Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a yea ....Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in Australia alone. This project is a major joint effort by the Australian water industry and world-leading scientists to generate advanced knowledge and develop effective technologies for optimal odour and corrosion management in sewers, delivering large social, environmental and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Understanding and mitigating nitrous oxide emission from wastewater treatment plants. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges that mankind is facing. Substantial reduction in emissions must be achieved, with responsibility to be shared by all industrial sectors. Wastewater systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through not only energy consumptions but also direct emissions of fugitive greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. This project aim ....Understanding and mitigating nitrous oxide emission from wastewater treatment plants. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges that mankind is facing. Substantial reduction in emissions must be achieved, with responsibility to be shared by all industrial sectors. Wastewater systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through not only energy consumptions but also direct emissions of fugitive greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. This project aims to provide knowledge and technology support to the Australian wastewater industry to minimize the emission of nitrous oxide during biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. This is critically important for this industry to achieve greenhouse gas neutral wastewater management.Read moreRead less
Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in res ....Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in response to ventilation and dynamic wastewater and atmospheric conditions, enabling model-based sewer ventilation design and operation. The project also aims to deliver novel, field-demonstrated ventilation strategies. The project findings will be incorporated in the Australian ventilation design and operation guidelines.Read moreRead less
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from sewers – understanding, modelling and mitigation. The research and industry partners will collaborate on this project to quantify, understand and mitigate emissions of methane and nitrous oxide in sewer networks. Both methane and nitrous oxide are potent greenhouse gases, and their emissions need to be accounted for and mitigated for the water industry to achieve greenhouse neutral water services.
Assessment of the Mass Flux in a Benthic Boundary Layer of a Stratified Lake. Understanding the underlying processes responsible for Benthic Bundary Layer (BBL) mass flux in stratified lakes is of fundamental ecological importance. By verifying the ability of the current Centre for Water Research hydrodynamics models to reproduce the dynamics of the BBL, Australia will cement its position as an international leader in the development of technologies to guide the management of lakes, reservoirs, ....Assessment of the Mass Flux in a Benthic Boundary Layer of a Stratified Lake. Understanding the underlying processes responsible for Benthic Bundary Layer (BBL) mass flux in stratified lakes is of fundamental ecological importance. By verifying the ability of the current Centre for Water Research hydrodynamics models to reproduce the dynamics of the BBL, Australia will cement its position as an international leader in the development of technologies to guide the management of lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and coastal areas. Furthermore, these water bodies are important sources and sinks of carbon and the extent to which they contribute to the national and international carbon inventory can be assessed using this technology.Read moreRead less
Factors controlling phytoplankton patchiness in a seasonally stratified lake. This project will determine what processes result in the formation of phytoplankton patches in lakes, over what scale, and how they can be parameterized into models to assist in managing aquatic systems. This will allow key parameters to be measured at the correct time and space scales. The Controlled Lagrangian Drogue coupled with correctly parameterized hydrodynamic and water quality models will provide the Austra ....Factors controlling phytoplankton patchiness in a seasonally stratified lake. This project will determine what processes result in the formation of phytoplankton patches in lakes, over what scale, and how they can be parameterized into models to assist in managing aquatic systems. This will allow key parameters to be measured at the correct time and space scales. The Controlled Lagrangian Drogue coupled with correctly parameterized hydrodynamic and water quality models will provide the Australian and International water industry with tools to measure and predict phytoplankton patchiness and make decisions about water quality treatment, offtake regimes and reservoir management. This will minimize the economic costs of water quality management and enhance the security of the quality of our water resources. Read moreRead less
A Roadmap for Greening Existing Australian Housing. The project will minimise the impact of the Greenhouse Pollution Reduction Scheme and anticipated rises in water costs on the householders. It will assist the consumers and the building industry in evaluating the environmental and economic costs and benefits of specific retrofitting actions for building envelope and major fixed appliances (thermal insulation, glazing, air infiltration, hot water, heating/cooling, lighting, low water flow and wa ....A Roadmap for Greening Existing Australian Housing. The project will minimise the impact of the Greenhouse Pollution Reduction Scheme and anticipated rises in water costs on the householders. It will assist the consumers and the building industry in evaluating the environmental and economic costs and benefits of specific retrofitting actions for building envelope and major fixed appliances (thermal insulation, glazing, air infiltration, hot water, heating/cooling, lighting, low water flow and water reuse appliances, and solar photovoltaic systems). In addition to assisting a burgeoning renovation industry, the project will enable accurate assessment of the impacts of the Green Loans Program and guide future national and local energy and water reduction policies. Read moreRead less
Development of a Novel Flue Gas Desulphurization Technology for Alumina Refineries. This project aims to develop a novel technology of flue gas desulphurization for alumina industry. The successful completion of this project will provide a practical solution to the SOx emission problem in alumina refineries. Specifically, we aim to make use of the waste causticiser sludge discharged during the causticisation of the liquor streams and the used filter aid after the polishing filtration of the ref ....Development of a Novel Flue Gas Desulphurization Technology for Alumina Refineries. This project aims to develop a novel technology of flue gas desulphurization for alumina industry. The successful completion of this project will provide a practical solution to the SOx emission problem in alumina refineries. Specifically, we aim to make use of the waste causticiser sludge discharged during the causticisation of the liquor streams and the used filter aid after the polishing filtration of the refinery pregnant liquors as reagent to remove SOx emitted by the power house and the alumina calciners. We also aim to recover some alumina during the process of flue gas desulphurization thus further reducing the cost of air pollution control.Read moreRead less