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
Development of redox-mediated microbial assays for the rapid characterisation and assessment of wastewater, wastewater treatment processes and recycled water. With SE Qld on Level 5 water restrictions the need to reduce our demand on drinking water by increasing our reliance on recycled water is now urgent. To achieve this we need to ensure that the quality of our recycled wastewater is of a suitable and reliable standard. This project will assist the water industry in this endeavour by the de ....Development of redox-mediated microbial assays for the rapid characterisation and assessment of wastewater, wastewater treatment processes and recycled water. With SE Qld on Level 5 water restrictions the need to reduce our demand on drinking water by increasing our reliance on recycled water is now urgent. To achieve this we need to ensure that the quality of our recycled wastewater is of a suitable and reliable standard. This project will assist the water industry in this endeavour by the developing monitoring techniques that can rapidly characterise and assess the effectiveness of wastewater treatment processes and the quality of the water derived from them. These methods will provide early warnings of potential 'upsets' in treatment plants that would otherwise result in poor quality effluents that would need to be discharged as waste rather than be recycled.Read moreRead less
Functional Analyses of Bacteria Involved in Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater. The abundant growth of blue-green algae in global waterways is substantially caused by phosphorus (P) release from wastewater treatment plants. This environmental drama can be mitigated against by P-accumulating bacteria partitioning the P inside their cells. The P-removal process often fails, but since the metabolism of P-accumulating bacteria is unknown, remedial actions are based on conjecture ....Functional Analyses of Bacteria Involved in Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater. The abundant growth of blue-green algae in global waterways is substantially caused by phosphorus (P) release from wastewater treatment plants. This environmental drama can be mitigated against by P-accumulating bacteria partitioning the P inside their cells. The P-removal process often fails, but since the metabolism of P-accumulating bacteria is unknown, remedial actions are based on conjecture. This fundamental, knowledge-generating project will address this shortfall and will develop methods to evaluate the activity of P-accumulating bacteria, contributing substantial understanding of their metabolism. The final goal is to promote stable, reproducible P-removal from wastewater.Read moreRead less
The use of chiral pharmaceutical compounds to characterise sewage treatment processes and sewage contamination of surface waters. Contamination by poorly treated and untreated sewage can severely degrade the quality of Australian surface waters. However, the behaviour of organic chemicals during conventional sewage treatment processes remains poorly understood. Furthermore, raw sewage pollution is generally not distinguishable from properly discharged treated sewage effluent by current analytica ....The use of chiral pharmaceutical compounds to characterise sewage treatment processes and sewage contamination of surface waters. Contamination by poorly treated and untreated sewage can severely degrade the quality of Australian surface waters. However, the behaviour of organic chemicals during conventional sewage treatment processes remains poorly understood. Furthermore, raw sewage pollution is generally not distinguishable from properly discharged treated sewage effluent by current analytical methods. The proposed research will provide a chemical marker for characterising treatment processes and identifying untreated sewage pollution. This will help to identify sources of such pollution so that they may be corrected. A principal outcome of the research will be the improved ability to protect Australia's valuable surface waters from sewage pollution.Read moreRead less
Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated waste ....Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated wastewater from STPs, making the wastewater suitable as a water resource. The newly developed nano-fibre catalysts and photocatalytic technology in the teatm will be used and further developed in this novel process. The research will focus on the water quality objectives in terms of technical reliability, and economic and environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Multiscale Modelling and Thermal Design Optimisation of Large-Scale Biomass Stockpiles for Use in Renewable Energy Products. By minimising the risk of spontaneous combustion this project will significantly contribute to the ability of the Australian sugar industry to store wet bagasse (sugar cane fibre residue) in large stockpiles. This will facilitate the year-round availability of biomass as a feedstock in renewable energy production. The mathematical models developed in this project deliver a ....Multiscale Modelling and Thermal Design Optimisation of Large-Scale Biomass Stockpiles for Use in Renewable Energy Products. By minimising the risk of spontaneous combustion this project will significantly contribute to the ability of the Australian sugar industry to store wet bagasse (sugar cane fibre residue) in large stockpiles. This will facilitate the year-round availability of biomass as a feedstock in renewable energy production. The mathematical models developed in this project deliver an enabling mechanism for facilitating the diversification of the sugar industry with the potential to produce significant financial returns for the industry. This research has the potential to initiate considerable and extremely positive, down-stream environmental impacts for Australia by enhancing feedstock production for ecologically sustainable power generation systems.Read moreRead less
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
Electrochemical treatment of problematic water recycle waste streams. Supply of potable water to Australia's major urban areas is a major challenge to growth and quality of life. Indirect potable reuse via membranes can address this issue, as it offers an inexpensive and sustainable water supply, as well as leveraging new water sources. However, the potential impact of the generated reject concentrates on aquatic and human health is potentially of large concern. Our project helps address this, ....Electrochemical treatment of problematic water recycle waste streams. Supply of potable water to Australia's major urban areas is a major challenge to growth and quality of life. Indirect potable reuse via membranes can address this issue, as it offers an inexpensive and sustainable water supply, as well as leveraging new water sources. However, the potential impact of the generated reject concentrates on aquatic and human health is potentially of large concern. Our project helps address this, by making reject treatment economically and environmentally much more sustainable, and thereby future-proofing the technology. In addition, it develops technology that can be used worldwide to treat other recalcitrant streams (e.g., hospital, tannery, pulp and paper), is highly scalable, and is low in operating cost.Read moreRead less
Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits ....Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits for sludge drying, including high efficiency and low costs, and produces a non-offensive product with a high energy value suitable for (renewable) power generation.Read moreRead less
Fungal Biomass Protein, a Bioproduct Derived from a Treatment Process of Winery Waste Streams. The Australian wine industry produces a substantial quantity of wastewater containing high levels of organic materials that are both highly polluting and costly to treat. This research aims to develop a biotechnological treatment process integrated with fungal biomass protein (FBP) production from the winery waste streams. The outcomes of this project are i) the production of fungal biomass for use as ....Fungal Biomass Protein, a Bioproduct Derived from a Treatment Process of Winery Waste Streams. The Australian wine industry produces a substantial quantity of wastewater containing high levels of organic materials that are both highly polluting and costly to treat. This research aims to develop a biotechnological treatment process integrated with fungal biomass protein (FBP) production from the winery waste streams. The outcomes of this project are i) the production of fungal biomass for use as a protein-rich animal feed; ii); the treatment of waste water to allow reuse for farm irrigation; and iii) reduced pollution of watercourses. The research will develop a novel technology that is environmentally friendly and adds value to the Australian winery industry via pollution reduction and FBP production.Read moreRead less