Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how like ....Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how likely they are to exceed key thresholds. It targets important scientific and practical issues such as the joint occurrence of gusts and high rainfall, role of gusts in contributing to dust and other airborne pollutants, impacts of gusts on subsequent storm activity, and gusts in a warming climate.Read moreRead less
High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science a ....High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry will be generated. The core outcome of the project is a sustainable large-scale energy storage technology ready for immediate application in Australia. This will support the transition of the Australian energy sector to renewables and provide businesses with distributed energy storage solutions.Read moreRead less
A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins. Saxitoxins are potent microbial toxins, which pose a significant threat to food and water quality. Highly pure saxitoxins are required for environmental monitoring and studies of cell physiology. Certain analogues have also shown promise as long-lasting and non-addictive pain blockers. However, the procurement of these compounds from natural sources is convoluted and unsustainable. This project aims to use the latest synt ....A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins. Saxitoxins are potent microbial toxins, which pose a significant threat to food and water quality. Highly pure saxitoxins are required for environmental monitoring and studies of cell physiology. Certain analogues have also shown promise as long-lasting and non-addictive pain blockers. However, the procurement of these compounds from natural sources is convoluted and unsustainable. This project aims to use the latest synthetic biology techniques to characterise, modify and express saxitoxin biosynthesis pathways, thereby providing a sustainable source of toxin analogues of value to industry and research. This novel 'green technology' will benefit the environment, human health and the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Natural flood management: Nature-based flood mitigation in the 21st Century. The 2021-22 floods in Eastern Australia revealed the vulnerability of rivers to climate extremes. To prepare for a future with more intense floods, we must integrate nature-based flood mitigation strategies into river management. This project aims to address the potential of using Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a 21st Century flood mitigation solution. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods, reduce erosion, and mi ....Natural flood management: Nature-based flood mitigation in the 21st Century. The 2021-22 floods in Eastern Australia revealed the vulnerability of rivers to climate extremes. To prepare for a future with more intense floods, we must integrate nature-based flood mitigation strategies into river management. This project aims to address the potential of using Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a 21st Century flood mitigation solution. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods, reduce erosion, and minimise flood risk. Collaborating with NSW government partners the project expects to deliver scientific evidence for NFM and solutions for implementation in river rehabilitation, planning and community capacity building. The results will impact society's ability to adapt, reduce economic costs, and benefit the environment.Read moreRead less
Interfacial and Structural Changes During Digestion of Milk-like Systems. This project aims to enhance the understanding of the behaviour of milk and milk-like systems during digestion. Utilising new Australian research infrastructure the project aims to unlock the complex behaviour across different types of milk (including human breast milk) and infant formulae, linking how enzymes behave towards fat droplets and the consequences for lipid structuring and nutrient transport. The rational design ....Interfacial and Structural Changes During Digestion of Milk-like Systems. This project aims to enhance the understanding of the behaviour of milk and milk-like systems during digestion. Utilising new Australian research infrastructure the project aims to unlock the complex behaviour across different types of milk (including human breast milk) and infant formulae, linking how enzymes behave towards fat droplets and the consequences for lipid structuring and nutrient transport. The rational design of systems that function much more closely to human milk will enable the development of new products with flow on benefits in human nutrition and increased utilisation of products from our dairy industry.Read moreRead less
Hydrogeological drivers and fate of spring flow in a semi-arid setting. In arid and semi-arid climates, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems often rely on groundwater springs. Spring hydrology depends on complex relationships between underlying aquifers and surface conditions, leading to high uncertainties in understanding aquifer-spring-wetland hydrology, which is critical for spring ecosystem protection and to inform management of relevant groundwater-affecting activities. This project will appl ....Hydrogeological drivers and fate of spring flow in a semi-arid setting. In arid and semi-arid climates, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems often rely on groundwater springs. Spring hydrology depends on complex relationships between underlying aquifers and surface conditions, leading to high uncertainties in understanding aquifer-spring-wetland hydrology, which is critical for spring ecosystem protection and to inform management of relevant groundwater-affecting activities. This project will apply novel hydrogeophysical and hydrochemical methods, and computer modelling, to investigate the source aquifer of, and fate of discharge from the Doongmabulla Springs Complex (DSC), located in an area of future development. Project results will inform spring vulnerability to development pressures and climate effects.Read moreRead less
Condition Monitoring of Aircraft Propulsion for Automated Diagnostics. The integrity of the steering system is crucial for the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. This project aims at developing a new condition monitoring system able to diagnose steering faults earlier, provide a root-cause-analysis of malfunctions, and estimate associated failure risks in the future. The outcomes of this project will be a better understanding of steering faults and their effect on autonomous driving, timely ....Condition Monitoring of Aircraft Propulsion for Automated Diagnostics. The integrity of the steering system is crucial for the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. This project aims at developing a new condition monitoring system able to diagnose steering faults earlier, provide a root-cause-analysis of malfunctions, and estimate associated failure risks in the future. The outcomes of this project will be a better understanding of steering faults and their effect on autonomous driving, timely diagnostics and prognostics and innovative proactive control measures that mitigate their impact on autonomous driving quality and safety. The expected benefits for the automotive industry and end-users include increased safety and reliability of steering systems, and higher confidence in autonomous driving.Read moreRead less
Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expecte ....Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expected to deliver new experimental data on novel surface materials exposed to a hypersonic flow environment and computer models that can simulate their cooling effect. This investigation will contribute towards enabling technologies for sustained hypersonic flight by overcoming critical head load limitations.Read moreRead less
Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent ....Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent environmental stability for long-term implementation in practical devices. The project will develop novel polymer sorbents to revolutionize the remediation of PFAS with high technical, economic and environmental feasibility, creating a pathway to a PFAS-free world, and ultimately protecting the natural environment.Read moreRead less
Working with recovery: Future proofing our rivers against floods & droughts. It's happening! Rivers in coastal NSW are showing signs of recovery. 25 years of improved management has increased the structural and vegetative roughness of river channels. Getting the ‘fibre’ back into rivers has impacted most positively on flood hydrology, but less so on riparian vegetation quality. This project aims to understand how river recovery occurs, its impact on flood flows and test new techniques to improve ....Working with recovery: Future proofing our rivers against floods & droughts. It's happening! Rivers in coastal NSW are showing signs of recovery. 25 years of improved management has increased the structural and vegetative roughness of river channels. Getting the ‘fibre’ back into rivers has impacted most positively on flood hydrology, but less so on riparian vegetation quality. This project aims to understand how river recovery occurs, its impact on flood flows and test new techniques to improve vegetation quality. It will investigate where corridors of recovery are, where to prioritise rehabilitation and the cost:benefit of working with recovery. This will benefit public policy, improve flood and drought risk analysis, and change decision-making and rehabilitation practice - essentially future proofing our rivers.Read moreRead less