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
Using solar photocatalytic oxidation processes to treat organic pollutants in wastewater. The proposal is to use physical-chemical and solar engineering approaches to increase the efficiency of solar photons in the photocatalytic oxidation process applied to the detoxification of organic pollutants in wastewater. New photocatalyists and the effects of photocatalysts's superficial characteristics on the treatment perfomance will be studied. A specific structure for a solar collector for the proce ....Using solar photocatalytic oxidation processes to treat organic pollutants in wastewater. The proposal is to use physical-chemical and solar engineering approaches to increase the efficiency of solar photons in the photocatalytic oxidation process applied to the detoxification of organic pollutants in wastewater. New photocatalyists and the effects of photocatalysts's superficial characteristics on the treatment perfomance will be studied. A specific structure for a solar collector for the process will be developed. A more efficient way to use solar photons in the process and a better conceptual design of solar collector will be two main outcomes expected from the project.Read moreRead less
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
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
SYNTHESIS OF A NANO-STRUCTURED TITANIA SURFACE AND ITS APPLICATION IN PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION FOR WATER TREATMENT. Australia is facing severe freshwater crisis. Although there is an increasing public awareness of saving and using water efficiently, re-using water/wastewater has been neglected. In Australia, 97% of city runoff and 86% of effluent water is unproductive. How to recycle and re-use them becomes an urgent issue. This project attempts to develop novel titania based photocatalysts to c ....SYNTHESIS OF A NANO-STRUCTURED TITANIA SURFACE AND ITS APPLICATION IN PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION FOR WATER TREATMENT. Australia is facing severe freshwater crisis. Although there is an increasing public awareness of saving and using water efficiently, re-using water/wastewater has been neglected. In Australia, 97% of city runoff and 86% of effluent water is unproductive. How to recycle and re-use them becomes an urgent issue. This project attempts to develop novel titania based photocatalysts to convert organic contaminated water into reusable/potable freshwater. The project's innovation lies in the synthesis of highly reactive nano-structured titania surfaces in fixed form to solve downstream separation problem. Successful development of such photocatalysts will show significant environmental and socio-economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102967
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Interaction between silver ions, silver nanoparticles and reactive oxygen species: implication to toxicity. The project investigates the ability of various different (supported and stabilised) types of nanosized silver particles (SNPs) to oxidatively degrade selected contaminants and or kill microorganism. The project also aims to determine the effect of solution condition (for example pH) and light on SNP longevity and hence their oxidative capacity.
Nanosilver antimicrobial resistance in target pathogens. This project aims to elucidate the important phenomena of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial nanosilver, currently one of the most developed and commercialised products of nanotechnology. The integrated research approach comprises of concurrent identification of the origins and routes of nanosilver toxicity in bacteria and the arising emergence and mechanisms of bacterial defence to the toxicity. The generated knowledge is to form a bas ....Nanosilver antimicrobial resistance in target pathogens. This project aims to elucidate the important phenomena of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial nanosilver, currently one of the most developed and commercialised products of nanotechnology. The integrated research approach comprises of concurrent identification of the origins and routes of nanosilver toxicity in bacteria and the arising emergence and mechanisms of bacterial defence to the toxicity. The generated knowledge is to form a base template for novel nanosilver engineering with less tendency for resistance development and to facilitate tracking of resistance and its spread amongst microorganisms. The knowledge has far-reaching implications on the better governance of nanosilver use, including its disposal.Read moreRead less
The Molecular Basis of Nanoparticle Resistance in Mixed-Species Biofilm. The project aims to understand how the globally significant mixed-species growth of pathogens develop resistance to silver nanoparticle, currently one of the most important alternative antimicrobials to antibiotics. The integrated research is to elucidate, for the first time, the nanoparticle multi-targeting toxicity on mixed-species bacterial community and how, in turn, the bacteria activate their cell-to-cell signalling f ....The Molecular Basis of Nanoparticle Resistance in Mixed-Species Biofilm. The project aims to understand how the globally significant mixed-species growth of pathogens develop resistance to silver nanoparticle, currently one of the most important alternative antimicrobials to antibiotics. The integrated research is to elucidate, for the first time, the nanoparticle multi-targeting toxicity on mixed-species bacterial community and how, in turn, the bacteria activate their cell-to-cell signalling for a synergistic defence to adapt to the nanoparticle toxicity. The pioneering knowledge is the foundation for technologies targeting the interspecies metabolite cross-talking to overcome the resistance phenomena, ensuring a long-term efficacy of the alternative antimicrobial on the difficult-to-control pathogenic growth.Read moreRead less
Utilisation of dense gas technology for the development of controlled release active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) delivery systems. The aim of this project is to develop an orally administered drug formulation for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other diseases of the colon. Irritable bowel syndrome is a debilitating condition and the cost to society is similar to that of asthma. As such, the project has the potential to have a major impact on society.
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