Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100578
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,208.00
Summary
Next generation soil carbon satellite-based measurement for carbon markets. Soil carbon sequestration is a federal government priority to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to advance this opportunity are hindered by the high technical costs of soil carbon quantification. This project will develop an innovative and potentially commercialisable technology that integrates ground data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellites, Eddy covariance CO2 flux towers, soil carbon (C) models, and ar ....Next generation soil carbon satellite-based measurement for carbon markets. Soil carbon sequestration is a federal government priority to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to advance this opportunity are hindered by the high technical costs of soil carbon quantification. This project will develop an innovative and potentially commercialisable technology that integrates ground data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellites, Eddy covariance CO2 flux towers, soil carbon (C) models, and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the accuracy of satellite-based soil C modelling. The project will provide an accurate and cost-effective solution to quantification of soil C changes to unlock a large potential of carbon offsets in rangelands in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Transforming Australian bio-based industries through multiscale modelling. Agricultural and forestry biomass can be converted into feedstocks for production of biofuels and biomaterials via synthetic biology. A key challenge is the complex biomass microstructure renders it highly resistant to conversion, and pretreatment is crucial for enhancing process efficiency. Micro-CT imaging will enable particle characterisation and identification of changes in the fibre composition during pretreatment. T ....Transforming Australian bio-based industries through multiscale modelling. Agricultural and forestry biomass can be converted into feedstocks for production of biofuels and biomaterials via synthetic biology. A key challenge is the complex biomass microstructure renders it highly resistant to conversion, and pretreatment is crucial for enhancing process efficiency. Micro-CT imaging will enable particle characterisation and identification of changes in the fibre composition during pretreatment. This information will be used to create a virtual biomass particle model for an in silico investigation to inform optimal process design. The framework will transform the way biomass is processed, contributing to the growth of the Australian bio-manufacturing industry by making it more productive, profitable and sustainable.Read moreRead less
Computational modelling of nanofluids for industrial applications. The use of nanoparticles in heat transfer fluids, then known as nanofluids, increases their specific heat and thermal conductivity. Recent experimental works highlight that anomalous transport phenomena are evident in nanofluids that cannot be adequately described by classical conservation laws. We will extend these conservation laws to incorporate fractional operators to capture the fluid memory effects and the impact of particl ....Computational modelling of nanofluids for industrial applications. The use of nanoparticles in heat transfer fluids, then known as nanofluids, increases their specific heat and thermal conductivity. Recent experimental works highlight that anomalous transport phenomena are evident in nanofluids that cannot be adequately described by classical conservation laws. We will extend these conservation laws to incorporate fractional operators to capture the fluid memory effects and the impact of particle clustering. Computational modelling and experimental investigations will be undertaken to identify the heat transfer mechanisms of various nanofluids. The outcomes of the work will increase knowledge on nanofluids and offer a significant opportunity to improve the efficiency of many thermal engineering systems.Read moreRead less
From exploration to mining: new geological strategies for sustaining high levels of copper production from the Mount Isa district. Mineral production at the Mount Isa copper and Ernest Henry copper-gold mines is worth more than $ 1 billion per year and this has underpinned the northern Queensland economy for a number of years. These resources are being depleted at a high rate, and no significant new discoveries have been made in over a decade. This project will provide some of the tools to defin ....From exploration to mining: new geological strategies for sustaining high levels of copper production from the Mount Isa district. Mineral production at the Mount Isa copper and Ernest Henry copper-gold mines is worth more than $ 1 billion per year and this has underpinned the northern Queensland economy for a number of years. These resources are being depleted at a high rate, and no significant new discoveries have been made in over a decade. This project will provide some of the tools to define new resources for the next generation, ensuring the prosperity of the region and bolstering the Australian economy. The timing is critical given the long lead time between discovery and production (in the order of 5 to 10 years). If successful the research may have major financial impacts at local, regional and national scales. It may also improve mine safety.Read moreRead less
Fundamental experimental and modelling studies of slag/matte/metal/gas systems in support of sustainable copper smelting and converting technologies. Australia is in the midst of a sustained increase in demand for its mineral resources that is leading to expansion in production and major capital investments across the industry sector. Most of the primary production of copper metal in Australia takes place through the use of high temperature smelting technologies. New technologies and significant ....Fundamental experimental and modelling studies of slag/matte/metal/gas systems in support of sustainable copper smelting and converting technologies. Australia is in the midst of a sustained increase in demand for its mineral resources that is leading to expansion in production and major capital investments across the industry sector. Most of the primary production of copper metal in Australia takes place through the use of high temperature smelting technologies. New technologies and significant changes to existing smelting technologies are currently underway; driven by the need to improve both productivity and environmental performance. This research partnership will provide important fundamental information about the complex chemistries of these high temperature processes. This project will assist these process improvements and will provide competitive advantage to Australian industry.Read moreRead less
A new methodology for the measurement of transition metals ions in complex, high temperature oxide systems relevant to non-ferrous metal production. Complex multi-component molten oxide phases, known commonly as slags, are used in the high temperature production and refining of metals. The slag systems of commercial interest contain transition metals species, such as, Fe2+, Fe3+. Each of these species behaves as if it were a separate chemical component. Researchers at the University of Queensla ....A new methodology for the measurement of transition metals ions in complex, high temperature oxide systems relevant to non-ferrous metal production. Complex multi-component molten oxide phases, known commonly as slags, are used in the high temperature production and refining of metals. The slag systems of commercial interest contain transition metals species, such as, Fe2+, Fe3+. Each of these species behaves as if it were a separate chemical component. Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a new methodolgy, which enables the concentrations of these transition metal ions to be measured.
