Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a yea ....Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in Australia alone. This project is a major joint effort by the Australian water industry and world-leading scientists to generate advanced knowledge and develop effective technologies for optimal odour and corrosion management in sewers, delivering large social, environmental and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Understanding the Biotransformation Processes in a Sewer System to Achieve Optimal Management. Sewer corrosion and odour emissions are incurring massive costs to the wastewater management authorities. These problems are primarily caused by the hydrogen sulfide produced by the in-sewer biotransformation processes. Through integrating controlled laboratory experiments, extensive field measurement/experiments and advanced computer modelling, the project aims to generate a fundamental understanding ....Understanding the Biotransformation Processes in a Sewer System to Achieve Optimal Management. Sewer corrosion and odour emissions are incurring massive costs to the wastewater management authorities. These problems are primarily caused by the hydrogen sulfide produced by the in-sewer biotransformation processes. Through integrating controlled laboratory experiments, extensive field measurement/experiments and advanced computer modelling, the project aims to generate a fundamental understanding of the in-sewer biotransformation processes, in particular those occurring in sewer biofilms and sediments, and to provide scientific and engineering support to the wastewater authorities to manage their sewers in a more cost-effective way. Emphasis is placed on the integrated sewer and wastewater treatment performance to achieve overall optimal wastewater management.Read moreRead less
Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in res ....Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in response to ventilation and dynamic wastewater and atmospheric conditions, enabling model-based sewer ventilation design and operation. The project also aims to deliver novel, field-demonstrated ventilation strategies. The project findings will be incorporated in the Australian ventilation design and operation guidelines.Read moreRead less
Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project ....Sustainability and innovation in outer-suburban housing developments. This project will investigate the sustainability outcomes that are possible in outer suburban project homes using current building and design technologies, and the barriers to the uptake of these technologies more broadly in outer suburban project home developments. The outcomes will include a critically needed decision support tool to help the industry to meet regulatory requirements for more sustainable housing. The project is strongly supported by a consortium of industry partners including the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, Metricon Homes, Building Commission, Origin Energy, City West Water, Melbourne Water, Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria and Hassell Architects.
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Treatment of secondary sludge using free nitrous acid to enhance performance and economics of a wastewater treatment plant. This project will deliver a new process that utilises a by-product of wastewater treatment to reduce the environmental and financial costs of wastewater treatment. The project will significantly reduce waste materials discharged from wastewater treatment plants and enhance bioenergy recovery from wastewater, in addition to improving effluent quality.
Energy positive targeted resource recovery from sludge. Energy positive targeted resource recovery from sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative, cost-effective and sustainable technology to completely dewater sludge. Sludge management is a notorious and costly issue for water utilities. The poor dewaterability of sludge results in a high moisture content. The only solid residue is inorganic ash, from which valuable resources such as coagulants, phosphate, and metals can be extracted. ....Energy positive targeted resource recovery from sludge. Energy positive targeted resource recovery from sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative, cost-effective and sustainable technology to completely dewater sludge. Sludge management is a notorious and costly issue for water utilities. The poor dewaterability of sludge results in a high moisture content. The only solid residue is inorganic ash, from which valuable resources such as coagulants, phosphate, and metals can be extracted. The research is expected to support the water utilities to achieve sustainable sludge management and potentially bring large economic, environmental and social benefits to water utilities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102967
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Interaction between silver ions, silver nanoparticles and reactive oxygen species: implication to toxicity. The project investigates the ability of various different (supported and stabilised) types of nanosized silver particles (SNPs) to oxidatively degrade selected contaminants and or kill microorganism. The project also aims to determine the effect of solution condition (for example pH) and light on SNP longevity and hence their oxidative capacity.
Degradation of Trace Contaminants Using Sonochemistry and Peroxide Scavenging Advanced Oxidation Processes. Sonochemical degradation of hazardous organic compounds in aqueous solution has been examined extensively in recent years and found to be an effective means of waste treatment however the scavenging of hydroxyl radicals by the relatively high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide produced limits the amount of reactive radicals accessible to target molecules. In this project we will investiga ....Degradation of Trace Contaminants Using Sonochemistry and Peroxide Scavenging Advanced Oxidation Processes. Sonochemical degradation of hazardous organic compounds in aqueous solution has been examined extensively in recent years and found to be an effective means of waste treatment however the scavenging of hydroxyl radicals by the relatively high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide produced limits the amount of reactive radicals accessible to target molecules. In this project we will investigate, by both experimental and computational means, options for the regeneration of hydroxyl radicals through use of hydrogen peroxide. Methods of particular interest include use of Fenton's reagent and ozone.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH130200025
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,181,756.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. This Research Hub aims to create a unique opportunity for completely different industries to come together, with a common goal of creating value from mixed plastic and glass waste in manufacturing. Starting with fundamental investigations of the transformation behaviour of waste materials under high temperature conditions, ....ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. This Research Hub aims to create a unique opportunity for completely different industries to come together, with a common goal of creating value from mixed plastic and glass waste in manufacturing. Starting with fundamental investigations of the transformation behaviour of waste materials under high temperature conditions, the hub will focus on developing scalable solutions for its manufacturing partners towards reducing the consumption of primary resources while simultaneously diverting waste streams from landfill. Additionally, the potential of using such transformations to yield improved products such as wear-resistant grinding media and light-weight building materials will be investigated to enhance Australian manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Thermal isolation: a novel pathway to transforming complex waste. This project aims to establish a novel pathway for transforming complex waste otherwise destined for landfill into valuable products and resources. By leveraging high temperature reactions, the team plans to thermally isolate useful carbons and silica from within automotive shredder residue (ASR) in situ, to produce activated carbon products and silica layers, and so completely recycle this bulk toxic waste for the first time. Suc ....Thermal isolation: a novel pathway to transforming complex waste. This project aims to establish a novel pathway for transforming complex waste otherwise destined for landfill into valuable products and resources. By leveraging high temperature reactions, the team plans to thermally isolate useful carbons and silica from within automotive shredder residue (ASR) in situ, to produce activated carbon products and silica layers, and so completely recycle this bulk toxic waste for the first time. Such innovative new pathways for separating out valuable materials from complex and toxic wastes offer industries an alternative low-cost and sustainable source of raw materials, while reducing pressures on landfills and finite natural resources.Read moreRead less