The Norfolk Island Carbon and Health Evaluation Program: a case study of personal carbon trading for reducing obesity and greenhouse gas emissions. This project tests a system of Personal Carbon Trading for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving health. Carbon credit cards given to everyone on Norfolk Island are designed to financially reward people for reducing energy use (fuel and fatty food mainly) by increasing walking/cycling and improving nutrition to improve health
Methods for establishing cumulative CO2 emission budgets for Australia. Limiting global warming requires curbing cumulative carbon emissions. However, we do not know how the quasi-linear relationship between cumulative carbon dioxide emissions and maximal warming is modulated by other climate-relevant gases (for example, sulphur oxide or Methane) nor have we quantified the relationship in sufficient detail for aligning national and international policy strategies. This project will develop new m ....Methods for establishing cumulative CO2 emission budgets for Australia. Limiting global warming requires curbing cumulative carbon emissions. However, we do not know how the quasi-linear relationship between cumulative carbon dioxide emissions and maximal warming is modulated by other climate-relevant gases (for example, sulphur oxide or Methane) nor have we quantified the relationship in sufficient detail for aligning national and international policy strategies. This project will develop new methods to establish global emission budgets for various climate targets and likelihoods. Options for Australia’s share will be quantified on the basis of effort-sharing proposals. This research is vital for Australian policy makers, the energy sector, and the public in order to plan for coming decades.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the flux of fugitive greenhouse gasses associated with coal seam gas and calibrating it to natural baseline and anthropogenic sources. Recent studies show that fugitive methane emissions associated with coal seam gas extraction pose a source of greenhouse gasses. In addition to the possible environmental impacts of methane emissions, quantifying the magnitude of emissions has potentially significant implications for future tax liabilities that could change the economics of the unconv ....Quantifying the flux of fugitive greenhouse gasses associated with coal seam gas and calibrating it to natural baseline and anthropogenic sources. Recent studies show that fugitive methane emissions associated with coal seam gas extraction pose a source of greenhouse gasses. In addition to the possible environmental impacts of methane emissions, quantifying the magnitude of emissions has potentially significant implications for future tax liabilities that could change the economics of the unconventional energy boom in Australia. The proposed research by an interdisciplinary team representing regulators, industry, and university researchers would establish a methodology for quantifying the flux of methane from gas fields. It would establish the range of natural baselines and determine the major sources of methane emissions using newly available highly sensitive instruments.Read moreRead less
Carbon conundrum: Functional characterisation of organic matter-clay mineral interactions in relation to carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration in soil has been recognised as one of the possible measures through which greenhouse gas emissions can be mitigated. The major processes involved in carbon sequestration in soil include chemical immobilisation of carbon with soil particles and physical protection in the pores of soil microaggregates. These two processes are mediated through the funct ....Carbon conundrum: Functional characterisation of organic matter-clay mineral interactions in relation to carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration in soil has been recognised as one of the possible measures through which greenhouse gas emissions can be mitigated. The major processes involved in carbon sequestration in soil include chemical immobilisation of carbon with soil particles and physical protection in the pores of soil microaggregates. These two processes are mediated through the functional relationships of soil organic matter and clay mineral interactions in soils. This project investigates nanoscale organomineral association underlying microaggregate formation and stability, as well as the distribution and microbial decomposition of carbon within microaggregates using a suite of advanced spectroscopic, molecular and isotopic techniques.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and pos ....Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and post natal growth.Read moreRead less
A kinematically and micromechanically enriched constitutive modelling framework for failure of geomaterials. Failure at large scale such as slopes, embankments, and underground mining is fatal in terms of human lives and property loss. This project aims to develop a new methodology to connect micro-mechanisms that trigger and govern failure with the behaviour at much larger scales. In particular it will allow building constitutive models directly from micro-scale mechanisms, while possessing the ....A kinematically and micromechanically enriched constitutive modelling framework for failure of geomaterials. Failure at large scale such as slopes, embankments, and underground mining is fatal in terms of human lives and property loss. This project aims to develop a new methodology to connect micro-mechanisms that trigger and govern failure with the behaviour at much larger scales. In particular it will allow building constitutive models directly from micro-scale mechanisms, while possessing the capability to span the spatial scales. It will also transform the understanding of material property scaling into a predictive tool for engineering analysis, helping to obtain more cost effective designs with greater confidence in safety.Read moreRead less
The micro-mechanics of faulting and fluid flow in porous reservoir rocks. The project will improve the understanding of the mechanics and physics of reservoir rocks under various loading conditions. This will have impact on the recovery of hydrocarbon energy resources, storage of carbon dioxide in depleted oil reservoirs, and extraction of energy from geothermal reservoirs in Australia.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100577
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,536.00
Summary
Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas recovery. The project seeks to improve our understanding of the mechanics and physics of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional shale/tight gas reservoirs. By determining key aspects of the mechanics and physics of hydraulic fractures in naturally fractured unconventional reservoirs the project aims to build an accurate continuum hydro-mechanical model for hydraulic fracturing stimulation. The new computational approach and softwa ....Numerical modeling of hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas recovery. The project seeks to improve our understanding of the mechanics and physics of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional shale/tight gas reservoirs. By determining key aspects of the mechanics and physics of hydraulic fractures in naturally fractured unconventional reservoirs the project aims to build an accurate continuum hydro-mechanical model for hydraulic fracturing stimulation. The new computational approach and software is expected to improve our fundamental understanding of the underlying physics of initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures and their interactions with pre-existing natural faults. This has the potential to benefit the natural gas industry by providing information for better hydraulic fracture treatments and mitigation of the inherent risks of hydraulic fracturing and other processes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI110100028
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$198,824.00
Summary
Indigenous knowledge: water sustainability and wild fire mitigation. Sustainable management of the environment in Australia is currently informed by science. This project will create a space for cross-cultural translation between indigenous knowledge on environmental management practices and mainstream science practices.
Liquefaction of silty soils: Micromechanics, modelling and prediction. The project aims to develop a numerical approach to understand liquefaction in silty soils. Liquefaction of silty soils in submarine landslides, mine tailings dam failures and cargo liquefaction in vessels carrying iron/nickel ores can cause property loss and be fatal. This project will bridge the behaviours across the scales and deliver constitutive models that possess grain scale mechanisms for better prediction of liquefac ....Liquefaction of silty soils: Micromechanics, modelling and prediction. The project aims to develop a numerical approach to understand liquefaction in silty soils. Liquefaction of silty soils in submarine landslides, mine tailings dam failures and cargo liquefaction in vessels carrying iron/nickel ores can cause property loss and be fatal. This project will bridge the behaviours across the scales and deliver constitutive models that possess grain scale mechanisms for better prediction of liquefaction induced failure at the large scales. The expected outcomes are liquefaction criteria for silty soils with different silt contents and numerical tools to predict the onset of liquefaction and flow of liquefied soils.Read moreRead less