Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH210100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,062,428.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE). Urban utilities are in need to design resilient wastewater infrastructure to tackle the pressures of urban intensification, waterways pollution and climate change. This Hub aims to transform the wastewater industry with an unprecedented, city-scale circular economy of nutrients based on urine separation and processing at building level, to produce safe and effective liquid fertilisers. By engaging with stakeholders across the value cha ....ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE). Urban utilities are in need to design resilient wastewater infrastructure to tackle the pressures of urban intensification, waterways pollution and climate change. This Hub aims to transform the wastewater industry with an unprecedented, city-scale circular economy of nutrients based on urine separation and processing at building level, to produce safe and effective liquid fertilisers. By engaging with stakeholders across the value chain, this Hub expects to bring two urine processing technologies to commercial readiness, and to produce new regulations and business models for the circular economy. This will add resilience to the wastewater and urban farming industries, and will create market opportunities for new Australian technologies.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
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180200015
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$589,007.00
Summary
Combination of electrochemistry with sono to destroy and detoxify PFAS. Previously the major means of dealing with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is by adsorption, to collect and remove PFAS from contaminated sites. However, PFAS still exist, non-degraded and waiting for destruction. Targeting slurry waste from current remediation / adsorption plants, this project aims to efficiently degrade PFAS by combining electrochemical oxidation with sono-chemistry to enhance degradation capac ....Combination of electrochemistry with sono to destroy and detoxify PFAS. Previously the major means of dealing with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is by adsorption, to collect and remove PFAS from contaminated sites. However, PFAS still exist, non-degraded and waiting for destruction. Targeting slurry waste from current remediation / adsorption plants, this project aims to efficiently degrade PFAS by combining electrochemical oxidation with sono-chemistry to enhance degradation capacity, to accelerate PFAS desorption / transportation from slurry waste, to avoid electrode fouling and to detoxify PFAS. The expected outcome of this project is to clean up contaminated sites, including PFAS / precursors and other persistent organic pollutants, leading to significant environmental benefits.Read moreRead less
Carbon-Supported Iron Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO. Nitric oxide (NO) is a major pollutant from combustion systems. This project aims to develop cost-effective and environmentally benign zerovalent iron catalysts supported on carbon material for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO using CO and unburned hydrocarbons as in-situ reductants. By applying differential reactor experimentation, kinetic modelling and advanced material characterisation techniques, the research w ....Carbon-Supported Iron Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO. Nitric oxide (NO) is a major pollutant from combustion systems. This project aims to develop cost-effective and environmentally benign zerovalent iron catalysts supported on carbon material for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO using CO and unburned hydrocarbons as in-situ reductants. By applying differential reactor experimentation, kinetic modelling and advanced material characterisation techniques, the research will unravel complex relationships among catalyst structural features and activity, NO reduction mechanisms, and catalyst performance under practically relevant combustion conditions that underpin the development of an effective yet affordable SCR technology to control NO emission from industrial utilities and automobiles.Read moreRead less
Innovative seed technologies for restoration in a biodiversity hotspot. This project aims to develop and implement innovative and practical methods to improve native plant establishment within a global biodiversity hotspot. As restoration efforts worldwide are hindered by altered substrates and invasive species, the greatest challenge is to reconstruct plant communities that are resistant to invasion and resilient within disturbed landscapes. The development of advanced technologies to enhance r ....Innovative seed technologies for restoration in a biodiversity hotspot. This project aims to develop and implement innovative and practical methods to improve native plant establishment within a global biodiversity hotspot. As restoration efforts worldwide are hindered by altered substrates and invasive species, the greatest challenge is to reconstruct plant communities that are resistant to invasion and resilient within disturbed landscapes. The development of advanced technologies to enhance restoration success will benefit ecological communities impacted by urban expansion, agriculture and resource development, and their associated practitioners, government agencies, private landowners and primary Australian industry.Read moreRead less