Economic Operability Assessment of Leaching Process at Kwinana Nickel Refinery. Process operability is concerned with systematic analysis and improvement of process performance in the face of variable operating conditions. This project will develop a rigorous methodology for analysis of process operability with respect to short-term and transient disturbances. The proposed technique will be applied to the Kwinana Nickel Refinery Leach section, in order to reduce the plant variability and increas ....Economic Operability Assessment of Leaching Process at Kwinana Nickel Refinery. Process operability is concerned with systematic analysis and improvement of process performance in the face of variable operating conditions. This project will develop a rigorous methodology for analysis of process operability with respect to short-term and transient disturbances. The proposed technique will be applied to the Kwinana Nickel Refinery Leach section, in order to reduce the plant variability and increase nickel throughput and plant availability. This can be considered as significant move by a process industry to embrace advanced theoretical developments and will act as a benchmark to promote future links between Australian industry and academia.Read moreRead less
Template-free Control of Titania Precipitation from Homogeneous Aqueous Solution. Used in the paint, plastic, ceramic, paper and synthetic fibre industries and having strategic nano-technological applications, titania is an important commodity for Australia, earning about $1.3 billion p.a. in exports. Better production methods through improved understanding of titania precipitation chemistry will help to increase our industrial productivity and minimise energy consumption. It may also lead to us ....Template-free Control of Titania Precipitation from Homogeneous Aqueous Solution. Used in the paint, plastic, ceramic, paper and synthetic fibre industries and having strategic nano-technological applications, titania is an important commodity for Australia, earning about $1.3 billion p.a. in exports. Better production methods through improved understanding of titania precipitation chemistry will help to increase our industrial productivity and minimise energy consumption. It may also lead to useful new processes and/or materials with catalytic properties. In an increasingly competitive global market, this is most relevant to Australian titania exporters and to Australian renewable energy programs (particularly for generating photovoltaic power). Read moreRead less
Structural and Biological Chemistry of Marine Natural Products. Australia's unique marine biodiversity provides a source of novel biologically active compounds with potential for development as pharmaceuticals. This program seeks to explore the structural and biological chemistry of novel marine compounds from marine invertebrates and to evaluate their potential benefit is training of scientists in organic and biological chemistry and advancement of drug-discovery from Australian biodiversity.
Simulation of ligand binding-induced conformational changes in biological systems. This project is focused on the development of a methodology that will allow using molecular dynamics simulations to study fundamental biochemical reactions. The benefits to the Australian community are two fold: i) the software developed will be made available to the whole scientific community through peer-reviewed publication. Australian researchers will have the possibility to exploit the software in advance thr ....Simulation of ligand binding-induced conformational changes in biological systems. This project is focused on the development of a methodology that will allow using molecular dynamics simulations to study fundamental biochemical reactions. The benefits to the Australian community are two fold: i) the software developed will be made available to the whole scientific community through peer-reviewed publication. Australian researchers will have the possibility to exploit the software in advance through collaborations with our research group. ii) During this collaboration Australian PhD students will have the opportunity to spend a few months overseas to learn about the most advanced computational techniques and interact with top researchers in the computational chemistry field.Read moreRead less
Computer simulation of DNA biochips. The DNA biochip technology has been a major breakthrough in cell biology and clinical analysis. Companies in Australia and in the rest of the world are now developing biochips for genome sequencing and point-of-care diagnosis. DNA biochips have the potential to provide simple, fast and accurate clinical analysis, thus enhancing the efficiency of medical treatments and reducing the costs of health care.
The structural properties of the immobilized DNA are cri ....Computer simulation of DNA biochips. The DNA biochip technology has been a major breakthrough in cell biology and clinical analysis. Companies in Australia and in the rest of the world are now developing biochips for genome sequencing and point-of-care diagnosis. DNA biochips have the potential to provide simple, fast and accurate clinical analysis, thus enhancing the efficiency of medical treatments and reducing the costs of health care.
The structural properties of the immobilized DNA are critical for determining the DNA chip sensitivity and efficiency. A fundamental understanding of the molecular interactions at the surface of a biochip is therefore not only relevant for the scientific community, but can have direct implications for the design of improved DNA chips.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100236
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Facilities for spectroscopy and diffraction at high pressures. The provision of infrastructure for the study of novel materials under high pressures will enhance Australia's capability in creating new materials and in creating new devices that meet needs in communication, environment and medicine applications. The new facility will enable researchers to understand the response of structures to extreme pressures and will exploit the unique capabilities of the synchrotron light.
Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in disease. Defects in mitochondria, the energy producing compartments within cells, lead to severe neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the development of cancer. Treatment for such diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA remains unsatisfactory and mostly confined to supportive measures. The identification of proteins that regulate gene expression within mitochondria provides an unexplored resource of potential disease modulators and drug ta ....Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in disease. Defects in mitochondria, the energy producing compartments within cells, lead to severe neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the development of cancer. Treatment for such diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA remains unsatisfactory and mostly confined to supportive measures. The identification of proteins that regulate gene expression within mitochondria provides an unexplored resource of potential disease modulators and drug targets. This research will lead to new strategies in the design of improved anticancer drugs, which is an important Australian research priority that will promote and maintain good health, and provide potential commercial outcomes.Read moreRead less
Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor bindin ....Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor binding. Outcomes will impact on several of the nation's articulated research priorities and, through involvement of postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students in an international collaboration of this nature, the project contributes directly to producing graduates and researchers familiar with state-of-the-art experimental facilities, both within Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Voids in molecular crystals: Novel computational approaches to their characterization, physicochemical nature, and influence on bulk properties. Key to the research objectives is further development of our own innovative software and techniques, now used by hundreds of researchers worldwide for the visualization and exploration of the structure and properties of molecular crystals. Through involvement of postdoctoral fellows and PhD students in an international collaborative research program inv ....Voids in molecular crystals: Novel computational approaches to their characterization, physicochemical nature, and influence on bulk properties. Key to the research objectives is further development of our own innovative software and techniques, now used by hundreds of researchers worldwide for the visualization and exploration of the structure and properties of molecular crystals. Through involvement of postdoctoral fellows and PhD students in an international collaborative research program involving a synergy between software development and visualization, and sophisticated modelling of the detailed nature of molecular crystals, the project contributes directly to producing researchers familiar with state-of-the-art theoretical and computational techniques, and well equipped to match the needs of one of the nation's articulated research priorities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989374
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
South Australian High-Resolution and Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometry Facility. The analytical facility will enhance (i) fundamental research to understand the mechanisms of the reactions of charged species with neutral molecules, and (ii) the provision of structural information, including the precise atomic composition of any molecule, small or large. Research supported by this facility includes (a)nanotechnology, including supramolecular chemistry, (b) bioscience: cancer research, neurodegenera ....South Australian High-Resolution and Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometry Facility. The analytical facility will enhance (i) fundamental research to understand the mechanisms of the reactions of charged species with neutral molecules, and (ii) the provision of structural information, including the precise atomic composition of any molecule, small or large. Research supported by this facility includes (a)nanotechnology, including supramolecular chemistry, (b) bioscience: cancer research, neurodegenerate diseases (e.g. Parkinson's disease) osteoarthritis, inflammation, cardiac diseases and synthetic approaches to anticancer and other drugs.Read moreRead less