Industry Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: IL230100205
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,509,590.00
Summary
Recycling Innovations to Transform Electronic Waste into Green Metals. Essential materials needed to achieve sovereign capability and electrification goals are in critical short supply yet are being discarded in mountains of electronic waste. This Green Metals project aims to develop scalable technology to recover valuable metals from complex wastes, to be deployed locally and regionally. The significance of the proposal is it directly addresses key national priorities around reducing waste, boo ....Recycling Innovations to Transform Electronic Waste into Green Metals. Essential materials needed to achieve sovereign capability and electrification goals are in critical short supply yet are being discarded in mountains of electronic waste. This Green Metals project aims to develop scalable technology to recover valuable metals from complex wastes, to be deployed locally and regionally. The significance of the proposal is it directly addresses key national priorities around reducing waste, boosting recycling, creating advanced manufacturing capability. Outcomes expected are recovering metals needed for future products, scalable microrecycling solutions and new materials supply chains. Significant benefits include new jobs and skills, reduced waste, advanced capability, new business opportunities and markets.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100722
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,245.00
Summary
Enabling Novel Hydrogen Storage via Combustible Ice for a Low-Carbon Future. This project aims to develop a new method for sustainable hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is vital for decarbonising Australia's economy, yet finding an efficient way for hydrogen storage is a global challenge. This project seeks to encapsulate hydrogen effectively in water to produce hydrogen-carrying combustible ice for efficient large-scale hydrogen storage, taking the advantages of water as the safest and cheapest raw ma ....Enabling Novel Hydrogen Storage via Combustible Ice for a Low-Carbon Future. This project aims to develop a new method for sustainable hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is vital for decarbonising Australia's economy, yet finding an efficient way for hydrogen storage is a global challenge. This project seeks to encapsulate hydrogen effectively in water to produce hydrogen-carrying combustible ice for efficient large-scale hydrogen storage, taking the advantages of water as the safest and cheapest raw material. Expected outcomes are cutting-edge knowledge and a new pathway of hydrogen storage. This project would contribute to turning Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources into substantial economic and environmental benefits and promote Australia's competitive edge in the global transition toward a low-carbon future.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100114
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,554.00
Summary
Novel interlayered membrane for highly efficient separation processes. The project aims to develop high-performance membranes with excellent permeability and selectivity to allow efficient separation processes with reduced energy consumption and products with high purities that cannot be achieved by conventional membranes. By introducing the functionalized interlayer, the novel membrane can achieve up to an order of magnitude higher solvent permeance with significantly enhanced solvent-solute se ....Novel interlayered membrane for highly efficient separation processes. The project aims to develop high-performance membranes with excellent permeability and selectivity to allow efficient separation processes with reduced energy consumption and products with high purities that cannot be achieved by conventional membranes. By introducing the functionalized interlayer, the novel membrane can achieve up to an order of magnitude higher solvent permeance with significantly enhanced solvent-solute selectivity. Machine learning algorithms will be applied to search for the ideal interlayer based on a newly-launched online and comprehensive database. This project will contribute to accelerating Australia’s progress towards net-zero carbon emission and allowing a sustainable environment.Read moreRead less
Achieving Nitrite Shunt For Mainstream Sewage Treatment Using Human Waste. This project aims to develop a novel technology to achieve mainstream nitrogen removal from domestic sewage via nitrite shunt. Nitrite shunt can reduce energy consumption and promote energy recovery compared with the conventional nitrogen removal process. However, it is difficult to inactivate nitrite-oxidising bacteria, which is a key barrier for achieving nitrite shunt. By advancing the underpinning science and introduc ....Achieving Nitrite Shunt For Mainstream Sewage Treatment Using Human Waste. This project aims to develop a novel technology to achieve mainstream nitrogen removal from domestic sewage via nitrite shunt. Nitrite shunt can reduce energy consumption and promote energy recovery compared with the conventional nitrogen removal process. However, it is difficult to inactivate nitrite-oxidising bacteria, which is a key barrier for achieving nitrite shunt. By advancing the underpinning science and introducing a novel technology that innovatively harnesses a human waste, the project expects to remove the barrier. Expected outcomes will support the transformation of sewage treatment plants into net-zero energy generators. This should provide economic, environmental and energy benefits for Australia’s water and energy sectors.Read moreRead less
A Green Technology for Enhancing Resource Recovery from Sewage Sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative technology to recover valuable resource from sewage sludge by enhancing transformation of sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids and methane. Wastewater treatment generates large amounts of resource-rich sewage sludge. However, the poor biodegradability of sewage sludge is a key barrier that impedes the efficient resource recovery. By advancing the underpinning scienc ....A Green Technology for Enhancing Resource Recovery from Sewage Sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative technology to recover valuable resource from sewage sludge by enhancing transformation of sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids and methane. Wastewater treatment generates large amounts of resource-rich sewage sludge. However, the poor biodegradability of sewage sludge is a key barrier that impedes the efficient resource recovery. By advancing the underpinning science and introducing a novel technology that innovatively harnesses a human waste, the project expects to remove the barrier. Expected project outcomes will turn sewage sludge from an undesirable waste to a valuable resource. This should provide significant benefits for Australia’s renewable energy and resource sectors.Read moreRead less
