Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely ....Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely collected in Australia's catchments and thereby better predict water quality behaviour. Proposed field studies aim to support this development. The outcomes sought are improved planning and management of water quality in our rivers, lakes and estuaries, improved health of these water bodies and improved water supplies.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100036
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,054.00
Summary
Remediation of PFAS in current and legacy biosolids application sites. This project aims to develop novel immobilisation, adsorption and/or thermal destruction methods for biosolids, soil and groundwater in current and legacy per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) sites receiving biosolids. Biosolids generated during waste water treatment carry an unknown potential risk of soil and groundwater PFAS contamination, through their application in agriculture and rehabilitation sites. This project ....Remediation of PFAS in current and legacy biosolids application sites. This project aims to develop novel immobilisation, adsorption and/or thermal destruction methods for biosolids, soil and groundwater in current and legacy per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) sites receiving biosolids. Biosolids generated during waste water treatment carry an unknown potential risk of soil and groundwater PFAS contamination, through their application in agriculture and rehabilitation sites. This project will provide the first major investigation of the release, fate and remediation of perfluorinated compounds in relation to their environmental pathways through wastewater treatment plants in Australia. The data will be evaluated to determine if perfluorinated compounds should be further incorporated into Australian soil and water quality monitoring programs. The project will provide evidence of research advice and methodologies being successfully adopted by water industry end-users, government regulatory agencies and private remediation industries.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals. The aim of the Centre is to progress scientific knowledge to establish transformational improvement in minerals beneficiation, essential for meeting global demand for metals. The research aims to achieve more selective, faster, and efficient separations, combining major advances in separation technologies with increased functionality of new reagents. The Centre outcomes will also ensure the sustainability of the miner ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals. The aim of the Centre is to progress scientific knowledge to establish transformational improvement in minerals beneficiation, essential for meeting global demand for metals. The research aims to achieve more selective, faster, and efficient separations, combining major advances in separation technologies with increased functionality of new reagents. The Centre outcomes will also ensure the sustainability of the minerals industry in Australia, through a significant reduction in cost, environmental impact, and through lower energy and water usage. The Centre also seeks to establish a new generation of scientists and research leaders in minerals beneficiation to support the innovation needed into the future by this major Australian industry.Read moreRead less
A global standard for the status of Wetlands of International Importance. The project will develop and test a new global standard for the assessment and reporting on ecological condition of internationally important wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention. It has four aims: establishment of a strategic adaptive management and governance framework, a meta-analysis of the 2,303 internationally listed wetlands, development of a protocol for assessment and prediction and delivering a digital re ....A global standard for the status of Wetlands of International Importance. The project will develop and test a new global standard for the assessment and reporting on ecological condition of internationally important wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention. It has four aims: establishment of a strategic adaptive management and governance framework, a meta-analysis of the 2,303 internationally listed wetlands, development of a protocol for assessment and prediction and delivering a digital reporting platform for effective management. The project is significant because it tackles the decline of freshwater ecosystems, by targeting the most prominent wetlands. It also assists state and national governments to meet their obligations under the Ramsar Convention and most importantly guides more effective management.Read moreRead less
Making Meta-learning Generalised . This project aims to develop novel machine learning techniques, termed generalised meta-learning, to make machines better utilise past experience to solve new tasks with few data. It expects to reduce the undesirable dependence of current machine learning on labelled data and significantly expand its application scope. Expected outcomes of the project consist of new theoretical results on meta-learning and a set of innovative algorithms that can support the bui ....Making Meta-learning Generalised . This project aims to develop novel machine learning techniques, termed generalised meta-learning, to make machines better utilise past experience to solve new tasks with few data. It expects to reduce the undesirable dependence of current machine learning on labelled data and significantly expand its application scope. Expected outcomes of the project consist of new theoretical results on meta-learning and a set of innovative algorithms that can support the building of next generation of computer vision systems to work in open and dynamic environments. This should be able to produce solid benefits to the science, society, and economy of Australian via the application of these advanced intelligent systems.Read moreRead less
Engineered clay-polysaccharide composites for efficient nutrient delivery. Nitrogen (N) nutrient use efficiency of most arable crops in Australian soils is low, leading to excessive application of this nutrient. The low N use efficiency is attributed to its loss through leaching and gaseous emission, which contributes to both economic burden of the farming community and also results in environmental degradation. This project aims to work with clay industries to develop fertiliser products with c ....Engineered clay-polysaccharide composites for efficient nutrient delivery. Nitrogen (N) nutrient use efficiency of most arable crops in Australian soils is low, leading to excessive application of this nutrient. The low N use efficiency is attributed to its loss through leaching and gaseous emission, which contributes to both economic burden of the farming community and also results in environmental degradation. This project aims to work with clay industries to develop fertiliser products with controlled release characteristics to increase N use efficiency and farm productivity. It will also create new market opportunities for the mining industry for the use of clays and create novel materials for delivery of nutrients and moisture for the agrochemical industry resulting in the creation of marketing opportunities.Read moreRead less
Multiscale physics for enhanced oil recovery. The project aims to develop a multiscale mathematical and laboratory modelling methodology for combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 storage, and synthesise the technology for Santos’s Mulberry oilfield as a test case. The multidisciplinary team will develop advanced reservoir- and laboratory-scale mathematical models and novel laboratory methods to enhance the reliability of modern EOR and CO2 storage and increase its uptake by companies in A ....Multiscale physics for enhanced oil recovery. The project aims to develop a multiscale mathematical and laboratory modelling methodology for combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 storage, and synthesise the technology for Santos’s Mulberry oilfield as a test case. The multidisciplinary team will develop advanced reservoir- and laboratory-scale mathematical models and novel laboratory methods to enhance the reliability of modern EOR and CO2 storage and increase its uptake by companies in Australia and globally. The expected outcomes are a pioneering methodology with environmental benefits without additional drilling and reduction of greenhouse effect, and economic benefit to the Australian oil industry through increases in productivity.Read moreRead less
How do cells survive nutrient stress? Insight into mechanisms. This project studies cell survival under nutrient stress in eukaryotes. Building on extensive preliminary data that identifies novel TOR (Target of Rapamycin) Complex 2 (TORC2) control points it expects to generate new knowledge of critical and conserved features of stress control of macroautophagy that ensures cell survival. It uses interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to validate and characterize nutrient-stress dependent si ....How do cells survive nutrient stress? Insight into mechanisms. This project studies cell survival under nutrient stress in eukaryotes. Building on extensive preliminary data that identifies novel TOR (Target of Rapamycin) Complex 2 (TORC2) control points it expects to generate new knowledge of critical and conserved features of stress control of macroautophagy that ensures cell survival. It uses interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to validate and characterize nutrient-stress dependent signaling. Expected outcomes include novel insights into environmental control of cell proliferation and forging cross institutional collaborations. This knowledge benefits basic and applied biology and is relevant to industries/projects utilizing living cells as nutrient supports cell survival and proliferation.Read moreRead less