Development of strategies for early detection of respiratory microbial infections possibly imported to Australia by humans and animals. The impact of global terrorism, SARS and Avian influenza underlines the importance to Australia of having advanced early-warning systems for airborne disease threats. Our new technique will provide continuous monitoring, rapid detection, and viability reporting on pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by air. The technique is non-invasive and is feasible to anal ....Development of strategies for early detection of respiratory microbial infections possibly imported to Australia by humans and animals. The impact of global terrorism, SARS and Avian influenza underlines the importance to Australia of having advanced early-warning systems for airborne disease threats. Our new technique will provide continuous monitoring, rapid detection, and viability reporting on pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by air. The technique is non-invasive and is feasible to analyse much larger populations of humans and animals with their minimal disturbance. This will benefit Australia and protect the country in the areas of public and animal health, and defence against bioterrorism or biowarfare. The technology has worldwide export potential, creating new high-tech enterprises and jobs.Read moreRead less
Research and development of devices to improve the quality of stormwater by removal of gross pollutants such as soil, litter and sediment. Oil,litter and sediment are serious pollutants in stormwater which go hand in hand with human and industrial activity. An outcome of this research will be to develop a device capable of removing such gross pollutants from stormwater at higher efficiencies than that currently commercially available. Vital wetland resources such as Moreton Bay near Brisbane, a ....Research and development of devices to improve the quality of stormwater by removal of gross pollutants such as soil, litter and sediment. Oil,litter and sediment are serious pollutants in stormwater which go hand in hand with human and industrial activity. An outcome of this research will be to develop a device capable of removing such gross pollutants from stormwater at higher efficiencies than that currently commercially available. Vital wetland resources such as Moreton Bay near Brisbane, a wetland of international significance that contributes around $400 million to the local economy,are under threat from polluted stormwater. Similar problems are occuring right around the entire coast of Australia and also in some inland waterways.Read moreRead less
Flow generated by ducted surface pumps: buoyant jets at high Reynolds numbers and low Froude numbers. Ducted surface pumps are used in reservoirs to circulate and destratify the water in order to maintain its general quality and reduce the incidence of toxic algal blooms. This project aims to improve our understanding of the circulation and mixing behaviour of the large, low velocity jets, plumes and fountains created by these pumps. Computational fluid dynamics, laboratory and field studies wil ....Flow generated by ducted surface pumps: buoyant jets at high Reynolds numbers and low Froude numbers. Ducted surface pumps are used in reservoirs to circulate and destratify the water in order to maintain its general quality and reduce the incidence of toxic algal blooms. This project aims to improve our understanding of the circulation and mixing behaviour of the large, low velocity jets, plumes and fountains created by these pumps. Computational fluid dynamics, laboratory and field studies will be used to model and map these flow fields. The findings will have a number of potential applications including methods for improving water quality in and downstream of storages.Read moreRead less
A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Riverine and Estuarine Systems in South-East Queensland. Dispersion of matter in natural river systems is of considerable importance, particularly in relation to the transport of nutrients, sediment and toxicants into ecosystems as a result of stormwater runoff and wastewater discharges. The project aims to improve our basic understanding of mixing and dispersion processes in tropical and subtropical rivers and estuaries, and to develop improved predicti ....A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Riverine and Estuarine Systems in South-East Queensland. Dispersion of matter in natural river systems is of considerable importance, particularly in relation to the transport of nutrients, sediment and toxicants into ecosystems as a result of stormwater runoff and wastewater discharges. The project aims to improve our basic understanding of mixing and dispersion processes in tropical and subtropical rivers and estuaries, and to develop improved predictive models to assist with the management of natural ecosystems. This will be achieved through a Ph.D. research project integrating basic water engineering and environmental sciences.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
Multi-scale, two-phase flow in complex coal seam systems. Australia is the world’s leading coal exporter and a large consumer of coal. This project aims to fill key knowledge gaps that underpin the challenge facing the coal industry and environmental agencies in assessing the impact of coal mining on the surrounding environment, in particular, adjacent river and groundwater systems.
