A novel process for removing phosphorus microbiologically from wastewater. Australia is a water limited continent, and its rivers and lakes are priceless assets, but because of climatic conditions, these are especially sensitive to blooms of 'blue green algae'. Some are highly toxic, and water containing them is unsuitable for most purposes. Current technology for P removal requires constructing complex plant configurations, and most of these operate unpredictably and unreliably. This project ....A novel process for removing phosphorus microbiologically from wastewater. Australia is a water limited continent, and its rivers and lakes are priceless assets, but because of climatic conditions, these are especially sensitive to blooms of 'blue green algae'. Some are highly toxic, and water containing them is unsuitable for most purposes. Current technology for P removal requires constructing complex plant configurations, and most of these operate unpredictably and unreliably. This project will develop and fully evaluate a revolutionarily different alternative with a fully aerobic system, capable of being added onto the end of a conventional treatment plant, making protection of rivers and streams simpler and more feasible. Read moreRead less
Biocontrol of foaming in activated sludge plants with bacteriophages. Activated sludge systems are the most widely used processes for treating wastewater in Australia. Yet most eventually suffer from episodes of bulking and foaming, where high levels of biosolids leave the plant with the treated waste, representing serious pollution hazards. Attempts to solve these problems have met with limited success.The highly novel biocontrol method proposed here will provide a specific, environmentally fri ....Biocontrol of foaming in activated sludge plants with bacteriophages. Activated sludge systems are the most widely used processes for treating wastewater in Australia. Yet most eventually suffer from episodes of bulking and foaming, where high levels of biosolids leave the plant with the treated waste, representing serious pollution hazards. Attempts to solve these problems have met with limited success.The highly novel biocontrol method proposed here will provide a specific, environmentally friendly and safe method to protect our rivers, streams and oceans form the harmful consequences of these problemsRead moreRead less
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
A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new ....A novel method for controlling microbial concrete corrosion in sewers. This project plans to use a newly discovered, low-cost and environmental benign antimicrobial agent to develop an innovative technology to control the development of corrosion-inducing sewer biofilms. Concrete sewer corrosion is a long-standing and costly problem for the water industry. Microbial hydrogen sulfide oxidation on concrete surfaces plays a critical role. The technology will be designed to prevent corrosion of new concrete sewers by adding a precursor chemical into the cement, or to slow down the corrosion of existing sewers by infrequently (once every one to few years) spraying the precursor chemical directly onto the concrete surface. Potentially, the project will substantially reduce sewer corrosion.Read moreRead less
Microbial community characterisation for bioprocessing of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. Due to irresponsible industrial practices, Australia has hundreds of polluted soil and water environments. This includes the notorious groundwater contamination underlying Botany in Sydney, an area of rich industrial, residential and cultural significance. The use of microbes to clean up polluted environments, such as the Botany groundwater, is known as bioremediation - a process exploitin ....Microbial community characterisation for bioprocessing of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. Due to irresponsible industrial practices, Australia has hundreds of polluted soil and water environments. This includes the notorious groundwater contamination underlying Botany in Sydney, an area of rich industrial, residential and cultural significance. The use of microbes to clean up polluted environments, such as the Botany groundwater, is known as bioremediation - a process exploiting the natural metabolic versatility of microbes. To clean up the polluted groundwater in Botany, mixed species communities of pollutant degrading microbes are being produced. Novel tools to reveal the inner workings of these microscopic communities are also being developed, giving Australia an unprecedented advantage in the global bioremediation market.Read moreRead less
Contribution of comammox bacteria to soil nitrification. This project aims to understand the diversity, activity and environmental relevance of comammox bacteria, the newly-discovered complete nitrifiers, in Australian soils, and to evaluate their relative contributions to nitrification processes compared to other canonical nitrifying prokaryotes. Nitrogen transformations are pivotal microbial processes, with nitrification largely responsible for nitrogen losses through nitrous oxide emissions a ....Contribution of comammox bacteria to soil nitrification. This project aims to understand the diversity, activity and environmental relevance of comammox bacteria, the newly-discovered complete nitrifiers, in Australian soils, and to evaluate their relative contributions to nitrification processes compared to other canonical nitrifying prokaryotes. Nitrogen transformations are pivotal microbial processes, with nitrification largely responsible for nitrogen losses through nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching in the terrestrial ecosystems. The expected outcomes will develop new knowledge on the comammox bacteria and provide novel insights into refined strategies to manipulate nitrification processes for improved nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable agricultural management.Read moreRead less
Improving thiocyanate bioremediation with meta-genomics/transcriptomics. Improving thiocyanate bioremediation with meta-genomics/transcriptomics. This project aims to elucidate the roles of thiocyanate-degrading microbial consortium members involved in sulphur and nitrogen oxidation, using metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. The gold mining industry generates environmentally toxic thiocyanate as a waste by-product, for which the most cost-effective remediation strategy is degradation by natura ....Improving thiocyanate bioremediation with meta-genomics/transcriptomics. Improving thiocyanate bioremediation with meta-genomics/transcriptomics. This project aims to elucidate the roles of thiocyanate-degrading microbial consortium members involved in sulphur and nitrogen oxidation, using metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. The gold mining industry generates environmentally toxic thiocyanate as a waste by-product, for which the most cost-effective remediation strategy is degradation by natural microbes. Efforts to bioremediate, however, suffer from a lack of understanding of the full metabolic potential of the microbes involved. The intended outcome of this project is the improved design and operation of thiocyanate bioremediation reactor systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
High resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Orbitrap) for analyses of polar compounds in biomass, petroleum, potable and reclaimed water. Climate change and human impact can harm sensitive ecosystems, significantly threatening Australian biodiversity and water resources. Chemical and biological characterisation of aquatic and terrestrial environments is paramount to assessing and responding to these threats, as well as assisting natural resource utilisation. The high structural pola ....High resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Orbitrap) for analyses of polar compounds in biomass, petroleum, potable and reclaimed water. Climate change and human impact can harm sensitive ecosystems, significantly threatening Australian biodiversity and water resources. Chemical and biological characterisation of aquatic and terrestrial environments is paramount to assessing and responding to these threats, as well as assisting natural resource utilisation. The high structural polarity of many environmentally occurring organics from biological, petroleum and anthropogenic sources, unamenable to gas chromatographic resolution, can now be accommodated by the advanced organic analytical technology sought in this proposal. This project will enable scholars and young professionals to be skilled in state-of-the-art technology, and prepare quality scientists, ready for employment.Read moreRead less
E. coli as an indicator of faecal contamination in the Australian context. The goal of this research is to improve our ability to use Escherichia coli as an indicator of water quality by determining the extent to which non-faecal sources of E. coli contribute to coliform counts and to develop a method to differentiate non-faecal E. coli from those that are faecal derived.
Causes of and Cures for Microbiological Foams in Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants. Little is known of the true diversity of the bacteria causing foaming in activated sludge systems, or why and how they cause these foams. This application seeks funds for an interdisciplinary approach to address these issues, involving input from microbiologists and surface chemists and physicists. Molecular techniques will be used to determine precisely the foaming bacterial communities and their phys ....Causes of and Cures for Microbiological Foams in Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants. Little is known of the true diversity of the bacteria causing foaming in activated sludge systems, or why and how they cause these foams. This application seeks funds for an interdisciplinary approach to address these issues, involving input from microbiologists and surface chemists and physicists. Molecular techniques will be used to determine precisely the foaming bacterial communities and their physiology, while their surface chemistry and organisation will be studied to understand the mechanisms involved in foaming with the intention of developing control strategies for this global problem suitable for large scale application.Read moreRead less