Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business ....Enhancing the productivity of wastewater desalination. Climate change is causing reduced rainfall over much of populated Australia. New technology to enable membrane desalination of wastewater treatment effluent will be developed to provide secure reliable water supplies for Australian (and international) urban and regional communities. Application of the technology to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee will provide up to 10 gigalitres/year of recycled water to the local agricultural, business and tourism precincts. The economy, community and environment will benefit due to reduced use of potable, river and ground water. Wide application of this technology to wastewater and brackish water will lead to similar benefits and an environmentally sustainable Australia.
Read moreRead less
Improving water use efficiency of grapevine production in the Great Western region using effluent water and soil amelioration practices. Irrigation of vineyards with municipal wastewater is a desirable option for the viticulturists of the Great Western region of Victoria, but only if vineyard soil structure is not adversely affected. This project will (1) study the impact of dissolved chemicals in the waste water on the structure of the local sandy soils; (2) model the data to enhance understand ....Improving water use efficiency of grapevine production in the Great Western region using effluent water and soil amelioration practices. Irrigation of vineyards with municipal wastewater is a desirable option for the viticulturists of the Great Western region of Victoria, but only if vineyard soil structure is not adversely affected. This project will (1) study the impact of dissolved chemicals in the waste water on the structure of the local sandy soils; (2) model the data to enhance understanding of the key chemical and physical mechanisms controlling grey water impact in heterogeneous environments. The resulting predictive tools will have direct application in the Great Western region's vineyards, and for irrigation of grey water in vineyards across Ausralia.Read moreRead less
Production of diesel from the catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastics. Large amounts of waste plastics go to landfill daily. Landfill simply buries our wastes for future generations and can contribute to the contamination of ground water. This project aims to develop an advanced pyrolysis technology to produce transport diesel from waste plastics. This technology is an economically attractive and environmentally friendly way for the disposal of waste plastics without any environmental problems ass ....Production of diesel from the catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastics. Large amounts of waste plastics go to landfill daily. Landfill simply buries our wastes for future generations and can contribute to the contamination of ground water. This project aims to develop an advanced pyrolysis technology to produce transport diesel from waste plastics. This technology is an economically attractive and environmentally friendly way for the disposal of waste plastics without any environmental problems associated with the landfill or direct incineration of waste plastics. As this technology is based on advances in Australian research and development, exporting this to other countries will further enhance its economic and social benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Expert judgment of environmental health risks from exposures to contaminants in urban water systems. Sustainable urban water policy requires informed risk management procedures for health and environmental risks from exposures to many contaminants in urban water systems. This research articulates with the National Water Quality Management Strategy and national guidelines for drinking and recycled water; and it shows barriers to successful community adoption of new sustainable water technologies. ....Expert judgment of environmental health risks from exposures to contaminants in urban water systems. Sustainable urban water policy requires informed risk management procedures for health and environmental risks from exposures to many contaminants in urban water systems. This research articulates with the National Water Quality Management Strategy and national guidelines for drinking and recycled water; and it shows barriers to successful community adoption of new sustainable water technologies. Technical advances in modelling expert opinion will contribute to improved standardised risk assessment frameworks throughout government. The research is fundamental for better decision-making for regulators, suppliers, and managers and it will influence the international development of similar guidelines for sustainable urban water use.Read moreRead less
A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural netw ....A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural networks trained on lab-scale and synthetic data to field implementation. The outcome is a machine learning framework to optimise biogas harvesting and renewable energy generation, and to avoid structural failure, that is capable of continuous improvement to take into account improved data and/or modelling capabilities.Read moreRead less
Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from South East Queensland waterways and influence of wastewater discharges. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges facing mankind. Substantial emission reduction must be achieved, with responsibilities to be shared by all sectors. Rivers, estuaries and water storages contribute considerably to global nitrous oxide and methane emissions, much of which is anthropogenic contributed by urban and agricultural run-of ....Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from South East Queensland waterways and influence of wastewater discharges. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges facing mankind. Substantial emission reduction must be achieved, with responsibilities to be shared by all sectors. Rivers, estuaries and water storages contribute considerably to global nitrous oxide and methane emissions, much of which is anthropogenic contributed by urban and agricultural run-off and wastewater discharges. Through an in-depth study on several rivers, estuaries and reservoirs in South East Queensland, this project will provide data to enable reliable estimation of such emissions in Australia, and deliver knowledge and tool support for the development of strategic catchment management strategies.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354804
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impac ....ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impacts of contaminated soil and wastes, and land remediation. By facilitating communication, the network enhances national and international research coordination, interaction with regulators, end-users, industry, and other stakeholders, achievement of critical mass for new initiatives, enhances research training and contributes to a critical National Priority.Read moreRead less
Ecological renovation of constructed wetlands: changing state from algae to macrophyte dominated systems. Mars Confectionary's constructed wastewater treatment wetlands no longer purify its waste waters. Over-burdening has tipped the balance from a plant dominated, clear water system to an algae dominated, turbid system. This project will aid restoration of the Mars wetlands by (1) improving our understanding of alage-macrophyte dynamics in shallow water basins; (2) producing a series of soft en ....Ecological renovation of constructed wetlands: changing state from algae to macrophyte dominated systems. Mars Confectionary's constructed wastewater treatment wetlands no longer purify its waste waters. Over-burdening has tipped the balance from a plant dominated, clear water system to an algae dominated, turbid system. This project will aid restoration of the Mars wetlands by (1) improving our understanding of alage-macrophyte dynamics in shallow water basins; (2) producing a series of soft engineering, ecologically based techniques for the management / rehabilitation of natural and constructed shallow water bodies which receive high nutrient loads; (3) improve decision support tools for the renovation and sustainable management of the Mars Confectionary, and similar food processing industry constructed wetlands.Read moreRead less
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
MoistureMap: A soil moisture monitoring, prediction and reporting system for sustainable land and water management. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content is critical to environmental sustainability and risk adverse farm management. A paddock scale soil moisture prediction tool will allow i) grain growers to make informed decisions of what to plant and when, based on likely germination rates and crop yield, ii) graziers to be proactive rega ....MoistureMap: A soil moisture monitoring, prediction and reporting system for sustainable land and water management. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content is critical to environmental sustainability and risk adverse farm management. A paddock scale soil moisture prediction tool will allow i) grain growers to make informed decisions of what to plant and when, based on likely germination rates and crop yield, ii) graziers to be proactive regarding management of stocking rates based on likely pasture growth, and iii) better weather and climate prediction skill. At regional scales moisture information can be used to support claims of drought exceptional circumstances.Read moreRead less