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Hybrid Construction using Seawater, Sea Sand and Fibre Reinforced Polymer. Conventional concrete is made using fresh water and river sand. This project aims to develop a novel hybrid construction system using seawater, sea sand and industrial waste, together with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) and stainless steel (SS), for use in civil engineering infrastructure in marine environments. To date there has been little work to understand the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of FRP and SS in such ....Hybrid Construction using Seawater, Sea Sand and Fibre Reinforced Polymer. Conventional concrete is made using fresh water and river sand. This project aims to develop a novel hybrid construction system using seawater, sea sand and industrial waste, together with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) and stainless steel (SS), for use in civil engineering infrastructure in marine environments. To date there has been little work to understand the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of FRP and SS in such complicated corrosive environments. The project plans to provide a design methodology to ensure confidence in the safety of critical infrastructure such as bridges, highways, dams, airports, offshore piles and artificial islands. The proposed system would save fresh water and reduce damage to river ecosystems, carbon dioxide emissions and construction costs.Read moreRead less
Water availability and demand: better forecasts, better management. This project aims to improve Australia’s capability in the provision and use of water forecasts for managing water resources. The current water forecasts are not fully utilised by water agencies as they are not sufficiently comprehensive and advanced. This project expects to achieve a step change in the uptake and utility of hydro-climate forecasts through an extensive partnership of leading researchers and operational agencies ....Water availability and demand: better forecasts, better management. This project aims to improve Australia’s capability in the provision and use of water forecasts for managing water resources. The current water forecasts are not fully utilised by water agencies as they are not sufficiently comprehensive and advanced. This project expects to achieve a step change in the uptake and utility of hydro-climate forecasts through an extensive partnership of leading researchers and operational agencies of hydro-climate forecasting, with federal, state and regional water agencies.Read moreRead less
Defining and engineering the rhizosphere for Australian rainfall patterns. The manner in which plants use carbon and water defines agricultural and natural landscapes. Today's models that predict plant improvement rely on carbon and water usage by plant leaves. However, the first interaction between plants, carbon and water occurs in the rhizosphere; a diverse zone with dynamic root-microbiome interactions. We will use advanced visualisation and mathematics to determine fine scale relationships ....Defining and engineering the rhizosphere for Australian rainfall patterns. The manner in which plants use carbon and water defines agricultural and natural landscapes. Today's models that predict plant improvement rely on carbon and water usage by plant leaves. However, the first interaction between plants, carbon and water occurs in the rhizosphere; a diverse zone with dynamic root-microbiome interactions. We will use advanced visualisation and mathematics to determine fine scale relationships between microbes and roots in the rhizosphere when exposed to water levels reflective of current and projected rainfall values. From generated knowledge of water and carbon dynamics caused by intimate microbe-root interactions, we will provide water saving, soil regeneration and improved carbon biosequestration strategies.Read moreRead less
Remote sensing of biotic stress with hyperspectral-fluorescence imaging. This project aims to investigate new indicators of crop biotic stress using innovative airborne remote sensing and imaging spectroscopy for biosecurity applications. Current satellites used to monitor crops and forests do not meet the spectral and spatial details that are required for the early -previsual- detection of biotic and abiotic stress. Accordingly, this project's significance focuses on new insights to detect the ....Remote sensing of biotic stress with hyperspectral-fluorescence imaging. This project aims to investigate new indicators of crop biotic stress using innovative airborne remote sensing and imaging spectroscopy for biosecurity applications. Current satellites used to monitor crops and forests do not meet the spectral and spatial details that are required for the early -previsual- detection of biotic and abiotic stress. Accordingly, this project's significance focuses on new insights to detect the alteration of photosynthetic indicators of plant functioning, building on recent breakthroughs with airborne hyperspectral imaging and remote sensing technologies. The outcomes will provide significant benefits to Australia in the detection of harmful diseases and improved water and nutrient monitoring methods.Read moreRead less
Encapsulation beyond microplastics. This proposal seeks to provide a roadmap for the development and application of a new generation of microcapsules, based around sustainable, plastic-free technology. Renewable resources such as cellulose particles will be combined with innocuous inorganic binders in order to encapsulate valuable cargoes for delivery with potential applications in agrochemical delivery and consumer care products. The mechanical properties of the capsules will be measured and mo ....Encapsulation beyond microplastics. This proposal seeks to provide a roadmap for the development and application of a new generation of microcapsules, based around sustainable, plastic-free technology. Renewable resources such as cellulose particles will be combined with innocuous inorganic binders in order to encapsulate valuable cargoes for delivery with potential applications in agrochemical delivery and consumer care products. The mechanical properties of the capsules will be measured and modelled, indicating how they behave in processing and use, and enabling their tailoring to release their contents at the right time. Surface modification of the capsules will be used to maximise their binding to materials of interest, such as clothes fibres in laundry products.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100064
