Can we see the wood for the trees? Effective restoration strategies in rapidly changing subtropical river systems. Addressing the issue of degraded waterways nationally will cost billions of dollars; in southeast Queensland alone it is estimated that it will cost $500 million. Fundamental research is needed to ensure such efforts achieve the desired outcomes. Previous research has shown riverbank erosion is a key stressor for water quality. This project aims to link fluvial disturbance with the ....Can we see the wood for the trees? Effective restoration strategies in rapidly changing subtropical river systems. Addressing the issue of degraded waterways nationally will cost billions of dollars; in southeast Queensland alone it is estimated that it will cost $500 million. Fundamental research is needed to ensure such efforts achieve the desired outcomes. Previous research has shown riverbank erosion is a key stressor for water quality. This project aims to link fluvial disturbance with the capacity for effective riparian restoration in subtropical river systems at a local, reach and whole of catchment scale. The outcome aims to develop decision-support tools and methods for industry partners to invest in catchment-scale restoration activities in order to manage the risks to drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystem health from riverbank erosion.Read moreRead less
Impact of recycled and low quality process water on sustainable mineral processing practices. Water is in short supply and needs to be considered as a 'key reagent'. The quality of this reagent can vary widely. For a sustainable mineral processing practice, the use of recycled or low quality/saline process water will be essential for a plant to operate in the future. The major benefit is recognition that significant recycle of process water for flotation is achievable if simple water quality con ....Impact of recycled and low quality process water on sustainable mineral processing practices. Water is in short supply and needs to be considered as a 'key reagent'. The quality of this reagent can vary widely. For a sustainable mineral processing practice, the use of recycled or low quality/saline process water will be essential for a plant to operate in the future. The major benefit is recognition that significant recycle of process water for flotation is achievable if simple water quality control and management practices are implemented. In addition, a better understanding and control of water quality in recycled/saline process water may lead to improved flotation stability and performance, and reduced reagent consumption.Read moreRead less
Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. This project aims to develop indices that link change in invertebrate communities to specific environmental stressors, and combine these indices with innovative, low cost molecular approaches to species identification to rapidly identify the causes of decline. River health assessment methods, usually based on aquatic invertebrates, identify if rivers are impaire ....Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. This project aims to develop indices that link change in invertebrate communities to specific environmental stressors, and combine these indices with innovative, low cost molecular approaches to species identification to rapidly identify the causes of decline. River health assessment methods, usually based on aquatic invertebrates, identify if rivers are impaired but must be developed to identify the causes of decline. The intended outcomes are improved sustainable water resource management within and among states, and improved natural resource policy development.Read moreRead less
Hydrogeological drivers and fate of spring flow in a semi-arid setting. In arid and semi-arid climates, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems often rely on groundwater springs. Spring hydrology depends on complex relationships between underlying aquifers and surface conditions, leading to high uncertainties in understanding aquifer-spring-wetland hydrology, which is critical for spring ecosystem protection and to inform management of relevant groundwater-affecting activities. This project will appl ....Hydrogeological drivers and fate of spring flow in a semi-arid setting. In arid and semi-arid climates, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems often rely on groundwater springs. Spring hydrology depends on complex relationships between underlying aquifers and surface conditions, leading to high uncertainties in understanding aquifer-spring-wetland hydrology, which is critical for spring ecosystem protection and to inform management of relevant groundwater-affecting activities. This project will apply novel hydrogeophysical and hydrochemical methods, and computer modelling, to investigate the source aquifer of, and fate of discharge from the Doongmabulla Springs Complex (DSC), located in an area of future development. Project results will inform spring vulnerability to development pressures and climate effects.Read moreRead less
Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. This project aims to engineer sulphidisation reactions to enhance the flotation of low quality ores for the minerals industry. Sulphidisation uses flotation to enrich base metal and precious minerals from low quality ores containing oxides and oxidised sulphides before expensive leaching or smelting. However, the current sulphidisation method is neit ....Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. This project aims to engineer sulphidisation reactions to enhance the flotation of low quality ores for the minerals industry. Sulphidisation uses flotation to enrich base metal and precious minerals from low quality ores containing oxides and oxidised sulphides before expensive leaching or smelting. However, the current sulphidisation method is neither efficient nor widely used. This project will tailor sulphidisation reactions to generate desirable surface products that are not sensitive to flotation conditions. The intended outcome of this project is to provide a step change value in processing low quality resources while minimising the environmental effects of stockpiles.Read moreRead less
Restoring functional links between riparian zones and streams by enhancing structural retention. This project aims to test whether structural retention, whereby plant detritus (logs, bark, leaves) is trapped and retained within river channels, can offset the impacts caused by widespread clearance of vegetation along river banks, a widespread problem in Australia and the world. Theoretically, retention is a major environmental driver of ecosystem change in rivers, but this has rarely been tested, ....Restoring functional links between riparian zones and streams by enhancing structural retention. This project aims to test whether structural retention, whereby plant detritus (logs, bark, leaves) is trapped and retained within river channels, can offset the impacts caused by widespread clearance of vegetation along river banks, a widespread problem in Australia and the world. Theoretically, retention is a major environmental driver of ecosystem change in rivers, but this has rarely been tested, particularly in a restoration context. The aim of this project is to show that increasing retention results in higher species diversity, thus providing managers with a relatively straightforward method for improving the environmental conditions of rivers, while simultaneously testing three hypotheses about rectifying ecosystem degradation caused by human impacts.Read moreRead less
Leveraging research and development (R and D) for the Australian built environment. This project will evaluate impacts, diffusion mechanisms and uptake of research and development (R and D) in the Australian building and construction industry. Building on a retrospective analysis and industry consultation, a future-focussed industry roadmap will be developed to establish R and D policies to inform and improve R and D investment effectiveness.
Biogeochemical remediation approaches for PFAS contaminated environments. This project aims to identify and harvest microorganisms capable of directly or indirectly affecting PFOS or PFOA degradation in the environment. Fluorinated compounds such as PFOS and PFOA in firefighting foams are contaminants of concern now routinely detected in contaminated groundwater and soil globally. Understanding the role of microorganisms, and the biogeochemical processes they perform in relation to fluorinated c ....Biogeochemical remediation approaches for PFAS contaminated environments. This project aims to identify and harvest microorganisms capable of directly or indirectly affecting PFOS or PFOA degradation in the environment. Fluorinated compounds such as PFOS and PFOA in firefighting foams are contaminants of concern now routinely detected in contaminated groundwater and soil globally. Understanding the role of microorganisms, and the biogeochemical processes they perform in relation to fluorinated compounds, will inform handling of contaminated sites and lead to development of cost effective and sustainable remediation technologies. Read moreRead less
Living in a high carbon dioxide world: impacts on freshwater phytoplankton populations from elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will investigate likely changes in phytoplankton populations in reservoirs that will be caused by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the next century. The project will provide water supply managers with the necessary information to plan future strategies for water treatment and operating procedures.
Improving regional secondary students' learning and well-being. Given the academic under-performance and lower life opportunities of Australian regional and rural students compared to their metropolitan counterparts, this research has the potential to make a significant social, cultural and economic contribution to the community. This research will be useful in developing an evidence-based framework to guide policy and practice in implementing an effective systematic approach to regional educati ....Improving regional secondary students' learning and well-being. Given the academic under-performance and lower life opportunities of Australian regional and rural students compared to their metropolitan counterparts, this research has the potential to make a significant social, cultural and economic contribution to the community. This research will be useful in developing an evidence-based framework to guide policy and practice in implementing an effective systematic approach to regional education and, where appropriate, other contexts. The research's economic benefit centres on gains for individuals, local communities, and the nation in enhancing regional students' academic achievements, sense of well-being and aspirations; leading to more productive citizens.Read moreRead less