High performance conductive mesoporous carbon electrodes: a low energy desalination alternative. The high cost of existing desalination technology has limited its wider application. There is an urgent need for alternatives which require less energy than current methods. The proposed electrosorption process utilising porous carbon electrodes has the advantage of very low energy demand. Electrosorption therefore has the opportunity to become an alternative desalination option for application in a ....High performance conductive mesoporous carbon electrodes: a low energy desalination alternative. The high cost of existing desalination technology has limited its wider application. There is an urgent need for alternatives which require less energy than current methods. The proposed electrosorption process utilising porous carbon electrodes has the advantage of very low energy demand. Electrosorption therefore has the opportunity to become an alternative desalination option for application in a national and global water desalination market. Advancement in water desalination technology has the potential for a profound social, economical and environmental impact. This vital research is aligned with the National Research Priority 1, An Environmentally Sustainable Australia; Priority Goal: Water, A critical resource.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
New nanocomposites of porous materials and visible light sensitive TiO2 for efficient wastewater purification. The innovative newly proposed materials can trap and efficiently decompose dissolved organics in the same process, without generating any waste for disposal. No UV is required and the solar radiation can be efficiently used. The proposed research will be a significant breakthrough in the field of water treatment that reduces energy consumption, uses low cost materials and provides a rea ....New nanocomposites of porous materials and visible light sensitive TiO2 for efficient wastewater purification. The innovative newly proposed materials can trap and efficiently decompose dissolved organics in the same process, without generating any waste for disposal. No UV is required and the solar radiation can be efficiently used. The proposed research will be a significant breakthrough in the field of water treatment that reduces energy consumption, uses low cost materials and provides a real solution. The research findings will be useful to a wide spectrum of manufacturing industries which are currently generating slightly contaminated wastewater, and will be beneficial to the community in general. At the same time, the industries will be a step forward toward sustainable manufacturing.Read moreRead less
An integrated system for high-efficiency hydrogen assisted electricity generation from solar energy. Energy security and climate change have intensified the search for renewable energy technologies that will reduce the carbon footprint of our economies. This project will lead to a technology platform, enabling hydrogen production and electricity generation by a clean way, which is high potential in solar-abundance Australia. Its success will definitely benefit Australia both economically and env ....An integrated system for high-efficiency hydrogen assisted electricity generation from solar energy. Energy security and climate change have intensified the search for renewable energy technologies that will reduce the carbon footprint of our economies. This project will lead to a technology platform, enabling hydrogen production and electricity generation by a clean way, which is high potential in solar-abundance Australia. Its success will definitely benefit Australia both economically and environmentally. It will speed up the utilisation of solar energy and help Australia reduce greenhouse emissions. It would also lead to advanced technologies that can be commercialised and exported overseas, thus positioning Australia at the forefront of renewable energy development.Read moreRead less
Photodesorption Phenomena and Photoreactive Nanosorbent Materials for Water and Wastewater Purification. Introducing more efficient production of drinking water and wastewater treatment methods for reuse is important to address increasing water scarcity in Australia. The proposed project will develop a water purification technology to remove pollutants using a recently discovered process. This process offers simple and affordable operation that is clean, robust and requires minimal attention. Th ....Photodesorption Phenomena and Photoreactive Nanosorbent Materials for Water and Wastewater Purification. Introducing more efficient production of drinking water and wastewater treatment methods for reuse is important to address increasing water scarcity in Australia. The proposed project will develop a water purification technology to remove pollutants using a recently discovered process. This process offers simple and affordable operation that is clean, robust and requires minimal attention. The technology is particularly suitable for small-scale applications in rural and remote areas, and has significant export potential. The project will strengthen established links between Australian and Korean research centres through the production of improved nanomaterials, and the development of the novel water purification technologyRead moreRead less
Materials Engineering Solutions for Tomorrow's Water Resources. This proposal concerns the development of advanced technologies informed by knowledge management systems to ensure the continued provision of high-quality drinking water to Australian. This is particularly important as we see the impacts from climate change and extreme weather variability with catastrophic consequences such as recently seen in Victoria and in Queensland on water catchments and water quality and supply. The challenge ....Materials Engineering Solutions for Tomorrow's Water Resources. This proposal concerns the development of advanced technologies informed by knowledge management systems to ensure the continued provision of high-quality drinking water to Australian. This is particularly important as we see the impacts from climate change and extreme weather variability with catastrophic consequences such as recently seen in Victoria and in Queensland on water catchments and water quality and supply. The challenges of adequate water resourcing, both in quantity and quality, for Australians who wish to lead healthy and productive lives are serious and require collaboration between industry, government and research providers such as is proposed here. Read moreRead less
Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by th ....Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by the optimization of materials and device design. The outcome will open up a new platform for the green and sustainable charge for portable microelectronics, which will lead to an innovative technology for energy management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and textile industry.Read moreRead less
From organo-mineral nanocomposite to Australian basins; an integrated approach to unconventional gas exploration and development. Gas production from unconventional shale reservoirs is a potential major energy boom in Australia that will lower carbon emissions over comparable coal and oil use. The geological controls of shale are currently too poorly understood to direct effective exploration. This project will be the largest international effort to develop this knowledge.
New nanotechnology controlling wettability in unconventional gas reservoirs. This project aims to develop new nanoparticle technologies to change rock wettability and significantly increase gas production from shale and coal seam gas fields. The project plans to use a unique combination of new theoretical models for suspension transport in fractures and innovative mathematical modelling supported by laboratory studies and validated against field results, to test and develop the new strategies fo ....New nanotechnology controlling wettability in unconventional gas reservoirs. This project aims to develop new nanoparticle technologies to change rock wettability and significantly increase gas production from shale and coal seam gas fields. The project plans to use a unique combination of new theoretical models for suspension transport in fractures and innovative mathematical modelling supported by laboratory studies and validated against field results, to test and develop the new strategies for Australian gas fields. The project is expected to improve understanding of complex physical phenomena associated with natural gas production and to deliver economic benefit to the Australian gas industry.Read moreRead less
Development of planar patch-clamp electrophysiology to investigate liposome-based artificial nanosensor devices. This project aims to characterise the interaction of transport proteins with unsupported lipid bilayer membranes. This will provide the basis for a novel biosensor utilising mechanosensitive ion channels incorporated into an artificial lipid bilayer membrane. To support this outcome, the project will develop the planar patch-clamp electrophysiology recording techniques suitable for l ....Development of planar patch-clamp electrophysiology to investigate liposome-based artificial nanosensor devices. This project aims to characterise the interaction of transport proteins with unsupported lipid bilayer membranes. This will provide the basis for a novel biosensor utilising mechanosensitive ion channels incorporated into an artificial lipid bilayer membrane. To support this outcome, the project will develop the planar patch-clamp electrophysiology recording techniques suitable for liposomes. This provides a significant PhD training opportunity and brings an international focus to the development of planar patch-clamp electrophysiology in Australia. The project has significant commercial potential by developing both the planar patch-clamp electrophysiology techniques for liposomes and producing a novel biomimetic mechanosensitive biosensor.Read moreRead less