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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100445
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Engineering triple-phase boundary for superior aqueous metal-air batteries. This project aims to advance development of high-performance rechargeable aqueous zinc-air (Zn-air) batteries by engineering the triple-phase boundary to increase battery efficiency and power density for practical applications. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and efficient energy storage and conversion systems to underpin technological development with increasing demand for superior battery technologies fo ....Engineering triple-phase boundary for superior aqueous metal-air batteries. This project aims to advance development of high-performance rechargeable aqueous zinc-air (Zn-air) batteries by engineering the triple-phase boundary to increase battery efficiency and power density for practical applications. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and efficient energy storage and conversion systems to underpin technological development with increasing demand for superior battery technologies for portable electronics, renewable power sources and electrified vehicles. This project expects to accelerate the commercialisation of rechargeable aqueous Zn-air batteries and progress global commitments to new clean energy sources and storage technologies that are efficient, cost-effective and reliable.Read moreRead less
Optimisation and Control of Bagasse Handling System in a Sugar Mill. Bagasse, the fibre residue from sugar cane, is used as fuel in suspension fired boilers for energy production for the sugar milling process. The use of bagasse as a fuel is currently gaining more prominence as the sugar industry looks to co-generation joint ventures with traditional electricity supply and generation authorities. This project is aimed at applying optimisation and control techniques to bagasse handling system in ....Optimisation and Control of Bagasse Handling System in a Sugar Mill. Bagasse, the fibre residue from sugar cane, is used as fuel in suspension fired boilers for energy production for the sugar milling process. The use of bagasse as a fuel is currently gaining more prominence as the sugar industry looks to co-generation joint ventures with traditional electricity supply and generation authorities. This project is aimed at applying optimisation and control techniques to bagasse handling system in a CSR sugar mill so that the fibre residue from sugar cane can be used to gain maximum efficiency in generating energy supplies in the sugar mill. If the project succeeds, other sugar mills from CSR would implement the advanced control system.Read moreRead less
Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce ....Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce water treatment costs in Australia. This is made possible by the collaboration with Australia's largest manufacturer of water treatment membranes. The outcomes will lead towards a lower maintenance water treatment technology available to communities, at lower cost. The application of such a technology will span from local small scale to major installations worldwide.Read moreRead less
Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. Thi ....Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. This information will be input to comminution and wear models to predict pulveriser performance and wear patterns. Simulation results will be validated using measurements from scale visualisation and working models.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
Novel conversion process for carbon dioxide to chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel sorption enhanced material and system to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol. Climate change is one of the primary long-term problems confronting humankind today. Since the production of CO2 through burning fossil fuel is far greater than the current usage of CO2, there is currently little alternative to storage. As a result, there is concerted effort globally to develop alternate use ....Novel conversion process for carbon dioxide to chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel sorption enhanced material and system to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol. Climate change is one of the primary long-term problems confronting humankind today. Since the production of CO2 through burning fossil fuel is far greater than the current usage of CO2, there is currently little alternative to storage. As a result, there is concerted effort globally to develop alternate uses and conversion technologies for CO2. This project will help further this goal.Read moreRead less
Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of g ....Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of generating air bubbles, to gain fundamental understanding of the foaming mechanism in currently used gassing techniques, and to invent ways to stabilise large bubbles within the emulsion. The project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of a new range of emulsion explosives manufactured by Orica for Australian and international markets, maintaining the Orica's position as a leader in the field of emulsion explosives.Read moreRead less
Production of a compact disk summarising the evolution and impact of Boger fluids. In 1977 the discovery of a unique class of materials, now called Boger fluids, was reported in the Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics. These materials have had a huge impact in the development of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, to the extent that the Institute of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics in the UK have offered to make a cd documenting the impact of these materials. Funding is requested to support, in p ....Production of a compact disk summarising the evolution and impact of Boger fluids. In 1977 the discovery of a unique class of materials, now called Boger fluids, was reported in the Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics. These materials have had a huge impact in the development of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, to the extent that the Institute of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics in the UK have offered to make a cd documenting the impact of these materials. Funding is requested to support, in part, the documentation of this important discovery.Read moreRead less
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