ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. This Centre aims to develop carbon-based catalysts for clean energy, CO2 capture, and green chemistry to reduce emissions. The Centre expects to use pioneering data-guided atomic-precision synthesis and multiscale analysis to transform fundamental science of carbon materials. Expected outcomes of this Centre will benefit new technologies for energy, environmental, and green che ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. This Centre aims to develop carbon-based catalysts for clean energy, CO2 capture, and green chemistry to reduce emissions. The Centre expects to use pioneering data-guided atomic-precision synthesis and multiscale analysis to transform fundamental science of carbon materials. Expected outcomes of this Centre will benefit new technologies for energy, environmental, and green chemical industries by utilising abundant sunlight, seawater, and waste feedstocks. This should provide significant benefits, through industry collaborations, our new world-leading capacity will train a next generation of game changers to empower emerging carbon industries to solve grand socio-economic challenges, ultimately meeting zero-carbon emissions targets.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100147
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,154.00
Summary
Glassy metal-organic framework membranes for CO2 separation and conversion. This project aims to develop a new class of glassy metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes for CO2 separation and conversion. By constructing membrane reactors, it is expected to simultaneously separate CO2 from gas mixture and subsequently convert it into value-added chemicals in a continuous single operating unit. The expected outcomes include fabrication techniques for ultrathin MOF glass membranes, cutting-edge knowl ....Glassy metal-organic framework membranes for CO2 separation and conversion. This project aims to develop a new class of glassy metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes for CO2 separation and conversion. By constructing membrane reactors, it is expected to simultaneously separate CO2 from gas mixture and subsequently convert it into value-added chemicals in a continuous single operating unit. The expected outcomes include fabrication techniques for ultrathin MOF glass membranes, cutting-edge knowledge in advanced MOF membrane design, a new generation of MOF devices, and efficient membrane reactors for CO2 conversion with mixed gas feed. This project expects to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies and provide significant benefits in mitigating the adverse effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.Read moreRead less
Mineral Biosequestration of Organic Carbon in Early Pedogenesis of Tailings. Upcycling tailings into soil (technosols developed from technogenic parent materials) offers a sustainable approach to overcome severe topsoil shortage that limits the progress of ecological rehabilitation of tailings across mine sites. This project aims to establish new knowledge on mineral bioweathering, organic carbon (OC) sequestration in rapidly formed mineral phases, and OC turnover driven by colonising microbes a ....Mineral Biosequestration of Organic Carbon in Early Pedogenesis of Tailings. Upcycling tailings into soil (technosols developed from technogenic parent materials) offers a sustainable approach to overcome severe topsoil shortage that limits the progress of ecological rehabilitation of tailings across mine sites. This project aims to establish new knowledge on mineral bioweathering, organic carbon (OC) sequestration in rapidly formed mineral phases, and OC turnover driven by colonising microbes and plant roots, in the early pedogenesis of tailings initiated by inputs of organic and inorganic materials. This new knowledge is required for developing eco-engineering technology adaptable to a wide range of tailings of diverse mineralogy, to achieve sustainable tailings rehabilitation and organic carbon sequestration.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100623
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$412,037.00
Summary
New electrodes for green electrochemical carbon dioxide capture. This project aims to develop new electrochemical carbon capture technology. By designing and fabricating new functional electrodes and high-performance electrochemical devices based on water and driven by renewable electricity, this project will enhance the ability to capture CO2, the primary greenhouse gas that causes global climate change. Expected outcomes include new multi-dimension electrodes with unique chemistry and state-of ....New electrodes for green electrochemical carbon dioxide capture. This project aims to develop new electrochemical carbon capture technology. By designing and fabricating new functional electrodes and high-performance electrochemical devices based on water and driven by renewable electricity, this project will enhance the ability to capture CO2, the primary greenhouse gas that causes global climate change. Expected outcomes include new multi-dimension electrodes with unique chemistry and state-of-the-art CO2 capture devices plus in-depth knowledge of electrochemical CO2 capture mechanisms for optimised device design and control. Benefits include the development of circular carbon economies with capabilities to effectively capture CO2, supporting Australian industries to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.Read moreRead less
Multiscale geomechanical modelling of basin-scale CO2 storage. This project aims to develop innovative geomechanical models that will provide rapid assessments of the potential for reservoir deformation, including induced seismicity, during geological storage of CO2. The main expected outcome is a multiscale modelling approach that will help to identify storage locations at low risk for deformation and CO2 leakage in regions of little existing geomechanical data. The project will elucidate the .... Multiscale geomechanical modelling of basin-scale CO2 storage. This project aims to develop innovative geomechanical models that will provide rapid assessments of the potential for reservoir deformation, including induced seismicity, during geological storage of CO2. The main expected outcome is a multiscale modelling approach that will help to identify storage locations at low risk for deformation and CO2 leakage in regions of little existing geomechanical data. The project will elucidate the technical and commercial viability of CO2 storage in Australia’s Cooper-Eromanga basins and provide broad economic and environmental benefits by reducing the geomechanical uncertainties that provide a barrier to the global need to upscale carbon capture and storage.Read moreRead less
Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100831
