Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. Construct a cheap means of ensiling fish waste and demonstrate the efficacy of the silage as a feed component for pigs, poultry and farmed fish
SCRC: SCRC Honour By Coursework Scholarship: WA Seafood Waste Streams: Audit And Identification Of Potential For Utilisation (Student - Jenny Hoi Ying Ng)
Optimisation Of Feed Distribution To Salmon In Sea-cage Culture
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$50,314.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To identify the diel and circannual feeding profiles of salmon in relation to fish size 2. To identify the effect of specific environmental conditions on the feeding patterns of salmon 3. Identify the feeding behaviour of salmon 4. To quantify the level of wastage associated with specific feeding techniques
Improvements To Semi Intensive Floating Tank System To Achieve Commercial Readiness In Marine Environments
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$72,000.00
Summary
This project relates to Challenge 3 - Increased demand and profitability. The priority it relates to is "Develop capacity to produce more fish for consumption or for fishing experiences."
Growing demand for finfish cannot be met by Australian commercial fishing sources, (particularly with cancellation of commercial licenses in WA). Aquaculture can potentially meet this growing demand. However, there is a reducing number of marine aquaculture sites in Australia due to the increased at ....This project relates to Challenge 3 - Increased demand and profitability. The priority it relates to is "Develop capacity to produce more fish for consumption or for fishing experiences."
Growing demand for finfish cannot be met by Australian commercial fishing sources, (particularly with cancellation of commercial licenses in WA). Aquaculture can potentially meet this growing demand. However, there is a reducing number of marine aquaculture sites in Australia due to the increased attention to the environmental impact of traditional sea cage aquaculture.
This project is focused on creating an environmentally sensitive marine aquaculture production system, to increase aquaculture production, offsetting the reduction of commercial fishing licenses and help address the increasing prices of finfish in WA.
The FRDC will be aware of the SIFTS project in Northam which had combined funding from FRDC and The Wheatbelt Development Authority. It was concluded that the SIFTS has application in sensitive marine environments.
Therefore, McRobert have funded the R&D to date ($550,000) modifying the SIFTS for a sheltered marine environment. This R&D has resulted in a prototype in Fremantle Harbour. To date, only small quantities of fish have been trialed as the system still needs to have a number of components completed before it can be put into full utilisation.
McRobert wish to progress quickly with these modifications so that we can trial several species, and analyse data before the lease on the site expires.
Benefits from this project include: - More coastal locations will be acceptable for aquaculture of marine finfish using a SIFTS system, making aquaculture viable. - Increased aquaculture production in Australia and less reliance on imports. - Excess capacity in the exisiting value adding infrastructure can be utilised rather than abandoned. - Sludge dewatering and economic disposal will also have potential benefits for existing and future recirculation systems.
Objectives: 1. To develop an efficient commercial waste process that results in an onshore waste product that can either be used commercially or dispoased of economically 2. To design and commission a labour efficient system which removes sick/dead fish from SIFTS without diving and stressing the remaining fish. Read moreRead less
Circular Economy Opportunities For Fisheries And Aquaculture In Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$158,000.00
Summary
Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as ....Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as the earth’s resources cycle as materials through the economy they restore and enhance, rather than deplete, natural capital.
Economic opportunities of circularity are well identified, the World Economic Forum estimates global adoption of CE principles would deliver cost savings of US$1trillion dollars per annum by 2025. A recent UTS:ISF study estimated an Australian CE could be worth AU$2 billion by 2025. However, current knowledge gaps constrain how CE may develop, at what scale it makes sense to close loops, and the strategies, policy mix and incentives needed to promote circularity.
For fisheries and aquaculture, CE adoption addresses waste challenges through the creation of new value chains for fish/shell waste and substitution or recycling plastics and provides co-benefits of resource efficiency, contributions to healthy aquatic eco-systems and creation of added value and new employment. Frameworks to guide ‘CE thinking’ exist e.g. Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s 10R’s and ReSOLVE (see Supplementary Material), but have not been explored, are often omitted in food innovation debates (Pagotto and Halog 2015), and opportunities for implementation within the sector are still emerging (e.g., replacement of fish-feed for abalone with wine production waste or repurposing mussel shells as high-nutrient fertiliser). The need to understand the context, opportunity and benefit of CE innovations and to identify strategic approaches to sectoral circularity at scale are apparent.
