Optimising permeable pavements with underlying reservoirs to enhance urban tree performance. This project will determine the optimal configuration of permeable pavements with underlying storage reservoirs and water delivery system to resolve the water security challenges that trees face in urban environments. This project will promote the healthy growth of urban trees and will lead to more liveable and healthier cities.
Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project ....Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project is strongly supported by a consortium of industry partners including the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, Metricon Homes, Building Commission, Origin Energy, City West Water, Melbourne Water, Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria and Hassell Architects.
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Mimicking natural ecosystems to improve green roof performance. This project will transform the Australian green roof industry by specifying plants and substrates according to ecological theory. New substrates will create markets for waste products, and diverse and resilient plant mixes will optimise nutrient and water use. Both will reduce urban energy use and stormwater runoff adapting Australian cities to climate change.
Mineral transformation and oxidant production in subsurface environments. Sporadic influx of oxygen-rich rainwater / groundwater into subsurface waste sites induces dramatic biogeochemical changes which greatly influence the transport of contaminants present. In this project, fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the impacts of redox oscillations upon contaminant behaviour in these sediments will be addressed through a comprehensive program of field studies at a purpose-constructed experimental f ....Mineral transformation and oxidant production in subsurface environments. Sporadic influx of oxygen-rich rainwater / groundwater into subsurface waste sites induces dramatic biogeochemical changes which greatly influence the transport of contaminants present. In this project, fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the impacts of redox oscillations upon contaminant behaviour in these sediments will be addressed through a comprehensive program of field studies at a purpose-constructed experimental facility in an existing waste site, and complementary laboratory investigations. The intended outcomes are to improve understanding of contaminant mobility at the field-scale in these pervasive sites spread across the globe, and provide critical insight into their remediation using cost-effective techniques.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$999,082.00
Summary
Holistic remediation of PFAS-affected soil, water and debris. This project aims to provide a holistic waste-to-resource remediation strategy for per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination. This project expects to provide improved efficiency of remediation strategies for PFAS contaminated sites, to create new resource materials in construction and remediation from combinations of waste streams for the high-temperature destruction of PFAS. Expected benefits include inexpensive and eff ....Holistic remediation of PFAS-affected soil, water and debris. This project aims to provide a holistic waste-to-resource remediation strategy for per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination. This project expects to provide improved efficiency of remediation strategies for PFAS contaminated sites, to create new resource materials in construction and remediation from combinations of waste streams for the high-temperature destruction of PFAS. Expected benefits include inexpensive and effective treatment of PFAS contaminated sites, development of new markets around materials for environmental remediation and a mechanism to turn waste products into valuable resources, minimising the volume of wastes going to landfill. In addition, the environmental sector will benefit from improved implementation of policy around end-to-end and whole-of-life-cycle remediation of wastes and reclassification of wastes as high value resources suitable for construction and remediation.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
An integrated approach to iron salt use in urban water systems. The project aims to develop and demonstrate an integrated and innovative strategy, and the associated science and technologies, to achieve multiple beneficial uses of iron salts in an urban water system. The project intends to use iron chloride to replace the most commonly used alum as a coagulant in water treatment. The same iron is then further used for corrosion and odour control in sewers, phosphorus removal in wastewater treatm ....An integrated approach to iron salt use in urban water systems. The project aims to develop and demonstrate an integrated and innovative strategy, and the associated science and technologies, to achieve multiple beneficial uses of iron salts in an urban water system. The project intends to use iron chloride to replace the most commonly used alum as a coagulant in water treatment. The same iron is then further used for corrosion and odour control in sewers, phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment reactors and hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas in an anaerobic digester. The strategy is expected to substantially reduce the use of chemicals in the entire urban water system, delivering large economic and environmental benefits to urban water utilities.Read moreRead less
Can real-time control deliver environmental flows to protect urban streams? Increased frequency and severity of both droughts and floods in a changing climate accentuate the already-severe global impacts on urban streams. This project aims to test a world-first approach to tackling this problem, using advances in real-time control technology. The approach facilitates a public-private co-management of water resources, offering simultaneous benefits in water supply, flood mitigation and provision ....Can real-time control deliver environmental flows to protect urban streams? Increased frequency and severity of both droughts and floods in a changing climate accentuate the already-severe global impacts on urban streams. This project aims to test a world-first approach to tackling this problem, using advances in real-time control technology. The approach facilitates a public-private co-management of water resources, offering simultaneous benefits in water supply, flood mitigation and provision of environmental flows to maintain healthy urban streams. It has the potential to revolutionise the way we manage water in cities, providing a model for the water industry around the world in adapting to a changing climate, turning excess and damaging urban runoff into a dual resource of water supply and environmental flows.Read moreRead less
In-situ electrochemical generation of caustic and oxygen from sewage for emission control in sewers. This project aims to deliver an innovative technology that controls the emission of notorious compounds from sewer networks using chemicals directly produced from sewage, with electricity being the input. Compared to existing methods, this technology provides a much safer and more environmentally friendly solution, at less than 50 per cent of the cost.
Treatment of secondary sludge using free nitrous acid to enhance performance and economics of a wastewater treatment plant. This project will deliver a new process that utilises a by-product of wastewater treatment to reduce the environmental and financial costs of wastewater treatment. The project will significantly reduce waste materials discharged from wastewater treatment plants and enhance bioenergy recovery from wastewater, in addition to improving effluent quality.