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
Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact w ....Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact with each other and their surrounding environment to form blooms and produce toxins and other harmful metabolites. Such knowledge will inform risk assessment and provide strategies for the mitigation of future bloom events, improving the security of our increasingly valuable recycled water resources.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.
Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins and bad tastes that contaminate drinking water sources, cause public concern about water quality. This project will address a critical knowledge gap by investigating species that grow on the sediments of reservoirs, thus providing more comprehensive management solutions to the water industry.
Adaptive ecotyping of the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii to predict its invasive capacity. We change the world while other organisms adapt to these new conditions. Cyanobacteria (blue green algae) increasingly dominate water bodies that were previously free of these harmful blooms. To minimise the spread of these algae, this project will study the genetic basis that determines how rapidly they can evolve and adapt to a changing planet.
Improved electrophoretic analyser for water quality monitoring. This proposal will advance the Australian made Eco Detection portable electrophoretic analyser for autonomous monitoring of water chemistry - the Eco Sensor. We will re-design and miniaturise the fluidic manifold to reduce capital- and per-sample cost, increase the sensitivity of nutrients - nitrate and phospate - by 100-times in both fresh- and sea-waters, and develop new ultra-sensitive reagents for heavy metal detection at enviro ....Improved electrophoretic analyser for water quality monitoring. This proposal will advance the Australian made Eco Detection portable electrophoretic analyser for autonomous monitoring of water chemistry - the Eco Sensor. We will re-design and miniaturise the fluidic manifold to reduce capital- and per-sample cost, increase the sensitivity of nutrients - nitrate and phospate - by 100-times in both fresh- and sea-waters, and develop new ultra-sensitive reagents for heavy metal detection at environmentally regulated levels. This will provide a single platform for at-site near-real-time monitoring of water chemistry for agricultural, mining, water corporations and other industries that use and/or discharge water to the environment. Read moreRead less
Activating lazy stormwater wetlands through real time monitoring & control. Constructed stormwater wetlands are the last line of defence preventing pollution of urban waterways, but wetlands often fail, with their passive operation unable to adapt to the highly variable climate and hydrology they experience. This project aims to use advances in real-time control technology to turn these lazy wetlands into active wetland systems, optimising their performance. It aims to deliver new-generation tec ....Activating lazy stormwater wetlands through real time monitoring & control. Constructed stormwater wetlands are the last line of defence preventing pollution of urban waterways, but wetlands often fail, with their passive operation unable to adapt to the highly variable climate and hydrology they experience. This project aims to use advances in real-time control technology to turn these lazy wetlands into active wetland systems, optimising their performance. It aims to deliver new-generation technologies to enhance water quality treatment, enhance urban water security and guarantee environmental flows to maintain healthy waterways. Working in partnership with waterway managers and water retailers, this project strives to deliver a nationally and globally relevant technology to change how we manage water in cities.Read moreRead less
Ammonia recovery from wastewaters using flow electrode-membrane systems. This project aims to develop an innovative approach to the recovery of ammonia from dilute wastewaters using coupled-flow electrode-membrane technologies that also enable energy recovery. The outcome of the project is expected to minimise damage to, and develop solutions for, restoration and remediation of, soil, fresh and potable water, urban catchments and marine systems, and significantly improve the environmental impact ....Ammonia recovery from wastewaters using flow electrode-membrane systems. This project aims to develop an innovative approach to the recovery of ammonia from dilute wastewaters using coupled-flow electrode-membrane technologies that also enable energy recovery. The outcome of the project is expected to minimise damage to, and develop solutions for, restoration and remediation of, soil, fresh and potable water, urban catchments and marine systems, and significantly improve the environmental impacts of ammonia.Read moreRead less
Adapting catchment monitoring and potable water treatment to climate change. Adapting catchment monitoring and potable water treatment to climate change. This project aims to make the water industry capable of foreseeing and managing adverse raw water organic matter quality from the catchment to the treatment plant. It will research the triggers for organic matter excursions that compromise treatment plant performance and affect public health. The project will develop and deploy innovative senso ....Adapting catchment monitoring and potable water treatment to climate change. Adapting catchment monitoring and potable water treatment to climate change. This project aims to make the water industry capable of foreseeing and managing adverse raw water organic matter quality from the catchment to the treatment plant. It will research the triggers for organic matter excursions that compromise treatment plant performance and affect public health. The project will develop and deploy innovative sensors to detect targeted water quality changes at the molecular level in situ and real time, and improve operating strategies for robust and reliable performance of existing treatment plants. This catchment to plant approach is expected to make existing treatment assets more productive and defer additional treatment costs.Read moreRead less
Optimising CDI Water Treatment for Ion Removal and Energy Recovery. This project aims to develop capacitive deionisation (CDI) for the decontamination of water. The specific goals are firstly to identify applications where CDI could cost-effectively make brackish, contaminated water usable. The project then intends to optimise CDI design and operating conditions to remove particular ions of concern and to develop approaches to energy recovery. The main outcome is intended to be a photovoltaic-po ....Optimising CDI Water Treatment for Ion Removal and Energy Recovery. This project aims to develop capacitive deionisation (CDI) for the decontamination of water. The specific goals are firstly to identify applications where CDI could cost-effectively make brackish, contaminated water usable. The project then intends to optimise CDI design and operating conditions to remove particular ions of concern and to develop approaches to energy recovery. The main outcome is intended to be a photovoltaic-powered CDI unit that is capable of stand-alone operation with optimal energy recovery and inbuilt monitoring, and control technology enabling cost-effective and sustainable operation.Read moreRead less