Smart foliage: imparting intelligence to synthetic leaves. This project aims to develop an innovative “lab-on-a-leaf” platform technology based on smart membranes with switchable pores to enable hitherto unachievable control of gas and vapour transfer. The innovated membrane based technology can be used as a versatile platform for many important applications, such as desalination and carbon capture. This project expects to advance the knowledge in biomimetic design of synthetic leaves, and bring ....Smart foliage: imparting intelligence to synthetic leaves. This project aims to develop an innovative “lab-on-a-leaf” platform technology based on smart membranes with switchable pores to enable hitherto unachievable control of gas and vapour transfer. The innovated membrane based technology can be used as a versatile platform for many important applications, such as desalination and carbon capture. This project expects to advance the knowledge in biomimetic design of synthetic leaves, and bring new membrane technologies to applications, such as desalination, solar energy harvesting, and evaporative cooling. This project should provide significant benefits for Australian manufacturing industry by addressing energy and environmental concerns and boosting national economic growth.Read moreRead less
Additive Manufacturing of Nanotwinned Titanium Alloys for Critical Use. The project aims to use 3D printing technology to create new titanium alloy components that are substantially lighter and stronger than current versions and therefore highly relevant for high temperature and stress uses in leading-edge industries such as aeroplane manufacture. The project expects to create new means to strengthen and improve the resilience of the commercial alloys’ microstructure with unprecedented in-servic ....Additive Manufacturing of Nanotwinned Titanium Alloys for Critical Use. The project aims to use 3D printing technology to create new titanium alloy components that are substantially lighter and stronger than current versions and therefore highly relevant for high temperature and stress uses in leading-edge industries such as aeroplane manufacture. The project expects to create new means to strengthen and improve the resilience of the commercial alloys’ microstructure with unprecedented in-service performance and thereby substantially broaden the industrial adoptions of 3D-printed products. This should also provide significant cost and environmental benefits and enhance Australia’s international standing in cutting-edge research on advanced manufacturing and materials.Read moreRead less
Liquid metal solvents for high entropy and atomically configured systems. Significant challenges remain in developing high entropy alloys, which are future disruptors in metallurgy, ranging from configurational entropy to atomic ordering. To address such challenges, we will explore liquid metal solvents for synthesising high entropy and atomically configured systems from the combination of reactive and high melting point elements stabilised in metallic solvents. Molecular imprinting, mechanical ....Liquid metal solvents for high entropy and atomically configured systems. Significant challenges remain in developing high entropy alloys, which are future disruptors in metallurgy, ranging from configurational entropy to atomic ordering. To address such challenges, we will explore liquid metal solvents for synthesising high entropy and atomically configured systems from the combination of reactive and high melting point elements stabilised in metallic solvents. Molecular imprinting, mechanical and electrochemical triggers will control interfacial atomic organisation and precipitation. The growth mechanisms, both at the interface and in the bulk, will be explored by high energy probing techniques and computational simulations. We will offer new metallurgical paradigms for future catalysis and sensing concepts.Read moreRead less
Reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from urban wastewater systems. This project aims to develop a systematic framework for water utilities to monitor and reduce direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wastewater systems. A standardised monitoring protocol will be developed to conduct an unprecedented nationwide sampling campaign. The obtained data, with microbial characterisation and mechanism analysis, will be used to develop novel models for accurate prediction of GHG emissions. Expect ....Reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from urban wastewater systems. This project aims to develop a systematic framework for water utilities to monitor and reduce direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wastewater systems. A standardised monitoring protocol will be developed to conduct an unprecedented nationwide sampling campaign. The obtained data, with microbial characterisation and mechanism analysis, will be used to develop novel models for accurate prediction of GHG emissions. Expected outcomes include protocol to accurately monitor emissions, models to predict emission under various conditions, and mitigation guideline for typical plant configurations. The anticipated benefit is a significant reduction in GHG emissions from urban water industry and support it to meet net-zero-emission goal by 2050.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100497
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,847.00
Summary
In-situ Imaging and Detecting Electron Transfer for Single Site Reaction. This research aims to investigate and detect electron transfer numbers in oxygen reduction under atomic scale at one single active site through in-situ Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (ECSTM). Innovations are expected in the novel detection concept, novel nanofabrication approach and innovative ECSTM tip-based imaging and detection technique. Expected outcomes of the project include a reliable detection techn ....In-situ Imaging and Detecting Electron Transfer for Single Site Reaction. This research aims to investigate and detect electron transfer numbers in oxygen reduction under atomic scale at one single active site through in-situ Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (ECSTM). Innovations are expected in the novel detection concept, novel nanofabrication approach and innovative ECSTM tip-based imaging and detection technique. Expected outcomes of the project include a reliable detection technique for electron transfer detection and precisely synthesized catalysts for certain applications. This fundamental groundwork provides the guidance to design and develop a high-efficiency electrocatalyst to facilitate green energy storage technology and accelerate Australia's transition into a sustainable economy.Read moreRead less