Iron and phosphorus recovery from ferric precipitation sludge. To minimise health risks and environmental pollution, water and wastewater treatment processes often use iron salts to eliminate phosphate and other pollutants. This generates large amounts of chemical sludge that is typically sent to landfill. The benefits of this new process will be the recovery of both the iron, which can be reused in the process, and the phosphate, which is a key component in fertiliser. Since phosphate is a limi ....Iron and phosphorus recovery from ferric precipitation sludge. To minimise health risks and environmental pollution, water and wastewater treatment processes often use iron salts to eliminate phosphate and other pollutants. This generates large amounts of chemical sludge that is typically sent to landfill. The benefits of this new process will be the recovery of both the iron, which can be reused in the process, and the phosphate, which is a key component in fertiliser. Since phosphate is a limited natural resource with an increasingly high value, the recovery and recycling of this critical element in food production is highly important. The process will also avoid a large part of the sludge production and will make the water treatment processes more cost-effective.Read moreRead less
Novel hybrid silica membranes for desalination. This project aims to produce high flux, highly stable ceramic membranes for use in desalination. This will result in novel, low energy desalination processes, delivering potable water at a greatly reduced cost.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100027
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,086,676.00
Summary
Integrated, scalable technology solutions for PFAS removal and destruction. This project aims to deliver a ready-to-deploy and scalable modular technology that is capable of removing poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a variety of water sources, including groundwater and surface waters, to make them virtually PFAS-free and therefore safe for human consumption. The concept draws on recent advances in water treatment and electrochemistry that is based on ion exchange, nanofiltration ....Integrated, scalable technology solutions for PFAS removal and destruction. This project aims to deliver a ready-to-deploy and scalable modular technology that is capable of removing poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a variety of water sources, including groundwater and surface waters, to make them virtually PFAS-free and therefore safe for human consumption. The concept draws on recent advances in water treatment and electrochemistry that is based on ion exchange, nanofiltration and advanced oxidation. A risk-based framework will be developed to deliver fit-for-purpose solutions at minimal cost for stakeholders and taxpayers. This project is expected to benefit the residents who live in the vicinity of contaminated waterways or consume water from polluted sources.Read moreRead less
Novel disinfection to combat antibiotic resistance . Control of antimicrobial resistance in water is critical. Disinfection in water and wastewater treatment plants is a vital barrier against antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB); however, it is less effective in controlling- and may even facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This project aims to comprehensively investigate the effectiveness of widely-used disinfection processes in controlling ARB/ARGs, determine the underly ....Novel disinfection to combat antibiotic resistance . Control of antimicrobial resistance in water is critical. Disinfection in water and wastewater treatment plants is a vital barrier against antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB); however, it is less effective in controlling- and may even facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This project aims to comprehensively investigate the effectiveness of widely-used disinfection processes in controlling ARB/ARGs, determine the underlying mechanisms, and identify optimal treatment conditions. This project also aims to develop a novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly disinfection process for efficient ARGs destruction, thus significantly strengthening Australia’s capacity to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.Read moreRead less
Adsorption on activated alumina: mitigating fouling of water treatment processes caused by deposition of silica, organics and hardness ions. Coal seam gas offers tremendous economic potential but development of gas reserves will generate considerable quantities of saline water. This project will develop activated alumina technology for the removal of silica and organics from these waters to enable the industry to use evaporative technologies to reduce water volumes.
Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will ....Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will consider silica and silica-rich nanoparticles in concert with cations and organics, with the aim of better managing cations so to facilitate nanoparticle lubrication. Project outcomes may include more productive use of assets, improved pre-treatment infrastructure to support reverse osmosis operation, and the environmental benefits of reduced chemical waste and increased water recovery.Read moreRead less
Understanding Australia by analysing wastewater during the Census 2021 . This project aims to utilise the Australian Census 2021, a unique opportunity to link exposure to chemical and biological hazards with catchment socio-demographic data via systematic wastewater analysis. The project is expected to advance our capabilities to identify emerging hazards and understand factors that affect spatiotemporal trends in hazards across Australia. Moreover, in a world first, the project aims to assess c ....Understanding Australia by analysing wastewater during the Census 2021 . This project aims to utilise the Australian Census 2021, a unique opportunity to link exposure to chemical and biological hazards with catchment socio-demographic data via systematic wastewater analysis. The project is expected to advance our capabilities to identify emerging hazards and understand factors that affect spatiotemporal trends in hazards across Australia. Moreover, in a world first, the project aims to assess chemical fate on a national level by linking sales/use with fate and release from wastewater treatment plants and assess treatment efficiency at >100 plants around Australia. The project expects to provide insight for government, wastewater managers and industry into hazards that may affect environmental and human health.Read moreRead less
Designing plasmon-enhanced photocatalysts for solar-driven water pollutant removal. The outcomes of this program will lead to a new class of composite photocatalysts for efficient water purification using sunlight. Such technology will speed up the transition of Australian environmental and energy industries from a fossil fuel economy to renewable energy economy.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100451
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Novel biotreatment for micropollutant removal from contaminated water. Micropollutants in contaminated water create major environmental challenges to water resource management in Australia. This project will use a novel biological process to remove micropollutants from water resources sustainably and ensure clean drinking water for Australians.
Disinfection by-products formed during drinking water treatment: reducing the unknowns is managing risk. Disinfection of drinking water is a successful measure to reduce water-borne diseases and protect health. However, epidemiological evidence links bladder cancer to disinfection by-products formed during drinking water treatment. Despite decades of research the causative agents remain to be identified. To fill this knowledge gap, this project will quantify the fraction of toxicity that cannot ....Disinfection by-products formed during drinking water treatment: reducing the unknowns is managing risk. Disinfection of drinking water is a successful measure to reduce water-borne diseases and protect health. However, epidemiological evidence links bladder cancer to disinfection by-products formed during drinking water treatment. Despite decades of research the causative agents remain to be identified. To fill this knowledge gap, this project will quantify the fraction of toxicity that cannot be explained by known chemicals in water samples treated with different disinfectants using a combination of chemical analysis and in-vitro bioassays. Samples with high unexplained effects will then be fractionated to isolate toxicologically relevant disinfection by-products, which will ultimately be identified with non-target chemical analysis.Read moreRead less