Manoeuvrable burrowing robots for underground search. It is very difficult to locate items that have been buried underground or to find out their condition without digging them up. There are a number of situations involving leaking underground chemical storage tanks, and pipelines together with improperly disposed of chemical containers where chemical leaks can pose dangers to the environment and human health. This project aims to develop a robotic system that can burrow through the ground and h ....Manoeuvrable burrowing robots for underground search. It is very difficult to locate items that have been buried underground or to find out their condition without digging them up. There are a number of situations involving leaking underground chemical storage tanks, and pipelines together with improperly disposed of chemical containers where chemical leaks can pose dangers to the environment and human health. This project aims to develop a robotic system that can burrow through the ground and home in on sources of leaking chemicals. Such a system could pinpoint the sources of leaks without requiring extensive excavations.Read moreRead less
The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling m ....The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling method. Resultantly, a holistic picture of integrated health and environmental risk will be developed that will build a scientific foundation for future fuel,transport and land use to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354804
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impac ....ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impacts of contaminated soil and wastes, and land remediation. By facilitating communication, the network enhances national and international research coordination, interaction with regulators, end-users, industry, and other stakeholders, achievement of critical mass for new initiatives, enhances research training and contributes to a critical National Priority.Read moreRead less
AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF BUS EMISSION IMPACTS AT AND AROUND BUS STATIONS AND BUSWAYS FOR TRANSPORT AND LAND USE PLANNING. Buses are one of the two most common forms of public transport in Australia, with bus fleet and service coverage increasing, yet the effect on human health and the environment of the emissions from these vehicles is unknown. This research will develop a comprehensive model of bus emission impacts in and around bus stations and along bus corridors for use in exposure and risk as ....AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF BUS EMISSION IMPACTS AT AND AROUND BUS STATIONS AND BUSWAYS FOR TRANSPORT AND LAND USE PLANNING. Buses are one of the two most common forms of public transport in Australia, with bus fleet and service coverage increasing, yet the effect on human health and the environment of the emissions from these vehicles is unknown. This research will develop a comprehensive model of bus emission impacts in and around bus stations and along bus corridors for use in exposure and risk assessment, integrated transport and land use planning and policy setting. This research will provide a scientific foundation for developing future directions for the management of public transport to minimize the impact of emissions on the public and the environment.Read moreRead less
Seagrass tolerance of oil spills - scaling of pollution impacts. Seagrasses provide vital ecosystem services (such as sediment stabilisation and habitat provision) in Australian coastal waters. The contribution of pollutants to current seagrass decline is poorly understood. The Australian shipping industry is the 5th largest in the world but there is very little data on the impacts of petroleum hydrocarbons on intertidal seagrasses and hence no information for coastal resource managers to use in ....Seagrass tolerance of oil spills - scaling of pollution impacts. Seagrasses provide vital ecosystem services (such as sediment stabilisation and habitat provision) in Australian coastal waters. The contribution of pollutants to current seagrass decline is poorly understood. The Australian shipping industry is the 5th largest in the world but there is very little data on the impacts of petroleum hydrocarbons on intertidal seagrasses and hence no information for coastal resource managers to use in decision-making in the event of an oil spill. This project will assess the relative toxicities of a number of petroleum hydrocarbons on Australian seagrass species to provide necessary data for the development of effective management practice.Read moreRead less
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds: Novel tests for Analysis and Field Validation. This project will give community benefits from new analytical technology and research data to help minimise the threat of environmental contamination with endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Both urban and rural communities may feel the impacts of EDCs, with potential contamination occurring globally, affecting both wildlife and humans. The main means of transport of EDCs is as contaminants in water and it is ess ....Endocrine Disrupting Compounds: Novel tests for Analysis and Field Validation. This project will give community benefits from new analytical technology and research data to help minimise the threat of environmental contamination with endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Both urban and rural communities may feel the impacts of EDCs, with potential contamination occurring globally, affecting both wildlife and humans. The main means of transport of EDCs is as contaminants in water and it is essential to learn the extent of contamination occurring in urban and rural water supplies to decide its significance. The research will involve a multi-disciplinary approach, with benefits falling into all four National Research Priorities of sustainability, good health, frontier analytical technology and national safety.Read moreRead less
Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable ....Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable predictions of air quality in various mircoenvironments for the purpose of exposure and risk assessment, housing and urban planning, and policy setting. This research will provide scientific foundation and a tool for developing future directions for management and control to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Development of a risk assessment tool to minimise mixed metals toxicities from mine tailings. Research based on animal uptake from mine tailings is required to quantify comparative bioavailability of mixtures of metals to provide data for mine rehabilitation design during the planning stage. Such data also provides risk assessment in humans. The optimum balance is minimum environmental effects from the rehabilitated mine structure versus minimised cost through planning prior to project commencem ....Development of a risk assessment tool to minimise mixed metals toxicities from mine tailings. Research based on animal uptake from mine tailings is required to quantify comparative bioavailability of mixtures of metals to provide data for mine rehabilitation design during the planning stage. Such data also provides risk assessment in humans. The optimum balance is minimum environmental effects from the rehabilitated mine structure versus minimised cost through planning prior to project commencement. The significant cost of mining ore bodies, particularly by modern open cut methods, is the removal of rock and soil. The research on animal toxicity testings will provide a tool to more accurately detail mine rehabilitation and give quantitative indicators for closure.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347262
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Upgrading of Wind Tunnel Research Facility with Oxford Lasers VisiSizer. Bringing together expertise within five collaborating research Centres in two Universities, an Oxford Lasers VisiSizer will be used to study the atomisation of pesticide sprays and droplet behaviour in moving flow fields. This equipment, in conjunction with the construction of a new working section in a pesticide wind tunnel research facility, will enable the simultaneous measurement of particle size and droplet velocity. T ....Upgrading of Wind Tunnel Research Facility with Oxford Lasers VisiSizer. Bringing together expertise within five collaborating research Centres in two Universities, an Oxford Lasers VisiSizer will be used to study the atomisation of pesticide sprays and droplet behaviour in moving flow fields. This equipment, in conjunction with the construction of a new working section in a pesticide wind tunnel research facility, will enable the simultaneous measurement of particle size and droplet velocity. The VisiSizer will construct images of the atomisation process and enable the interaction of spray droplets and plant canopies to be studied. Data will support modelling of pesticide transport processes and accelerate leading Australian expertise in pesticide science.Read moreRead less
Minimising environmental and public health risk of pesticide application through understanding the droplet-canopy interface. Pesticides are essential tools for agricultural industries in most Australian cropping systems. Accurate placement of pesticide droplets onto plant surfaces is the key step in guaranteeing high quality food production, while loss of droplets to air and soil are inefficiencies leading to environmental and public health risks. Innovations in plant architecture informatics wi ....Minimising environmental and public health risk of pesticide application through understanding the droplet-canopy interface. Pesticides are essential tools for agricultural industries in most Australian cropping systems. Accurate placement of pesticide droplets onto plant surfaces is the key step in guaranteeing high quality food production, while loss of droplets to air and soil are inefficiencies leading to environmental and public health risks. Innovations in plant architecture informatics will be used to develop an improved understanding of droplet/plant canopy interactions that will be validated through wind tunnel experimentation. This research will result in a risk assessment tool that can be applied generally to controlled spray applications of pesticides.Read moreRead less