Smart passive sampling of heavy metals in aquatic systems. Smart passive sampling of heavy metals in aquatic systems. This project aims to construct smart devices with extracting polymeric membranes for advanced passive sampling of heavy metal ions. These devices should improve the passive sampling of pollutants such as heavy metals by overcoming the effect of the variability of water temperature, composition and velocity during sampling, which substantially reduces the reliability of analytical ....Smart passive sampling of heavy metals in aquatic systems. Smart passive sampling of heavy metals in aquatic systems. This project aims to construct smart devices with extracting polymeric membranes for advanced passive sampling of heavy metal ions. These devices should improve the passive sampling of pollutants such as heavy metals by overcoming the effect of the variability of water temperature, composition and velocity during sampling, which substantially reduces the reliability of analytical data. These devices are expected to reliably identify sources of heavy metal pollution in urban municipal wastewaters and stormwaters without the need for labour intensive monitoring operations, thus saving considerable time and expense to the Australian water industry.Read moreRead less
Combating the spread of antibiotic resistance in urban water systems. This projects aims to investigate the occurrence, diversity, and transformation of antibiotic resistant genes in the entire urban water cycle. Using the latest metagenomic and analytical tools, this project will enhance our knowledge on fate and transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes in the urban water cycle. Based on this understanding, an expected outcome of the project is the development of innovative technologi ....Combating the spread of antibiotic resistance in urban water systems. This projects aims to investigate the occurrence, diversity, and transformation of antibiotic resistant genes in the entire urban water cycle. Using the latest metagenomic and analytical tools, this project will enhance our knowledge on fate and transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes in the urban water cycle. Based on this understanding, an expected outcome of the project is the development of innovative technologies for efficient reduction of antibiotic resistance genes to have future applications for environmental, human health and economic benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Integration of Life Cycle Analysis, EnternE, and Economic Models to Sustainable Regional Development. This project involves the development of a novel decision-making framework to support the transition to sustainability within regions. The approach is based on integrating the methodologies of Life Cycle Analysis, externality costing and traditional economic analysis to assess the tradeoffs between economic, environmental and social outcomes. The integration of these techniques will allow the re ....Integration of Life Cycle Analysis, EnternE, and Economic Models to Sustainable Regional Development. This project involves the development of a novel decision-making framework to support the transition to sustainability within regions. The approach is based on integrating the methodologies of Life Cycle Analysis, externality costing and traditional economic analysis to assess the tradeoffs between economic, environmental and social outcomes. The integration of these techniques will allow the relative magnitude of positive and negative impacts of development decisions to be reported as an economic unit. This will allow the tradeoffs that occur between economic, environmental and social considerations to be quantified and the sustainability of a development or planning scenario to be assessed.Read moreRead less
Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal. Direct anaerobic treatment of wastewater converts majority of organic matters in wastewater to methane, an energy source. However, up to 50% of the methane produced stays dissolved in wastewater. Its subsequent stripping to atmosphere in aerobic treatment not only causes significant loss of energy but also emission of a potent greenhouse gas. This project aims to develop a technology that not only avoids methane stripping but also enables its ....Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal. Direct anaerobic treatment of wastewater converts majority of organic matters in wastewater to methane, an energy source. However, up to 50% of the methane produced stays dissolved in wastewater. Its subsequent stripping to atmosphere in aerobic treatment not only causes significant loss of energy but also emission of a potent greenhouse gas. This project aims to develop a technology that not only avoids methane stripping but also enables its beneficial use to enhance nitrogen removal, which is otherwise typically unsatisfactory due to the lack of organic carbon to support denitrification. The project will provide strong support to the Australian water industry in their endeavour to achieve energy- and carbon-neutral wastewater services.Read moreRead less
Optimising nanofiltration and reverse osmosis filtration processes for water recycling: effects of fouling and chemical cleaning on trace contaminant removal. In Australia, water recycling is considered a principal measure to manage the current ongoing water shortage and to better protect the environment. Membrane filtration processes play important roles in the treatment of reclaimed municipal wastewater. However, there is very limited knowledge regarding the reliability of such processes in re ....Optimising nanofiltration and reverse osmosis filtration processes for water recycling: effects of fouling and chemical cleaning on trace contaminant removal. In Australia, water recycling is considered a principal measure to manage the current ongoing water shortage and to better protect the environment. Membrane filtration processes play important roles in the treatment of reclaimed municipal wastewater. However, there is very limited knowledge regarding the reliability of such processes in removing trace contaminants from recycled water, which may result in unintended health consequences. This research will lead to a comprehensive understanding of the removal process of such contaminants by membrane filtration. Consequently, the likely avenue of risk can be eliminated and the treatment process can be optimised to achieve economic savings and environmental protection.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
Overcoming microplastics induced inhibition on waste-to-energy conversion . This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to achieve stable and efficient mitigation of emerging microplastics induced inhibition that is becoming a key barrier hindering waste-to-energy conversion in anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a low-cost technology widely used to divert sewage sludge to renewable energy production. However, the increasing levels of microplastics ....Overcoming microplastics induced inhibition on waste-to-energy conversion . This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to achieve stable and efficient mitigation of emerging microplastics induced inhibition that is becoming a key barrier hindering waste-to-energy conversion in anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a low-cost technology widely used to divert sewage sludge to renewable energy production. However, the increasing levels of microplastics captured in sludge leads to low methane yield and process failure due to their small size and specific characteristics. The outcome of the project will remove the emerging barrier to enhance energy recovery that can be applied in existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure for addressing Australia’s increasing energy demand.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,500.00
Summary
Conversion of biowastes to porous carbon materials for green catalysis. This project aims to develop a family of biowaste-derived porous carbon and single-atom-anchored porous carbon catalysts for the degradation of emerging microcontaminants in water. Innovations are expected in systematically developing affordable, facile, productive, and sustainable approaches. Via reaction-oriented structure design, new concept will be defined at the atomic level using calculations and in situ characterisati ....Conversion of biowastes to porous carbon materials for green catalysis. This project aims to develop a family of biowaste-derived porous carbon and single-atom-anchored porous carbon catalysts for the degradation of emerging microcontaminants in water. Innovations are expected in systematically developing affordable, facile, productive, and sustainable approaches. Via reaction-oriented structure design, new concept will be defined at the atomic level using calculations and in situ characterisations in material engineering and advanced purification technology. The anticipated outcomes will provide fundamental knowledge in green nanotechnologies for water remediation. Success will secure a sustainable future for Australia with clean water and strategies for advanced manufacturing in relevant areas.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100530
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,350.00
Summary
Directly Transforming Sewage Sludge into High-value Liquid Bioenergy. This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to gain renewable liquid bioenergy from sewage sludge and realise sludge reduction on an economical and safe platform, by directly transforming sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids, allowing for easy collection, storage and transportation. Wastewater treatment is generating an increasing quantity of carbon-rich sewage sludge, w ....Directly Transforming Sewage Sludge into High-value Liquid Bioenergy. This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to gain renewable liquid bioenergy from sewage sludge and realise sludge reduction on an economical and safe platform, by directly transforming sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids, allowing for easy collection, storage and transportation. Wastewater treatment is generating an increasing quantity of carbon-rich sewage sludge, which typically represents a substantial, but largely untapped, renewable resource. The intended outcome of the project will transform sewage sludge from a troublesome waste stream to a valuable resource that can be applied in existing sludge treatment infrastructure for addressing Australia’s increasing energy demand.Read moreRead less