These types of measurements cannot be made with any of the techniques currently in use. The study will provide data on high temperature slags in a number of industrially and scientifically important systems. This approach will be applicable to a wide range of chemical systems in the fields of extractive metallurgy, materials science and geology; systems which could not previously be characterised.Read moreRead less
Improvements in the pyrometallurgical processing of nickel oxide and laterite ores at QNI Yabulu, North Queensland. The QNI Yabulu operation in Queensland is an important supplier of nickel and cobalt metals to the export market. The company is planning to expand the scale of the operations but is faced with two important sustainability issues. One is the recent changes to the European regulations that require very low levels of residual nickel oxide in the nickel metal product. The second issue ....Improvements in the pyrometallurgical processing of nickel oxide and laterite ores at QNI Yabulu, North Queensland. The QNI Yabulu operation in Queensland is an important supplier of nickel and cobalt metals to the export market. The company is planning to expand the scale of the operations but is faced with two important sustainability issues. One is the recent changes to the European regulations that require very low levels of residual nickel oxide in the nickel metal product. The second issue relates to ensuring the supply and improved recovery of nickel and cobalt from oxide-based ores. Further fundamental scientific information is required to provide improved understanding of the complex chemical reactions occurring during the high temperature treatment of these materials, and to guide improvements in product quality, recovery and process efficiencyRead moreRead less
ADVANCED THERMODYNAMIC AND PROCESS MODELS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE METAL SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES - A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PYROMETALLURGY. This 5-year ARC Linkage project developed by the Pyrometallurgy Research Centre, UQ brings together several consortia of major mineral companies in a genuinely collaborative way to address a range of complex technical problems associated with the high temperature chemical processing of minerals and metals.
The UQ research team brings new state-of-the- ....ADVANCED THERMODYNAMIC AND PROCESS MODELS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE METAL SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES - A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PYROMETALLURGY. This 5-year ARC Linkage project developed by the Pyrometallurgy Research Centre, UQ brings together several consortia of major mineral companies in a genuinely collaborative way to address a range of complex technical problems associated with the high temperature chemical processing of minerals and metals.
The UQ research team brings new state-of-the-art research methodologies, and experimental and computer modelling techniques to provide scientifically important research outcomes which can be used by the industry. The research program will provide fundamental thermodynamic and physical property information on the complex chemical systems encountered in industrial processes, powerful computer models, and applied research outputs for industry. The project will also importantly provide research training in the field pyrometallurgy, deliver competitive advantage to the Australian mineral industry and bring economic benefits particularly to regional Australia.
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Numerical modelling of deformation partitioning and its role in metamorphism, tectonism and mineralization. Targeting blind mineralization is the biggest problem facing the Australian mining industry. The modelling developed in this project will integrate deformation, fluid and chemical processes and provide a means for understanding the deformation partitioning that localizes epigenetic ore regionally as well as along portions of large-scale structures. Applying this to known ore deposits may ....Numerical modelling of deformation partitioning and its role in metamorphism, tectonism and mineralization. Targeting blind mineralization is the biggest problem facing the Australian mining industry. The modelling developed in this project will integrate deformation, fluid and chemical processes and provide a means for understanding the deformation partitioning that localizes epigenetic ore regionally as well as along portions of large-scale structures. Applying this to known ore deposits may delineate adjacent plus regionally distributed zones where the deformation event responsible for mineralization is locally present at sufficient intensity to form ore. This would allow targeted deep drilling in ground with no ore close to the surface saving millions in drilling costs and dramatically increasing the financial viability of this industry. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100163
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Modelling and simulation of instabilities in unsaturated soils due to wetting. Ground instabilities due to wetting are a critical issue that will be investigated through this project via the development of risk assessment tools. A rational engineering approach and calculation framework will be developed in order to predict failures and facilitate the design of new safer structures.