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$835,302.00
Summary
Protecting aquifers in the race to net-zero carbon emissions. This project aims to address the key risk factor of gas leakage from carbon dioxide geological sequestration and hydrogen or compressed air renewable-energy storage. This project expects to develop innovative methods for monitoring gas leakage contamination into overlying Australian aquifer water resources. Expected outcomes of this project include a multidisciplinary method to detect leakages of CO2 and future stored-energy gases t ....Protecting aquifers in the race to net-zero carbon emissions. This project aims to address the key risk factor of gas leakage from carbon dioxide geological sequestration and hydrogen or compressed air renewable-energy storage. This project expects to develop innovative methods for monitoring gas leakage contamination into overlying Australian aquifer water resources. Expected outcomes of this project include a multidisciplinary method to detect leakages of CO2 and future stored-energy gases that can contaminate aquifers. This should provide significant benefits including enabling greenhouse gas emissions reduction while protecting Australian water resources. This is critically important for Great Artesian Basin aquifers that support over 180,000 Australians and overlie many planned storage sites.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH220100012
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling. This Research Hub aims to develop technologies to transform carbon dioxide emissions from our energy and manufacturing sectors into valuable products and create pathways to market to drive industry transformation. This hub aims to achieve this by developing novel electro, thermo, and biochemical methods for converting CO2 from sectors that cannot easily avoid emissions and a technological pathway for CO2 recycling. The outcomes of this Hub a ....ARC Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling. This Research Hub aims to develop technologies to transform carbon dioxide emissions from our energy and manufacturing sectors into valuable products and create pathways to market to drive industry transformation. This hub aims to achieve this by developing novel electro, thermo, and biochemical methods for converting CO2 from sectors that cannot easily avoid emissions and a technological pathway for CO2 recycling. The outcomes of this Hub are likely to be transformative for industry, the economy, and society in moving the fate of CO2 from pollutant to feedstock. The benefits to Australia are intended to be the stimulation of a new industry, a skilled workforce for this emerging industry and a contribution to meeting CO2 reduction targets.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100385
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,237.00
Summary
"Circular Economy", via renewable energy and resource recovery. In a circular economy context, wastewater utilities are well placed to exploit the commercial potential of microalgae. Sewage treatment plants have an abundance of key nutrients required for algae growth, existing dewatering infrastructure that is suitable for harvesting algae and in some cases, existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure suitable for the conversion of microalgae to renewable energy in the form of biogas. This proje ...."Circular Economy", via renewable energy and resource recovery. In a circular economy context, wastewater utilities are well placed to exploit the commercial potential of microalgae. Sewage treatment plants have an abundance of key nutrients required for algae growth, existing dewatering infrastructure that is suitable for harvesting algae and in some cases, existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure suitable for the conversion of microalgae to renewable energy in the form of biogas. This project aims to upscale wastewater-based algae production that will enable increased renewable energy production via anaerobic digestion, for onsite thermal, electrical energy and upgraded liquefied natural gas.Read moreRead less
Role of nitrogen-rich compounds for increasing carbon sequestration in soil. This project aims to unravel how increasing concentrations of nitrogen-rich compounds in soils can potentially increase our ability to sequester soil organic carbon. This is significant because long-term agricultural production greatly reduces soil organic carbon stocks and releases carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Expected outcomes of this project include providing information that is urgently needed to develop pred ....Role of nitrogen-rich compounds for increasing carbon sequestration in soil. This project aims to unravel how increasing concentrations of nitrogen-rich compounds in soils can potentially increase our ability to sequester soil organic carbon. This is significant because long-term agricultural production greatly reduces soil organic carbon stocks and releases carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Expected outcomes of this project include providing information that is urgently needed to develop predictive carbon models for effective policy-making and improved management. This project should provide substantial benefits, including fulfilling the carbon sequestration potential of Australia’s soils, thereby delivering positive economic outcomes through increased farm-gate output and mitigation of climate change.Read moreRead less
Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to formic acid. This project aims to develop economical and scalable carbon dioxide electrochemical technologies to convert carbon dioxide in blast furnace flue gas to formic acid as a value-added product in steel-making plants. The project expects to develop new electrochemical catalysts, to optimise the structure of electrodes and ultimately improve carbon dioxide conversion efficiency and reaction selectivity towards formic acid. The expected outco ....Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to formic acid. This project aims to develop economical and scalable carbon dioxide electrochemical technologies to convert carbon dioxide in blast furnace flue gas to formic acid as a value-added product in steel-making plants. The project expects to develop new electrochemical catalysts, to optimise the structure of electrodes and ultimately improve carbon dioxide conversion efficiency and reaction selectivity towards formic acid. The expected outcomes of this project will provide an efficient and economically viable electrochemical technology to convert carbon dioxide to a valuable product such as formic acid or syngas, with the potential to significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide from steel-making processes and coal-fired power plants.Read moreRead less