Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies. The Australian alumina industry produces 32 million tonnes of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings) each year, most of which is stored in perpetuity in landfill-type tailings storage facilities. The high pH, high salinity, lack of plant nutrients, and poor physical properties of bauxite residue are major barriers to safe storage and successful closure of tailings storage facilities. Existing remediation approaches a ....Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies. The Australian alumina industry produces 32 million tonnes of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings) each year, most of which is stored in perpetuity in landfill-type tailings storage facilities. The high pH, high salinity, lack of plant nutrients, and poor physical properties of bauxite residue are major barriers to safe storage and successful closure of tailings storage facilities. Existing remediation approaches are expensive, slow, and often ineffective. We will deliver new microbial- and plant-driven biotechnologies for rapid, cost-effective remediation of bauxite residue. This will enable safe, sustainable closure of storage facilities, and safeguard the strong contribution of this $15 billion industry to Australia's economy. Read moreRead less
An experimentally-validated thermo-hydro-mechanical theory for waste containment lining systems. Geosynthetic clay liners are engineering systems that are widely used around the world to protect groundwater from municipal, industrial and mining contaminants. The project will conduct cutting-edge experimental, theoretical and computational research leading to a major improvement in their short-term and long-term performances.
Forecasting soil conditions. Not knowing where and how soil responds to climate change and human intervention compromises food, water, climate and energy security. Currently there is a lack of soil process knowledge and data infrastructure collectively causing significant uncertainty and risk in the assessments of key threats to soil. The project devises a transformational digital soil model to forecast where and how soil pH and carbon will change in New South Wales. Tested on sites within Au ....Forecasting soil conditions. Not knowing where and how soil responds to climate change and human intervention compromises food, water, climate and energy security. Currently there is a lack of soil process knowledge and data infrastructure collectively causing significant uncertainty and risk in the assessments of key threats to soil. The project devises a transformational digital soil model to forecast where and how soil pH and carbon will change in New South Wales. Tested on sites within Australia, the model will give insight on the drivers of change and will provide a unique analysis of the effect of climate change and land management on the dynamics of soil.Read moreRead less
Dynamic soil landscape carbon modelling. Soil is the largest terrestrial store of carbon. This project will enhance our understanding of the causes and controls of spatial and temporal variations of soil carbon which is crucial for managing climate change, food water and energy security and for maintenance of biodiversity.
Engineered clay-polysaccharide composites for efficient nutrient delivery. Nitrogen (N) nutrient use efficiency of most arable crops in Australian soils is low, leading to excessive application of this nutrient. The low N use efficiency is attributed to its loss through leaching and gaseous emission, which contributes to both economic burden of the farming community and also results in environmental degradation. This project aims to work with clay industries to develop fertiliser products with c ....Engineered clay-polysaccharide composites for efficient nutrient delivery. Nitrogen (N) nutrient use efficiency of most arable crops in Australian soils is low, leading to excessive application of this nutrient. The low N use efficiency is attributed to its loss through leaching and gaseous emission, which contributes to both economic burden of the farming community and also results in environmental degradation. This project aims to work with clay industries to develop fertiliser products with controlled release characteristics to increase N use efficiency and farm productivity. It will also create new market opportunities for the mining industry for the use of clays and create novel materials for delivery of nutrients and moisture for the agrochemical industry resulting in the creation of marketing opportunities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100570
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Cyanobacterial bio-encapsulation for restoring degraded drylands. This project aims to discover the ecological and functional roles of cyanobacteria in drylands, and develop new technologies for their broad application in large-scale ecosystem restoration. The global demand for landscape-scale restoration requires novel approaches to deliver on the promise of reinstating healthy, sustainable, and biodiverse ecosystems. This project will harness next-generation DNA sequencing to select beneficial ....Cyanobacterial bio-encapsulation for restoring degraded drylands. This project aims to discover the ecological and functional roles of cyanobacteria in drylands, and develop new technologies for their broad application in large-scale ecosystem restoration. The global demand for landscape-scale restoration requires novel approaches to deliver on the promise of reinstating healthy, sustainable, and biodiverse ecosystems. This project will harness next-generation DNA sequencing to select beneficial cyanobacteria for incorporation into emerging seed enhancement technologies. The project will deliver innovative and cost-effective tools to overcome barriers to seedling recruitment and plant survival, and enhance the functionality of degraded dryland ecosystems. This will contribute to long-term cost savings to the Australian economy through reduced spending on environmental issues such as salinity, erosion, acidification and poor water quality.Read moreRead less
A general soil spatial scaling theory. Soil diversity is crucial for maintenance of sustainable ecosystems. Soil varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to fields, regions, continents and the globe. This project will take a unifying approach to derive a general spatial scaling theory that will allow us to estimate the likely behaviour of soil properties at all scales. Understanding the scaling behaviour of soil means one can be certain about describing the changes in relationships between ....A general soil spatial scaling theory. Soil diversity is crucial for maintenance of sustainable ecosystems. Soil varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to fields, regions, continents and the globe. This project will take a unifying approach to derive a general spatial scaling theory that will allow us to estimate the likely behaviour of soil properties at all scales. Understanding the scaling behaviour of soil means one can be certain about describing the changes in relationships between soil properties and processes. It will enhance the ability to monitor soil property changes through time, essential for gauging effects of climate change and achieving food security. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101116
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,616.00
Summary
Bringing granular mechanics to prevent fluid-driven soil erosion problems. This project aims to investigate the erosive behaviour of soils by exploring the interaction between evolving topography and overland water flow. It expects to generate new knowledge about the dominant granular mechanisms under different flow conditions using innovative high-speed X-ray imaging and detailed numerical simulations. Anticipated outcomes include a simple mathematical framework that takes these important facto ....Bringing granular mechanics to prevent fluid-driven soil erosion problems. This project aims to investigate the erosive behaviour of soils by exploring the interaction between evolving topography and overland water flow. It expects to generate new knowledge about the dominant granular mechanisms under different flow conditions using innovative high-speed X-ray imaging and detailed numerical simulations. Anticipated outcomes include a simple mathematical framework that takes these important factors into account, which will bridge geomechanics and fluid mechanics to provide valuable insight into long-term erosion and deposition rates. This should provide significant benefit by enhancing our ability to predict, and therefore prevent, intense soil loss or problematic build-up of sediment.Read moreRead less
Global space-time soil carbon assessment. Soil carbon is a key component of functional ecosystems and is crucial for food, water and energy security, and for climate change mitigation. The project will contribute to global understanding of soil carbon and its management for sustainable wellbeing.
Synergising pedodiversity and biodiversity to secure soil functionality. This project aims to understand the coupling between soil physical, chemical and biological diversity at a range of scales and land uses across New South Wales and its relationship with soil functioning. Soil diversity with its coupled biodiversity is crucial for conservation of sustainable ecosystems. Soil diversity varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to elds, catchments and regions. This project will enhance ou ....Synergising pedodiversity and biodiversity to secure soil functionality. This project aims to understand the coupling between soil physical, chemical and biological diversity at a range of scales and land uses across New South Wales and its relationship with soil functioning. Soil diversity with its coupled biodiversity is crucial for conservation of sustainable ecosystems. Soil diversity varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to elds, catchments and regions. This project will enhance our ability to understand the drivers of soil change through time, critical for minimising loss of biodiversity, achieving food and soil security and inferring effects of climate change.Read moreRead less