Landfill Based Rapid Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste. The rapid digestion of municipal solid waste has the potential to make putrescible landfills obsolete. Waste can be digested prior to landfilling, eliminating odour and the emission of methane. Pre-digestion is currently performed in highly mechanised in-vessel digesters in some European locations. Demonstations in our laboratory have shown similar digestion rates can be achieved in static beds. This technology can be feasibl ....Landfill Based Rapid Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste. The rapid digestion of municipal solid waste has the potential to make putrescible landfills obsolete. Waste can be digested prior to landfilling, eliminating odour and the emission of methane. Pre-digestion is currently performed in highly mechanised in-vessel digesters in some European locations. Demonstations in our laboratory have shown similar digestion rates can be achieved in static beds. This technology can be feasibly scaled to digest waste streams of the size produced by Australian cities. The project will scale up this technology in a series of test cell trials at the Thiess Swanbank landfill near Ipswich, Queensland.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$381,468.00
Summary
Efficient PFAS removal from urban wastewater using a novel two-step approach. This project aims to enhance the removal of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds from municipal wastewater by making two simple amendments to standard wastewater treatment plants. Magnetite nanoparticles will be added to the treatment process, which adsorb PFAS compounds and reduce them to acceptable environmental levels. The resulting sludge will be dried and ashed in a simple and novel self-sustaining ....Efficient PFAS removal from urban wastewater using a novel two-step approach. This project aims to enhance the removal of per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds from municipal wastewater by making two simple amendments to standard wastewater treatment plants. Magnetite nanoparticles will be added to the treatment process, which adsorb PFAS compounds and reduce them to acceptable environmental levels. The resulting sludge will be dried and ashed in a simple and novel self-sustaining smoldering process which will render the captured PFAS to small ash, condensate and gaseous streams suitable for established destruction technologies. The project is expected to provide support to water utilities in achieving sustainable water treatment and result in environmental and social benefits to the community.Read moreRead less
A Fundamental Understanding of Methane Driven Denitrification. Eutrophication in waterways due to the presence of nutrients including nitrogen is a well-recognised environmental problem. Moreton Bay, for example, used to receive 3,300 tons of nitrogen each year from point sources. Stringent nitrogen discharge limits have therefore been imposed on most wastewater treatment systems across Australia. Nitrogen removal from wastewater is commonly accomplished in a biological way involving the use of ....A Fundamental Understanding of Methane Driven Denitrification. Eutrophication in waterways due to the presence of nutrients including nitrogen is a well-recognised environmental problem. Moreton Bay, for example, used to receive 3,300 tons of nitrogen each year from point sources. Stringent nitrogen discharge limits have therefore been imposed on most wastewater treatment systems across Australia. Nitrogen removal from wastewater is commonly accomplished in a biological way involving the use of bacteria. The project aims to investigate a particular bacterial community, which is able to perform nitrogen removal from wastewater with methane as a renewable carbon source. The project will therefore lead to more sustainable wastewater treatment systems.Read moreRead less
Endogenous Processes in Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems. Biomass decay, or endogenous processes play a major role in biological wastewater treatment systems, but are poorly understood at present. Drawing on the expertise of four internationally leading groups in the area, we will carry out a comprehensive and profound study of these processes. The study will yield novel designs and operational strategies for wastewater treatment plants that optimise the microbial populations to achieve l ....Endogenous Processes in Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems. Biomass decay, or endogenous processes play a major role in biological wastewater treatment systems, but are poorly understood at present. Drawing on the expertise of four internationally leading groups in the area, we will carry out a comprehensive and profound study of these processes. The study will yield novel designs and operational strategies for wastewater treatment plants that optimise the microbial populations to achieve lower sludge production and higher treatment capacity and performance. It will also deliver a reliable, yet easy to use, model for endogenous processes. Furthermore, a number of highly skilled PhD students will be trained.Read moreRead less