A novel process for removing phosphorus microbiologically from wastewater. Australia is a water limited continent, and its rivers and lakes are priceless assets, but because of climatic conditions, these are especially sensitive to blooms of 'blue green algae'. Some are highly toxic, and water containing them is unsuitable for most purposes. Current technology for P removal requires constructing complex plant configurations, and most of these operate unpredictably and unreliably. This project ....A novel process for removing phosphorus microbiologically from wastewater. Australia is a water limited continent, and its rivers and lakes are priceless assets, but because of climatic conditions, these are especially sensitive to blooms of 'blue green algae'. Some are highly toxic, and water containing them is unsuitable for most purposes. Current technology for P removal requires constructing complex plant configurations, and most of these operate unpredictably and unreliably. This project will develop and fully evaluate a revolutionarily different alternative with a fully aerobic system, capable of being added onto the end of a conventional treatment plant, making protection of rivers and streams simpler and more feasible. Read moreRead less
Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business ....Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business and tourism precincts. The economy, community and environment will benefit due to reduced use of potable, river and ground water. Wide application of this technology to wastewater and brackish water will lead to similar benefits and an environmentally sustainable Australia.
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Investigation of Geopolymer based Concretes for the Construction of High Fire Risk Infrastructures. Geopolymer concretes are emerging new materials promising superior fire resistance and durability and potentially cheaper than the widely used high strength concretes, which also consume high levels of Portland cements. Production of 1 ton of Portland cement releases 1 ton of green house gases. Further, the 6.5 million tons/year of cement currently produced in Australia is insufficient to meet the ....Investigation of Geopolymer based Concretes for the Construction of High Fire Risk Infrastructures. Geopolymer concretes are emerging new materials promising superior fire resistance and durability and potentially cheaper than the widely used high strength concretes, which also consume high levels of Portland cements. Production of 1 ton of Portland cement releases 1 ton of green house gases. Further, the 6.5 million tons/year of cement currently produced in Australia is insufficient to meet the industry demand. This project investigates the use of fly ash to make geopolymer concrete, without using any Portland cement, to find usage for part of the 11 million tons/year of fly ash produced as a waste from coal power stations in Australia.Read moreRead less
Development of an Alkali Activated Slag based Construction Material for High Fire Risk Infrastructures. This project will develop an alkali-activated slag (AAS) based construction material for tunnel construction. In tunnels, conventional concretes are likely to 'spall' in a hydrocarbon fire accident, possibly resulting in a tunnel collapse. The project is set to develop a spalling-resistant AAS as an alternative to conventional Portland cement, which is responsible for 6.5 million tons of gre ....Development of an Alkali Activated Slag based Construction Material for High Fire Risk Infrastructures. This project will develop an alkali-activated slag (AAS) based construction material for tunnel construction. In tunnels, conventional concretes are likely to 'spall' in a hydrocarbon fire accident, possibly resulting in a tunnel collapse. The project is set to develop a spalling-resistant AAS as an alternative to conventional Portland cement, which is responsible for 6.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia per year, whereas AAS is based on slag, an industrial waste product. The project also seeks to provide better understanding of the spalling phenomenon so that the engineers can design fireproofing for conventional concrete tunnels with confidence.Read moreRead less
Microbiology of Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digester (ATAD) Systems for Biosolids Disposal in Wastewater Treatment Systems. The disposal of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants is expensive and troublesome. ATAD systems utilise microbes and are claimed to overcome many of the problems of more conventional disposal methods. Two have been installed in plants in central Victoria. However, virtually nothing is known about their microbiology. The study will determine which microbial popula ....Microbiology of Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digester (ATAD) Systems for Biosolids Disposal in Wastewater Treatment Systems. The disposal of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants is expensive and troublesome. ATAD systems utilise microbes and are claimed to overcome many of the problems of more conventional disposal methods. Two have been installed in plants in central Victoria. However, virtually nothing is known about their microbiology. The study will determine which microbial populations are present and responsible for biosolids digestion, how these populations might change with changing operational conditions, and whether these changes in populations relate to production of odors. This information will enable these digesters to be better managed and operated.Read moreRead less
Repurposing urban construction waste to create diverse wildflower meadows. Wildflower meadows have been planted extensively in European cities for aesthetic and biodiversity benefits. In SE Australia, they are stunning, but rare, features of critically endangered grassy woodlands because most native wildflowers cannot cope with intense grazing and high soil nutrients associated with agriculture. This project aims to develop a novel process for establishing native wildflower meadows in urban park ....Repurposing urban construction waste to create diverse wildflower meadows. Wildflower meadows have been planted extensively in European cities for aesthetic and biodiversity benefits. In SE Australia, they are stunning, but rare, features of critically endangered grassy woodlands because most native wildflowers cannot cope with intense grazing and high soil nutrients associated with agriculture. This project aims to develop a novel process for establishing native wildflower meadows in urban parks and degraded grassy woodlands by repurposing low nutrient mineral waste from the construction industry. It will have multiple benefits including restoring urban biodiversity, increasing people's mental well-being, developing new markets for recycled construction waste and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Read moreRead less
Advancing passive greywater treatment at household scale. Water recycling is increasingly encouraged in drought stricken Australia. The project aims to develop more energy efficient and less chemically driven treatment using passive processes to recycle greywater. The project will help in establishing sustainable communities across Australia and establish Australia as a world leader in water sustainability.
Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical re ....Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical resource.Read moreRead less
Zeolitic Nanoflake-Polymer Composite Membranes for Low Energy Desalination. The desalination of seawater is becoming an important source of drinking water for Australia. The current desalination process using polymer membranes is energy-intensive. The proposed project will contribute to the development of low energy desalination technology by advancing membrane design and fabrication techniques. The use of zeolitic nanoflake-polymer composite membranes developed in this project is expected to su ....Zeolitic Nanoflake-Polymer Composite Membranes for Low Energy Desalination. The desalination of seawater is becoming an important source of drinking water for Australia. The current desalination process using polymer membranes is energy-intensive. The proposed project will contribute to the development of low energy desalination technology by advancing membrane design and fabrication techniques. The use of zeolitic nanoflake-polymer composite membranes developed in this project is expected to substantially reduce energy consumption in the desalination process. This research will produce important economic and environmental benefits by developing a green technology for fresh water production and water treatment for power generation, irrigation and other industrial uses.Read moreRead less
Reducing land and infrastructure requirements for water evaporation from biosludge through dry stacking. Melbourne's wastewater treatment plants have limited capacity in their evaporation pans to dry residual solids from wastewater treatment processes. This project will significantly improve the efficiency of new pans by providing an alternative operating method, dry stacking, which has delivered considerable benefits to the mineral industry.