Synthetic phenazines for enhanced biogas production from renewable and non-renewable resources. Methane (biogas) has a large role to play in meeting the energy needs of the human race globally whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Microbial communities are responsible for biogas production from non-renewable (coal) and renewable (food waste) resources. This project seeks to: increase biogas yields by redirecting electron flow towards biogas producing microbes using electrochemically active p ....Synthetic phenazines for enhanced biogas production from renewable and non-renewable resources. Methane (biogas) has a large role to play in meeting the energy needs of the human race globally whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Microbial communities are responsible for biogas production from non-renewable (coal) and renewable (food waste) resources. This project seeks to: increase biogas yields by redirecting electron flow towards biogas producing microbes using electrochemically active phenazines; understand the molecular mechanism by which phenazines increase biogas yields; and, assess the environmental consequence of phenazine application to coal seam gas production and anaerobic digestion of food waste. Phenazines are likely to emerge as a safe and cost-effective technology for improved biogas generation.Read moreRead less
Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The pr ....Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The project will provide fundamental advances in our knowledge of the nutrient transport during pregnancy that is required to produce a healthy baby.Read moreRead less