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
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
A Novel Approach for Color and Degradation Control in Post Consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate During Recycling. Discoloration is a critical problem in the manufacturing of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymeric products in which optical clarity requirement is high. The inherent weakness of the PET demands highly efficient stabilisation of this polymer. The project aims to understand and eliminate the occurrence of such discoloration and improve the quality of the Visy product ....A Novel Approach for Color and Degradation Control in Post Consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate During Recycling. Discoloration is a critical problem in the manufacturing of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymeric products in which optical clarity requirement is high. The inherent weakness of the PET demands highly efficient stabilisation of this polymer. The project aims to understand and eliminate the occurrence of such discoloration and improve the quality of the Visy products. New multifunctional additives will be developed, which when added to PET during processing, will not only quench the discoloration reaction but also yield high quality products with excellent optical properties. This project is of substantial strategic importance to the Australian/global polymer processing and recycling industries.
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Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proa ....Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proactive sewer management including network-wide real-time control. The project aims to generate significant social, environmental and economic benefits by enabling utilities to better protect public and environmental health, reduce sewer odour and greenhouse gas emissions, and extend sewer asset life.Read moreRead less
Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. This project aims to develop and demonstrate, through real-life field studies, a model predictive control approach that achieves cost-effective network-wide mitigation of hydrogen sulphide. The lack of suitable methodologies to support the control designs of chemical dosing units and sewage pumping stations makes network-wide sewer corrosio ....Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. This project aims to develop and demonstrate, through real-life field studies, a model predictive control approach that achieves cost-effective network-wide mitigation of hydrogen sulphide. The lack of suitable methodologies to support the control designs of chemical dosing units and sewage pumping stations makes network-wide sewer corrosion and odour management a problem. Innovative control methodology will simultaneously manipulate chemical dosing unit(s) and selected sewage pumping station(s), based on real-time prediction of sewage flows and characteristics both at sources and across the network, to ensure optimal delivery of dosed chemicals to mitigate hydrogen sulphide.Read moreRead less
Phytocapping for sustainable waste containment systems and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and odour from waste disposal sites. Landfills remain the main method of waste disposal in Australia and are a major source of groundwater contamination and greenhouse and odour emissions. This national research program will establish, under a wide range of Australian conditions, whether landfill phytocaps can meet regulatory performance criteria for water infiltration into and gas emissions from clo ....Phytocapping for sustainable waste containment systems and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and odour from waste disposal sites. Landfills remain the main method of waste disposal in Australia and are a major source of groundwater contamination and greenhouse and odour emissions. This national research program will establish, under a wide range of Australian conditions, whether landfill phytocaps can meet regulatory performance criteria for water infiltration into and gas emissions from closed landfills more effectively, efficiently and sustainably than conventional capping systems. The project will produce (a) a scientific basis for site owners and regulators to agree on the performance and cost of conventional and phyto cover technologies, (b) a manual for the design and permitting of alternative covers and (c)improved scientific prediction of cover performance.Read moreRead less
Optical fibre dip-sensors for in-situ environmental monitoring. This project will continue to build Australia's reputation as a global leader in both the science and technology of emerging optical fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in medicine, defence, and sensing. It will be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. The new class of low-cost environmental sensors to be created here will provide benefit to Austr ....Optical fibre dip-sensors for in-situ environmental monitoring. This project will continue to build Australia's reputation as a global leader in both the science and technology of emerging optical fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in medicine, defence, and sensing. It will be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. The new class of low-cost environmental sensors to be created here will provide benefit to Australia, enabling environmental and agricultural managers to more effectively monitor and manage natural resources such as water and nutrients and will lead to a more productive and sustainable economy.Read moreRead less
Optimising permeable pavements with underlying reservoirs to enhance urban tree performance. This project will determine the optimal configuration of permeable pavements with underlying storage reservoirs and water delivery system to resolve the water security challenges that trees face in urban environments. This project will promote the healthy growth of urban trees and will lead to more liveable and healthier cities.