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
Novel hybrid silica membranes for desalination. This project aims to produce high flux, highly stable ceramic membranes for use in desalination. This will result in novel, low energy desalination processes, delivering potable water at a greatly reduced cost.
Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary ....Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary outcome from the study will be the development of a process specifically designed to convert halons into useful products. This will assist with efforts to phase out continued halon use.Read moreRead less
Transformation of halons and CFC to valuable products through their reaction with methane. Halons and CFCs are well known as ozone depleting substances (ODS). This project pursues the development of a novel process to transform stockpiles of halons and CFCs into vinylidene difluoride (C2H2F2). Vinylidene difluoride is a highly valued commodity, used in the synthesis of heat resistant materials. The primary aim of this research is to gain understanding of the role of catalysts during conversion o ....Transformation of halons and CFC to valuable products through their reaction with methane. Halons and CFCs are well known as ozone depleting substances (ODS). This project pursues the development of a novel process to transform stockpiles of halons and CFCs into vinylidene difluoride (C2H2F2). Vinylidene difluoride is a highly valued commodity, used in the synthesis of heat resistant materials. The primary aim of this research is to gain understanding of the role of catalysts during conversion of CFC 12 and halon 1211 into the desired reaction product. The signifigance of the project is that it will facilitate development of a process for non-destructive treatment of ozone depleting substances. The major outcome of the proposed research is it will lay the technical foundation for the development of an energy efficient process to convert rather than destroy these ODS.Read moreRead less
Fires of pesticides: New source of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in the environment. This project will quantify the emission of carcinogenic pollutants, produced as a consequence of intended and unintended combustion of pesticides and pesticide-contaminated biomass. The project will identify specific pesticides and agricultural practices (such as burning of sugar cane prior to harvest or burning biomass contaminated with pesticides for energy recovery) which may b ....Fires of pesticides: New source of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in the environment. This project will quantify the emission of carcinogenic pollutants, produced as a consequence of intended and unintended combustion of pesticides and pesticide-contaminated biomass. The project will identify specific pesticides and agricultural practices (such as burning of sugar cane prior to harvest or burning biomass contaminated with pesticides for energy recovery) which may become regulated in Australia. The research will benefit Australia socially, by reducing the emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and thus protecting the environment and the population, and economically by identifying pesticides that do not produce pollutants in combustion processes and thus do not contaminate biomass intended for energy 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
Optimisation of nutrient removal, membrane fouling and sludge dewatering in hybrid coagulation/submerged membrane bioreactor treatment of wastewaters. Submerged membrane bioreactor technology for the treatment of wastewaters is now a competitive technology with small footprint and generally high quality of treated effluent. Despite this, challenges remain in ensuring low effluent nutrient concentrations, minimal membrane fouling and acceptable excess sludge dewaterability. Addition of iron or a ....Optimisation of nutrient removal, membrane fouling and sludge dewatering in hybrid coagulation/submerged membrane bioreactor treatment of wastewaters. Submerged membrane bioreactor technology for the treatment of wastewaters is now a competitive technology with small footprint and generally high quality of treated effluent. Despite this, challenges remain in ensuring low effluent nutrient concentrations, minimal membrane fouling and acceptable excess sludge dewaterability. Addition of iron or aluminium-based coagulant chemicals can assist but many uncertainties with regard to choice of chemical, optimal dosing arrangements and membrane bioreactor operating conditions remain. Experimental and computational studies targeted at improving understanding and optimising performance will be undertaken through collaborative studies by the UNSW and Tsinghua University (Beijing) research team.Read moreRead less
Novel and cost effective mixing technique for anaerobic digesters in municipal wastewater treatment plants. The mixing system and the models that will be developed in this project will be useful in improving the energy efficiency of anaerobic digesters operated in many towns and cities. These improvements will help to reduce greenhouse emissions significantly and also lead to reduced household water bills, as wastewater treatment costs will decrease.
Novel water treatment processes. The objective of this project is the discovery of novel methods for the treatment and reuse of water for both industrial and household applications. Improved treatment systems with the potential for water reuse offer significant improvements to our overall water management potential. The first part of the project is designed to focus on the study of hot bubble column evaporators for solute decomposition, sterilisation and the de-watering of heavily contaminated i ....Novel water treatment processes. The objective of this project is the discovery of novel methods for the treatment and reuse of water for both industrial and household applications. Improved treatment systems with the potential for water reuse offer significant improvements to our overall water management potential. The first part of the project is designed to focus on the study of hot bubble column evaporators for solute decomposition, sterilisation and the de-watering of heavily contaminated industrial wastewater. The second part would be based on the study of a suitable depth filter medium for the treatment of partially treated household sewage water. This is designed to form part of an on-site household sewage water treatment and reuse system which is currently being developed.Read moreRead less
All-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalysts for water treatment. The project aims to develop high-performance Z-scheme photocatalysts by using two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors as building blocks for low-cost, highly-efficient pathogen inactivation and emerging pollutant degradation in stormwater treatment. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of photocatalyst design and Z-scheme photocatalytic system, and advance the application of photocatalytic oxidation in wate ....All-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalysts for water treatment. The project aims to develop high-performance Z-scheme photocatalysts by using two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors as building blocks for low-cost, highly-efficient pathogen inactivation and emerging pollutant degradation in stormwater treatment. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of photocatalyst design and Z-scheme photocatalytic system, and advance the application of photocatalytic oxidation in water treatment. The expected outcomes of the project include novel 2D Z-scheme photocatalysts and enhanced capacity in stormwater management.Read moreRead less