Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Water Reuse and Resource Recovery through Cost-Effective BNR. The recycling of treated wastewater effluents is needed to achieve water security, where very low nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels must be achieved for wastewater to be effectively recycled. This research investigates a more sustainable and cost-effective N&P removal process from wastewater, benefiting the environment and improving the viability of wastewater recycling. Phosphorus is a limited resource worldwide and ....Sustainable Water Reuse and Resource Recovery through Cost-Effective BNR. The recycling of treated wastewater effluents is needed to achieve water security, where very low nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels must be achieved for wastewater to be effectively recycled. This research investigates a more sustainable and cost-effective N&P removal process from wastewater, benefiting the environment and improving the viability of wastewater recycling. Phosphorus is a limited resource worldwide and will be effectively recovered in the process to be used as a fertiliser. This project develops wastewater treatment process tools, solutions and management strategies that addresses the current challenges of how optimal nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater is achieved, enabling water recycling and saving costs.Read moreRead less
Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of E ....Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of ENPs that have leached out of commercial products in groundwater systems. This information is expected to assist regulators in developing appropriate legislation to balance the tremendous benefits and potential risks of nanotechnology.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
Sources, sinks and processes of faecal contamination in urban estuaries: a case study of the lower Yarra River estuary. The Yarra River estuary is highly contaminated with faecal pollution, reducing the useability of Melbourne’s most iconic feature. This project will provide the necessary understanding to help mitigate faecal sources, with the ultimate aim of reducing the risks to users of this estuary.
Paving the way: an experimental approach to the mathematical modelling and design of permeable pavements. The intelligent use of permeable pavements will enable restoration of degraded land corridors. Collection and treatment of stormwater via filtration through porous media will improve water quality in urban environments and will also control flooding. The integration of ecology and urban living will present a revolutionary way to revitalize cities.
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.
Traffic microsimulation of ITS implementations in CBD road networks. This research project will investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies in an Australian Central Business District (CBD) environment. It is often assumed that road networks and especially high activity areas such as CBDs can benefit significantly from ITS implementations. Traditionally ITS impacts have been difficult to quantify due to difficulties in isolating network ....Traffic microsimulation of ITS implementations in CBD road networks. This research project will investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies in an Australian Central Business District (CBD) environment. It is often assumed that road networks and especially high activity areas such as CBDs can benefit significantly from ITS implementations. Traditionally ITS impacts have been difficult to quantify due to difficulties in isolating network effects and limitations with traditional traffic models. The project will overcome this difficulty by using a current state of the art traffic microsimulation model in order to test various ITS scenarios in a duplicate of a real world CBD.Read moreRead less
Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such ....Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such lakes and assess the possibility of using mining lakes as valued water resources in these regions. The primary outcome of the research will be improved management of the lakes for optimal long term water quality.Read moreRead less