Objectives: 1. 1. Develop increased knowledge of how the concept of circular economy relates to fishing and aquaculture, including downstream activities such as post-harvest processing and packaging. 2. 2. Develop increased knowledge of how circular practices being applied in other sectors and industries relate to the fishing and aquaculture sectors and could be adopted by fishing and aquaculture businesses. This includes opportunities for fisheries/aquaculture industries to develop circular linkages with other marine and land based sectors. 3. 3. Identify opportunities that are available and areas for exploration in the short, medium and longer term to progress a circular economy for fisheries and aquaculture. 4. 4. Identify barriers to adopting circularity within the fisheries/aquaculture sector, and known strategies for addressing those barriers. Read moreRead less
The Development Of A Dry, Pathogen Free, Water Stable, Lobster Bait - Investigation Into Operational Parameters
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$80,407.27
Summary
The bait used in the Western Rock Lobster industry consists largely of frozen fish of which 18,000 Tonnes are used annually. Of this, 15,000 Tonnes are imported and consist of Sardines, Blue Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Herring and Australian Salmon (from New Zealand). The lobster season is from 15th November to 30th June and most of the fish used must be stored frozen to meet the seasonal demand. Apart from the cost of the bait per se there are significant costs in transporting the bait to the p ....The bait used in the Western Rock Lobster industry consists largely of frozen fish of which 18,000 Tonnes are used annually. Of this, 15,000 Tonnes are imported and consist of Sardines, Blue Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Herring and Australian Salmon (from New Zealand). The lobster season is from 15th November to 30th June and most of the fish used must be stored frozen to meet the seasonal demand. Apart from the cost of the bait per se there are significant costs in transporting the bait to the pots and a significant level of wastage, as bait, once thawed, cannot be re-frozen.
In order for the bait which has been developed, to become a realistic and reliable proposition for commercial manufacture, elements of its formulation, shape and processing technique need to be further defined. Objectives: 1. To determine the optimum level of key additives, while maintaining acceptable water stability. 2. To determine the optimum shape and size parameters for commercial bait. 3. To determine the optimum processing conditions, with particular regard to bait shape and size, and microbiological performance. Read moreRead less
NCCP: Assessment Of Options For Utilisation Of Virus Infected Carp
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$258,344.45
Summary
Wild carp (Cyprinus carpio) are an invasive species found throughout Australian freshwater systems. The species is well established throughout the Murray-Darling basin (MDB) and makes up to 90% of the fish biomass in some areas. There are concerns that carp are damaging the ecology of MDB waterways and competing with native species for food.
The Australian Federal government has developed the National Carp Control Plan which will assess the feasibility and potentially manage the release of Cyp ....Wild carp (Cyprinus carpio) are an invasive species found throughout Australian freshwater systems. The species is well established throughout the Murray-Darling basin (MDB) and makes up to 90% of the fish biomass in some areas. There are concerns that carp are damaging the ecology of MDB waterways and competing with native species for food.
The Australian Federal government has developed the National Carp Control Plan which will assess the feasibility and potentially manage the release of Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) as a biocontrol agent for the invasive carp. The virus is expected to reduce the carp population by between 70–95% within the first few years. Initial release at breeding sites is expected to wipe out primarily juvenile carp at first, followed by mature fish. It is anticipated bird-life will consume a large portion of the immature carp however deceased mature carp present an environmental challenge as their decomposition may impact upon water quality. The large mass of deceased carp will require a large scale clean-up and present a unique opportunity to be utilised for fish products.
Currently carp are harvested for use in fertiliser; however as estimates of the deceased biomass are in the hundreds of thousands of tonnes, other avenues for utilisation warrant further investigation. Compositional analysis, suitability of CyHV-3 infected fish for processing, pilot scale production trials and subsequent market appraisal is required to realise new product streams. Development of new products utilising the infected deceased carp will assist in the clean-up, reduce disposal costs and potentially generate income for the local economy.
Objectives: 1. To identify, pilot and undertake subsequent cost benefit analysis (CBA) for developing new processes/products from deceased feral carp (as part of National Carp Control Plan). Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Management, Communication And Network
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$527,365.00
Summary
This project is aimed at increasing the capacity to provide Australian seafood businesses with assistance in analysing and improving their post-harvest performance and thus improve their profitability and ability to meet and respond to their customer's needs.
This need has been articulated in the WAFIC CRC strategic plan and the FRDC 5 year strategic plan, as well as in the Seafood CRC outcomes and objectives.
The need for the project has been demonstrated across t ....This project is aimed at increasing the capacity to provide Australian seafood businesses with assistance in analysing and improving their post-harvest performance and thus improve their profitability and ability to meet and respond to their customer's needs.
This need has been articulated in the WAFIC CRC strategic plan and the FRDC 5 year strategic plan, as well as in the Seafood CRC outcomes and objectives.
The need for the project has been demonstrated across the seafood industry by the >10 research projects previously funded by the CRC in the supply chain improvement area and the seafood industry partners committing to the new project (see attached letters of support). Objectives: 1. Through post graduate training and employment of scientists expand the research capacity with the CESSH to further support Australian seafood industry participants in analysing and improving their post harvest supply chain performance. 2. Foster, lead, enhance capacity and provide administrative support to expand the activities of the Australian seafood post harvest hub to better meet the needs of the Australian seafood industry. 3. Provide a means for the Australian seafood industry to access post harvest "commercial-in-confidence" technical expertise, either through CRSSH or in the other specific post harvest research areas available as part of the Australian post harvest research hub. 4. Develop best practice/innovation in effectively communicating the results of the CESSH post harvest research to the Australian seafood industry. 5. Demonstrate professionalism and transparency in all reporting on research sub program activities. Read moreRead less
BCA - Prawn Farm Effluent: Origin, Composition And Treatment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$5,981.05
Summary
Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. ....Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. Read moreRead less