Sediment transport in upwelling currents and its relevance to an active petroleum system in the Morum Sub-basin, South Australia. Australia had a trade deficit of $3.5 billion in petroleum products in 2005 and this is forecast to increase dramatically in the future. Giant oil fields may exist in the Morum Sub-basin and their exploitation could significantly reduce Australia's trade deficit in petroleum products. It would also reduce Australia's reliance on oil form politically unstable parts of ....Sediment transport in upwelling currents and its relevance to an active petroleum system in the Morum Sub-basin, South Australia. Australia had a trade deficit of $3.5 billion in petroleum products in 2005 and this is forecast to increase dramatically in the future. Giant oil fields may exist in the Morum Sub-basin and their exploitation could significantly reduce Australia's trade deficit in petroleum products. It would also reduce Australia's reliance on oil form politically unstable parts of the globe. Any exploration activity and subsequent exploration success would have a significant effect on the rural economy based around Portland, the main port in the area, through which most of the logistics would flow.Read moreRead less
Universal immunogenic reagents for the detection of latent fingermarks. This project will deliver the first antibody reagents for the routine detection of natural fingermarks. This will assist law enforcement agencies to provide a safer society through improved crime clearance, as they will be able to enhance and detect fingermarks that otherwise remain undetected with current techniques (e.g. fingermarks on human skin).
Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the producti ....Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the productivity of coal seam gas wells in Queensland, and leads to 10-15 days’ production downtime a year. The expected outcomes of the project include fundamental understanding of the solids breakage phenomena, a predictive tool to classify potential solids risks in coal seam gas wells, and a novel rock-selective wellbore coating technology to control solids production. The potential economic impacts from the project are lower gas production costs and improved gas supply security.Read moreRead less
Understanding reaction products of granular and fluid P fertilisers in Australian soils: a way to enhance fertiliser efficiency. Despite posing significant challenges for crop P nutrition, alkaline soils are widespread in Australia and their agricultural use accounts for a significant fraction of the crop production nationwide. The benefits of fluid fertilizers over conventional granular products in these soils has been agronomically demonstrated. Knowledge of the behaviour of these products, pr ....Understanding reaction products of granular and fluid P fertilisers in Australian soils: a way to enhance fertiliser efficiency. Despite posing significant challenges for crop P nutrition, alkaline soils are widespread in Australia and their agricultural use accounts for a significant fraction of the crop production nationwide. The benefits of fluid fertilizers over conventional granular products in these soils has been agronomically demonstrated. Knowledge of the behaviour of these products, provided through an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms and reactions occurring, is critical to improve crop productivity. This project aims to study the reactions of fluid and granular fertilizers in soils using advanced spectroscopic and isotopic techniques, in order to provide a scientific basis for improving formulations and effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fu ....Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fundamentally understand the relationship between physical-chemical properties and efficacy. Completion of this project aims to produce potent nanoparticle-based adjuvants underpinned by novel manufacturing technology, to ultimately facilitate the development of more effective and protective vaccines for animals and humans.Read moreRead less
Avoiding cryogenic solids formation in liquefied natural gas production. This project will determine how and under what conditions cryogenic hydrocarbon solids form during liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, which often cause expensive unplanned plant shutdowns. New sensors will be developed to understand and monitor the conditions which cause these blockages and will be deployed into LNG plants to avoid the critical conditions.
Desalting reclaimed wastewater to safeguard Virginia's horticultural industries. Virginia is a major horticultural region of South Australia undergoing rapid expansion. Groundwater resources are depleted and reclaimed sewage effluent from Adelaide is required for irrigation. Unfortunately, the effluent is frequently too saline. Large-scale desalting is being considered. A pilot-scale plant will be built to evaluate suitable desalting processes (e.g. reverse osmosis) for reducing the effluent ....Desalting reclaimed wastewater to safeguard Virginia's horticultural industries. Virginia is a major horticultural region of South Australia undergoing rapid expansion. Groundwater resources are depleted and reclaimed sewage effluent from Adelaide is required for irrigation. Unfortunately, the effluent is frequently too saline. Large-scale desalting is being considered. A pilot-scale plant will be built to evaluate suitable desalting processes (e.g. reverse osmosis) for reducing the effluent's salt content. Original research will: (i) synthesize the best combination of technologies to produce effluent streams of varying salinity for matching different crop requirements; and (ii) optimise delivery and storage of effluent streams using new storage(s) and the region's multiple aquifer and surface storages.Read moreRead less
Advanced environmental technologies for increasing coal seam permeability. This project aims to understand the physical/chemical mechanisms occurring when benign chemicals interact and dissolve minerals and coal surfaces in the natural fractures during the extraction of coal seam gas. Technologies for increasing the permeability of coal have become necessary for commercially viable coal seam gas (CSG) extraction in Australia. Currently available methods from the conventional gas industry, are pr ....Advanced environmental technologies for increasing coal seam permeability. This project aims to understand the physical/chemical mechanisms occurring when benign chemicals interact and dissolve minerals and coal surfaces in the natural fractures during the extraction of coal seam gas. Technologies for increasing the permeability of coal have become necessary for commercially viable coal seam gas (CSG) extraction in Australia. Currently available methods from the conventional gas industry, are problematic for coal, and fail to capitalise on coal’s existing fracture network. The intended project outcome is a range of new coal-specific technologies for enhancing permeability that avoid unwanted and irreversible damage to seams and protect the environment. Combined with reduced costs, these methods would benefit sustainable growth of Australia’s CSG industry.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Seagrass Restoration : Improving Hessian Durability in Marine Environments. The establishment of an environmentally benign method for restoration of seagrass beds (which provide habitat for a wide range of commercially, recreationally and ecologically important marine species) will enhance Australia's capability of maintaining its coastal marine environment in support of its fishing and ecotourism industries. Furthermore, it will ultimately improve our capacity to manage the environmen ....Enhancing Seagrass Restoration : Improving Hessian Durability in Marine Environments. The establishment of an environmentally benign method for restoration of seagrass beds (which provide habitat for a wide range of commercially, recreationally and ecologically important marine species) will enhance Australia's capability of maintaining its coastal marine environment in support of its fishing and ecotourism industries. Furthermore, it will ultimately improve our capacity to manage the environmental impact of human development on our natural resources. If successful, the knowledge gained of the dynamics of marine biofilms on differentially coated natural fibers could facilitate broader application of methods used in environmental restoration and marine based industries, and foreshadow new applications.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.