Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100160
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$297,463.00
Summary
Femtosecond laser micropyrolysis gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. This project aims to build a femtosecond-laser, micropyrolysis gas-chromatographmass spectrometer. The facility will have the capability to selectively analyse very small petrographically-recognisable organic components, hence bridging the analytical gap between organic petrography and organic geochemistry. The project aims to understand the early evolution of life, the response of the biosphere to mass extinction, the migrati ....Femtosecond laser micropyrolysis gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. This project aims to build a femtosecond-laser, micropyrolysis gas-chromatographmass spectrometer. The facility will have the capability to selectively analyse very small petrographically-recognisable organic components, hence bridging the analytical gap between organic petrography and organic geochemistry. The project aims to understand the early evolution of life, the response of the biosphere to mass extinction, the migration of fluids in petroleum reservoirs, the heterogeneity of organic matter in shale gas reservoirs, and the composition of macromolecules in biominerals and macerals. The facility will contribute to a broad range of Australia’s theoretical and applied problems in geoscience and geobiology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100229
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Time-of-flight mass spectrometer for analysis of complex mixtures in oils, ancient rocks, recent sediments, natural products and atmospheric aerosols. Research benefits will be:1. More effective remediation of petroleum spills through better understanding of degradation pathways, and ecotoxicological impact of spills.
2. Better understanding of the role of urban aerosols in human health impacts and climate change.
3. More effective development of finite petroleum resources by better understand ....Time-of-flight mass spectrometer for analysis of complex mixtures in oils, ancient rocks, recent sediments, natural products and atmospheric aerosols. Research benefits will be:1. More effective remediation of petroleum spills through better understanding of degradation pathways, and ecotoxicological impact of spills.
2. Better understanding of the role of urban aerosols in human health impacts and climate change.
3. More effective development of finite petroleum resources by better understanding of processes altering crude oil in the sub-surface.
4. Identification of natural products from algae, cyanobacteria, plants and mushrooms as new sources of pharmaceutical agents. 5. Improved knowledge of early evolution of life on Earth, helping maintain Australian scientists as world leaders in this field. 6. Greater understanding of the source and migration of petroleum in frontier areas.Read moreRead less
Toppling the Boring Billion: Biomarkers, orbital cycles and primordial life. This project aims to discover microbiological processes involved in ore formation in order to understand how zinc and lead minerals formed in the sediments of Australia’s ancient seas. The apparent ‘Boring Billion’ – the geological period 1800 to 800 million years ago – may have harboured seas of fluctuating colours. Fossil biomolecules, unearthed from 1.6 billion years old sediments, draw a picture of ancient seas osci ....Toppling the Boring Billion: Biomarkers, orbital cycles and primordial life. This project aims to discover microbiological processes involved in ore formation in order to understand how zinc and lead minerals formed in the sediments of Australia’s ancient seas. The apparent ‘Boring Billion’ – the geological period 1800 to 800 million years ago – may have harboured seas of fluctuating colours. Fossil biomolecules, unearthed from 1.6 billion years old sediments, draw a picture of ancient seas oscillating between blooms of purple and green bacteria, with waters rapidly alternating between toxic and sulphidic and rich in dissolved iron. Based on these observations, the project aims to discover the dynamic nature of primordial ecosystems, investigate how ancient seas were controlled by the Earth’s orbit around the sun, and explore how microorganisms may have formed the world’s largest zinc deposits.Read moreRead less
Pre-industrial sea-surface temperatures in the Australian region. Humanity faces an enormous challenge as there is much debate on whether the world is warming up and when this started. This project will document sea-surface temperature records over the last millennium for the Australian region and provide data of critical importance to global climatology and oceanography that precede the instrumental record.
The Australian historic shipwreck protection project: the in situ preservation and reburial of a colonial trader - Clarence (1850). The project will use cutting-edge technology to study and preserve an early colonial shipwreck at risk and develop a world-class strategy for the reburial and preservation of endangered historic shipwrecks. The project will help develop new national policy and technical guidelines for site managers of historic shipwrecks and offer new insights into colonial shipbuil ....The Australian historic shipwreck protection project: the in situ preservation and reburial of a colonial trader - Clarence (1850). The project will use cutting-edge technology to study and preserve an early colonial shipwreck at risk and develop a world-class strategy for the reburial and preservation of endangered historic shipwrecks. The project will help develop new national policy and technical guidelines for site managers of historic shipwrecks and offer new insights into colonial shipbuilding.Read moreRead less
Molecular traces of our primordial ancestors. This project aims to work with the exploration industry to develop an age-diagnostic fingerprinting tool for ancient petroleum seeps. Primordial molecules extracted from 1.6 billion years old rocks are the first and only witnesses of this extinct world. Australia’s vast red centre retains undiscovered oil reserves. This project will yield information about an oil’s provenance and help predict where reserves may be hidden, increasing the accuracy of s ....Molecular traces of our primordial ancestors. This project aims to work with the exploration industry to develop an age-diagnostic fingerprinting tool for ancient petroleum seeps. Primordial molecules extracted from 1.6 billion years old rocks are the first and only witnesses of this extinct world. Australia’s vast red centre retains undiscovered oil reserves. This project will yield information about an oil’s provenance and help predict where reserves may be hidden, increasing the accuracy of surveys and reducing costs and risks of exploration. Broader benefits from the findings may change common understanding about our very earliest ancestors and their effect on the planet’s evolution.Read moreRead less
Gold transport in aqueous versus organic fluids: Experimental data for describing ore-forming systems. In many hydrothermal ore-forming systems, the ore is associated with inclusions of both aqueous brine and organic liquid (petroleum). The conventional theory is that the metals are dissolved and transported to the deposit by the brine, but some researchers suggest that petroleum may fill this role. This project proposes to conduct an experimental and field-based study on the chemical behaviour ....Gold transport in aqueous versus organic fluids: Experimental data for describing ore-forming systems. In many hydrothermal ore-forming systems, the ore is associated with inclusions of both aqueous brine and organic liquid (petroleum). The conventional theory is that the metals are dissolved and transported to the deposit by the brine, but some researchers suggest that petroleum may fill this role. This project proposes to conduct an experimental and field-based study on the chemical behaviour of gold in aqueous-organic and organic fluid systems, to determine which type of liquid is more important for gold mobilisation in a competitive situation. This study will provide much-needed data for more accurate modelling of ore systems, furthering our understanding and facilitating mineral exploration. Read moreRead less