemical for future chemical industry, from a completely renewable source derived from plant sugars, 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural. This is an essential process for production of biodegradable plastic from sugar that has not been commercialised. This technology will realise sizeable industrial-scale production of FDCA at low costs and without heating. The production development of this valuable commodity from renewable plant sugars will provide high-quality postgraduate training in future green chemical production methods.Read moreRead less
Integrated composite electrodes for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia. This project aims to develop multifunctional composite electrodes for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from water, nitrogen gas and renewable energy under ambient conditions. Hydrophobic subnanometre water channels will be integrated with an electrocatalyst to control supply of water as vapour, thereby effectively minimising hydrogen evolution reaction and enabling high-efficiency ammonia synthesis. Expected outcomes i ....Integrated composite electrodes for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia. This project aims to develop multifunctional composite electrodes for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from water, nitrogen gas and renewable energy under ambient conditions. Hydrophobic subnanometre water channels will be integrated with an electrocatalyst to control supply of water as vapour, thereby effectively minimising hydrogen evolution reaction and enabling high-efficiency ammonia synthesis. Expected outcomes include enhanced capacity in developing electrochemical reaction systems, and new fundamental knowledge of electrocatalyst design and reaction engineering. This should provide significant economic and environmental benefits by developing a sustainable manufacturing technology to transform the century-old ammonia industry.Read moreRead less
Catalytic Degardation of Emerging Microplastic Pollutants. This project aims to develop robust and low-cost nanocarbon hybrids and advanced remediation technology to address globally emerging microplastic contaminations. The project expects to boost innovations in development of novel magnetic nanomaterials, process of microplastic purification, and green catalysis. Expected outcomes of this project will include efficient strategies in materials fabrication and a cutting-edge nanotechnology. The ....Catalytic Degardation of Emerging Microplastic Pollutants. This project aims to develop robust and low-cost nanocarbon hybrids and advanced remediation technology to address globally emerging microplastic contaminations. The project expects to boost innovations in development of novel magnetic nanomaterials, process of microplastic purification, and green catalysis. Expected outcomes of this project will include efficient strategies in materials fabrication and a cutting-edge nanotechnology. The success of the project will underpin the scientific bases of carbocatalysis, provide significant benefits to the Australian industry and society for a sustainable future with clean water, and increase the leading capacity of Australia in fundamental research and frontier technology.Read moreRead less
3-D Printed Catalytic Monoliths for Energy Efficient Carbon Conversion. Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) is an essential pathway for reducing carbon in the Earth's atmosphere. However a major hurdle in the carbon utilisation part is that the conversion technologies often rely on energy derived from fossil sources. Electrification of carbon conversion processes can overcome this hurdle by providing this energy via renewables. This project aims to develop an electrically powered energy efficie ....3-D Printed Catalytic Monoliths for Energy Efficient Carbon Conversion. Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) is an essential pathway for reducing carbon in the Earth's atmosphere. However a major hurdle in the carbon utilisation part is that the conversion technologies often rely on energy derived from fossil sources. Electrification of carbon conversion processes can overcome this hurdle by providing this energy via renewables. This project aims to develop an electrically powered energy efficient catalytic process for carbon conversion. A modular 3-D printed monolithic catalytic reactor prototype powered by induction or resistive heating will be developed to minimise energy loss in the carbon conversion process. An expected outcome of this project is translation of this prototype in a CCU pilot scale facility.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100253
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,948.00
Summary
Functional carbon hybrids for green catalysis and clean water. This project aims to develop a family of structure-tailored, robust and metal-free carbon hybrids and environmental-benign processes for catalytic degradation of emerging microcontaminants in water. Innovations are expected in the design of reaction-oriented nanocarbons, new concept in atomic level carbocatalysis from computation and in-situ characterisation, advanced purification technology, and breakthroughs in material engineering ....Functional carbon hybrids for green catalysis and clean water. This project aims to develop a family of structure-tailored, robust and metal-free carbon hybrids and environmental-benign processes for catalytic degradation of emerging microcontaminants in water. Innovations are expected in the design of reaction-oriented nanocarbons, new concept in atomic level carbocatalysis from computation and in-situ characterisation, advanced purification technology, and breakthroughs in material engineering. The anticipated outcomes will be the scientific basis for functional nanomaterials, nanotechnology, and green remediation technologies. Success will provide significant benefits in securing a sustainable future for Australia, with clean water and strategies for advanced manufacturing in related areas. Read moreRead less
Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to acce ....Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to accelerate the naturally sluggish nitrogen reduction reaction, NRR, significantly improving the reaction rate and selectivity. The project will also gain atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of NRR, based on in-situ spectroscopies used under operando conditions, e.g., Raman or X-ray absorption.Read moreRead less
Plasma-catalytic bubbles for sustainable ammonia. Ammonia is one of the world’s most important chemicals directly sustaining over 50% of our food supply. But the current means of its production is highly eco-destructive and responsible for over 1% of global CO2 emissions, a similar value to global air travel. This project aims to produce ammonia from renewable sources of water, electricity and air, which can provide farmers with a zero-carbon fertilizer under a decentralized and even farm-level ....Plasma-catalytic bubbles for sustainable ammonia. Ammonia is one of the world’s most important chemicals directly sustaining over 50% of our food supply. But the current means of its production is highly eco-destructive and responsible for over 1% of global CO2 emissions, a similar value to global air travel. This project aims to produce ammonia from renewable sources of water, electricity and air, which can provide farmers with a zero-carbon fertilizer under a decentralized and even farm-level approach. Moreover, if driven by renewables, ammonia offers an effective means of exporting hydrogen from Australia. Hydrogen has been highlighted by the federal government as a priority technology in its Technology Investment Roadmap with ammonia seen as the best approach for its exportation. Read moreRead less