Novel plastics using renewable signal chemistry to remove bacteria in water. This project plans to develop synthetic plastic surfaces that continuously generate nitric oxide to deter the formation of biofilms. Plastic surfaces exposed to aqueous environments rapidly become covered by a film of bacteria, which can cause infection. Trace levels of generated nitric oxide can combat this problem by breaking up existing bacterial biofilms. Current research has developed plastics that continuously gen ....Novel plastics using renewable signal chemistry to remove bacteria in water. This project plans to develop synthetic plastic surfaces that continuously generate nitric oxide to deter the formation of biofilms. Plastic surfaces exposed to aqueous environments rapidly become covered by a film of bacteria, which can cause infection. Trace levels of generated nitric oxide can combat this problem by breaking up existing bacterial biofilms. Current research has developed plastics that continuously generate nitric oxide, but not for extended periods of time. This project’s approach is significant because it avoids bacterial resistance to the nitric oxide treatment. Applications of this technology may include removing biofilms from environments such as water filtration devices and consumable medical surfaces.Read moreRead less
Activating lazy stormwater wetlands through real time monitoring & control. Constructed stormwater wetlands are the last line of defence preventing pollution of urban waterways, but wetlands often fail, with their passive operation unable to adapt to the highly variable climate and hydrology they experience. This project aims to use advances in real-time control technology to turn these lazy wetlands into active wetland systems, optimising their performance. It aims to deliver new-generation tec ....Activating lazy stormwater wetlands through real time monitoring & control. Constructed stormwater wetlands are the last line of defence preventing pollution of urban waterways, but wetlands often fail, with their passive operation unable to adapt to the highly variable climate and hydrology they experience. This project aims to use advances in real-time control technology to turn these lazy wetlands into active wetland systems, optimising their performance. It aims to deliver new-generation technologies to enhance water quality treatment, enhance urban water security and guarantee environmental flows to maintain healthy waterways. Working in partnership with waterway managers and water retailers, this project strives to deliver a nationally and globally relevant technology to change how we manage water in cities.Read moreRead less
Understanding Australia by analysing wastewater during the Census 2021 . This project aims to utilise the Australian Census 2021, a unique opportunity to link exposure to chemical and biological hazards with catchment socio-demographic data via systematic wastewater analysis. The project is expected to advance our capabilities to identify emerging hazards and understand factors that affect spatiotemporal trends in hazards across Australia. Moreover, in a world first, the project aims to assess c ....Understanding Australia by analysing wastewater during the Census 2021 . This project aims to utilise the Australian Census 2021, a unique opportunity to link exposure to chemical and biological hazards with catchment socio-demographic data via systematic wastewater analysis. The project is expected to advance our capabilities to identify emerging hazards and understand factors that affect spatiotemporal trends in hazards across Australia. Moreover, in a world first, the project aims to assess chemical fate on a national level by linking sales/use with fate and release from wastewater treatment plants and assess treatment efficiency at >100 plants around Australia. The project expects to provide insight for government, wastewater managers and industry into hazards that may affect environmental and human health.Read moreRead less
Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will ....Mitigation of silica nanoparticle scaling in water treatment. This project aims to develop strategies to mitigate silica scaling at coal seam gas (CSG) water treatment facilities. CSG is adsorbed to the surface of coal along fractures and cleats and released when pressure is reduced by removal of groundwater, which has chemistry specific to the region from which it is extracted. Desalination of produced water is severely impacted by mineral scaling on reverse osmosis membranes. This project will consider silica and silica-rich nanoparticles in concert with cations and organics, with the aim of better managing cations so to facilitate nanoparticle lubrication. Project outcomes may include more productive use of assets, improved pre-treatment infrastructure to support reverse osmosis operation, and the environmental benefits of reduced chemical waste and increased water recovery.Read moreRead less
Ultrasound for control of cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, forms in drinking water supplies in Australia and can cause water-quality problems. Current methods to treat blue-green algae involve the use of Copper Sulphate, which is not an environmentally friendly compound. A potential alternative environmentally friendly water-treatment method involves the use of ultrasound to disrupt the cyanobacteria. The aim of this project is to determine the physical properties of ....Ultrasound for control of cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, forms in drinking water supplies in Australia and can cause water-quality problems. Current methods to treat blue-green algae involve the use of Copper Sulphate, which is not an environmentally friendly compound. A potential alternative environmentally friendly water-treatment method involves the use of ultrasound to disrupt the cyanobacteria. The aim of this project is to determine the physical properties of the cyanobacteria when excited with ultrasound for the purpose of finding an efficient method to treat large volumes of water. Read moreRead less