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$193,125.00
Summary
Sediment Drilling Facility for environmental and genetic archives. This Sediment Drilling Facility for Environmental and Genetic Archives combines versatile augers with new field spectrometers that will enable sediment extraction and rapid, in situ measurements from coastal, lake and riverine environments. The facility includes a compact geotechnical drill rig, a portable power auger with hydraulic extraction unit, a vibracorer with motorised pontoon, laser induced breakdown spectrometer and ma ....Sediment Drilling Facility for environmental and genetic archives. This Sediment Drilling Facility for Environmental and Genetic Archives combines versatile augers with new field spectrometers that will enable sediment extraction and rapid, in situ measurements from coastal, lake and riverine environments. The facility includes a compact geotechnical drill rig, a portable power auger with hydraulic extraction unit, a vibracorer with motorised pontoon, laser induced breakdown spectrometer and magnetic susceptibility. With access co-ordinated through the Queensland Geochronology Alliance, the new facility will enable university researchers unprecedented access to field equipment required to address questions about changing ecology, landscape and climate on recent and geological timescales. Read moreRead less
How a ubiquitous endosymbiont of insects protects against pathogens. The project intends to determine the mechanism that underpins pathogen protection in insects. Insects harbour microbial communities in their cells and guts and confer a range of benefits on their hosts. One bacterium, Wolbachia, protects insects against co-infecting pathogens. The release of Wolbachia into mosquito populations is currently being tested as a means to reduce dengue virus transmission to humans. Using innovative e ....How a ubiquitous endosymbiont of insects protects against pathogens. The project intends to determine the mechanism that underpins pathogen protection in insects. Insects harbour microbial communities in their cells and guts and confer a range of benefits on their hosts. One bacterium, Wolbachia, protects insects against co-infecting pathogens. The release of Wolbachia into mosquito populations is currently being tested as a means to reduce dengue virus transmission to humans. Using innovative evolutionary and genetic approaches, the project proposes to elucidate the mechanism of pathogen blocking and ascertain its broader consequences for the host. This knowledge may be critical for maintaining the effectiveness of the biocontrol approach in the field by informing the development of resistance management strategies.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100181
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,050,000.00
Summary
Crossing the biology meso-nanoscale divide by scanning electron microscopy. This project aims to establish complementary scanning electron microscope (SEM) facilities at The University of Melbourne and LaTrobe University to advance research into crops, disease, neurosciences and coral reefs. SEMs are rapidly evolving instruments that permit high resolution imaging of visible size samples such as parts of plants and animals. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far ....Crossing the biology meso-nanoscale divide by scanning electron microscopy. This project aims to establish complementary scanning electron microscope (SEM) facilities at The University of Melbourne and LaTrobe University to advance research into crops, disease, neurosciences and coral reefs. SEMs are rapidly evolving instruments that permit high resolution imaging of visible size samples such as parts of plants and animals. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far reaching, with the facility expected to impact the development of drought and salinity tolerance in crops, production of fibres by plants, resilience of Great Barrier Reef corals to warming, advances in medicinal agriculture, control of important diseases of livestock and humans, and sensory processing and ocular disease.Read moreRead less
Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this p ....Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this project will ascertain the resilience of coastal wetlands to the cumulative impacts of fire and sea-level rise. Expected outcomes of this project include new, spatially-explicit fire management tools which will aid the sustainable, long-term management of coastal wetlands in a changing climate.Read moreRead less
MOF-polymer 3D composites for liquid organic hydrogen carrier utilisation. This project aims to address the hydrogen transportation challenge by utilising liquid organic hydrogen carriers rather than other techniques involving high pressures or cryogenic temperatures that need complex infrastructure. This project expects to generate knowledge in the hydrogen economy area using the novel approach of simplifying the separation of the liquid carriers before and after their release of hydrogen. Expe ....MOF-polymer 3D composites for liquid organic hydrogen carrier utilisation. This project aims to address the hydrogen transportation challenge by utilising liquid organic hydrogen carriers rather than other techniques involving high pressures or cryogenic temperatures that need complex infrastructure. This project expects to generate knowledge in the hydrogen economy area using the novel approach of simplifying the separation of the liquid carriers before and after their release of hydrogen. Expected outcomes of this project include largely enhanced hydrogen transportation efficiency by recently discovered new materials. This should provide significant benefits such as a huge economic opportunity for Australia, both for domestic low cost clean energy, and for export to Asia in the hydrogen economy.Read moreRead less