Functional nano-porous metal membranes for sustainable separation in industrial processes. There are many waste streams that need to be purified which degrade conventional membranes. This project with local company AMS aims to develop nano-porous metal membranes as a sustainable alternative to conventional membrane materials. Highly porous and ultra-thin metal membrane sheets with narrowly distributed nano-scale pores will be fabricated and functionalised to purify both model and industrial wast ....Functional nano-porous metal membranes for sustainable separation in industrial processes. There are many waste streams that need to be purified which degrade conventional membranes. This project with local company AMS aims to develop nano-porous metal membranes as a sustainable alternative to conventional membrane materials. Highly porous and ultra-thin metal membrane sheets with narrowly distributed nano-scale pores will be fabricated and functionalised to purify both model and industrial wastewaters. This intends to lead to the production of stronger, more versatile and chemically stable membrane materials that will exhibit longer lifespan and performance. The most significant outcome is expected to be low cost metal alloys with pores below the current 100 nm benchmark and assess their thermo-chemical stability.Read moreRead less
Development and Modellling of Advanced Coagulation and Oxidation Processes. The success of this program will help place Australia at the forefront of water quality control and management research. It will address concerns with managing and treating waters of changing characteristics due to climate change. In addition to the socio benefits, project success will also impart economic benefits to the nation through (i) fabricating new hybrid coagulants, that are versatile with enhanced performance ....Development and Modellling of Advanced Coagulation and Oxidation Processes. The success of this program will help place Australia at the forefront of water quality control and management research. It will address concerns with managing and treating waters of changing characteristics due to climate change. In addition to the socio benefits, project success will also impart economic benefits to the nation through (i) fabricating new hybrid coagulants, that are versatile with enhanced performance for removing NOM, and possess antimicrobial properties (ii) developing a new energy efficient photocatalysis technology.The proposed research will expand the knowledge base in this area and increase Australia’s international profile as a global leader in developing cutting-edge cost effective water resource technologies.Read moreRead less
Multi-scale strategy to manage chloramine decay and nitrification in water distribution systems. The generation of knowledge and technologies in preventing chloramine decay would greatly benefit the Australian water industry. The success of the project would provide the highest possible quality of water, both economically and reliably, giving public assurances of microbiological compliance and safe drinking water.
Fate of micropollutants in water recycling: influence of dissolved organic matter. Access to safe drinking water is essential for the economic and social development of Australia. There is increasing interest in applying advanced water treatment processes, such as membrane filtration or ozonation, to treat secondary effluent to a potable standard. This project promotes improved organic pollutant removal and monitoring during advanced water treatment and will contribute to the National Research P ....Fate of micropollutants in water recycling: influence of dissolved organic matter. Access to safe drinking water is essential for the economic and social development of Australia. There is increasing interest in applying advanced water treatment processes, such as membrane filtration or ozonation, to treat secondary effluent to a potable standard. This project promotes improved organic pollutant removal and monitoring during advanced water treatment and will contribute to the National Research Priority goal, water - a critical resource, by providing the increased protection of receiving waters including rivers and seawater. Further, as very few studies consider the role of dissolved organic matter for organic pollutant fate in water reuse internationally, this project will help to advance Australia's position in science.Read moreRead less
Iron and phosphorus recovery from ferric precipitation sludge. To minimise health risks and environmental pollution, water and wastewater treatment processes often use iron salts to eliminate phosphate and other pollutants. This generates large amounts of chemical sludge that is typically sent to landfill. The benefits of this new process will be the recovery of both the iron, which can be reused in the process, and the phosphate, which is a key component in fertiliser. Since phosphate is a limi ....Iron and phosphorus recovery from ferric precipitation sludge. To minimise health risks and environmental pollution, water and wastewater treatment processes often use iron salts to eliminate phosphate and other pollutants. This generates large amounts of chemical sludge that is typically sent to landfill. The benefits of this new process will be the recovery of both the iron, which can be reused in the process, and the phosphate, which is a key component in fertiliser. Since phosphate is a limited natural resource with an increasingly high value, the recovery and recycling of this critical element in food production is highly important. The process will also avoid a large part of the sludge production and will make the water treatment processes more cost-effective.Read moreRead less