Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will incr ....Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will increase yields from arable land, reduce water requirements and fertiliser applications, fortifying foods for better nutrition leading to improved human health and wellbeing. It leverages and applies recent significant advances in surface science and nanotechnology to gain improved outcomes in agriculture.Read moreRead less
Multi-Scale, Multi-Form Approach to the Modelling, Design and Control of Complex Particulate Processes. Many particulate processes suffer from high recycle rates and instability due to lack of knowledge at various scale levels, and on the fitness between model forms and applications. This project will develop a complete model hierarchy ranging from the microscopic scale to full plant scale using a multi-scale, multi-form approach. The joint force of two world class teams will tackle the complex ....Multi-Scale, Multi-Form Approach to the Modelling, Design and Control of Complex Particulate Processes. Many particulate processes suffer from high recycle rates and instability due to lack of knowledge at various scale levels, and on the fitness between model forms and applications. This project will develop a complete model hierarchy ranging from the microscopic scale to full plant scale using a multi-scale, multi-form approach. The joint force of two world class teams will tackle the complex interaction problems covering granulation fundamentals, dynamic modelling, process design and advanced control. The work will lead to significantly improved productivity and quality for a wide range of industrial particulate processes using innovative design and model based control strategies.Read moreRead less
Preparing Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane (CMSM) for Olefin/Paraffin Separation. Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) presents superior selectivity and stability for many gas separation processes. This technology is energy saving, environmental friendly and with minimal operating cost. The project will develop CMSMs for the separation of olefin/paraffin, particularly, the propane/propylene mixture which is currently separated by the energy intensive cryogenic distillation in industry. The pro ....Preparing Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane (CMSM) for Olefin/Paraffin Separation. Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) presents superior selectivity and stability for many gas separation processes. This technology is energy saving, environmental friendly and with minimal operating cost. The project will develop CMSMs for the separation of olefin/paraffin, particularly, the propane/propylene mixture which is currently separated by the energy intensive cryogenic distillation in industry. The project involves both experimental works and theoretical studies and will provide: (1) techniques for preparing CMSMs for olefin/paraffin separation; (2) methods characterizing the micro-structure of CMSMs; (3) mathematical models predicting multicomponent gas permeation/separation properties on CMSMs; (4) effect of impurities on the separation processes. Read moreRead less
Multi-scale Process Modelling for Intelligent Control. Processing and manufacturing systems are inherently multi-scale in their behaviour. From the molecular scale to the enterprise-wide scale. This and other attributes of the individual models create difficulties in the design and control of such systems. This project will develop suitable multi-scale measures (metrics) for process models based on an object oriented assumption based modelling language. It will lead to enhanced intelligent contr ....Multi-scale Process Modelling for Intelligent Control. Processing and manufacturing systems are inherently multi-scale in their behaviour. From the molecular scale to the enterprise-wide scale. This and other attributes of the individual models create difficulties in the design and control of such systems. This project will develop suitable multi-scale measures (metrics) for process models based on an object oriented assumption based modelling language. It will lead to enhanced intelligent control strategies and improved operational performance through use of the most appropriate model. The work will focus on industrially important reaction and particulate processing systemsRead moreRead less
Engineering a nanovaccine for cost-effective influenza poultry vaccination. The project aims to develop a new single-dose, room temperature-stable nanovaccine for cost-effective influenza poultry vaccination. The nanovaccine is based on viral protein assembly modularised to present multiple copies of influenza antigen. Particularly, this project focuses on the engineering of this vaccine manufacturing and formulation for a room temperature-stable vaccine. The resulting engineered vaccine would p ....Engineering a nanovaccine for cost-effective influenza poultry vaccination. The project aims to develop a new single-dose, room temperature-stable nanovaccine for cost-effective influenza poultry vaccination. The nanovaccine is based on viral protein assembly modularised to present multiple copies of influenza antigen. Particularly, this project focuses on the engineering of this vaccine manufacturing and formulation for a room temperature-stable vaccine. The resulting engineered vaccine would play an important role in preventing avian influenza outbreaks, which are currently affecting both developed and developing countries, costing millions of dollars due to the death and culling of infected poultry.Read moreRead less
Production of structured designer particles with high encapsulation capacities and efficiencies. This project aims to develop a superior encapsulation technology that is capable of producing particles with precisely controlled physical and chemical properties. The technology has application in a wide range of industries requiring packaging active ingredients into particle form to achieve desirable end-use performances. It has an economic impact of multibillion dollars per annum. In particular, i ....Production of structured designer particles with high encapsulation capacities and efficiencies. This project aims to develop a superior encapsulation technology that is capable of producing particles with precisely controlled physical and chemical properties. The technology has application in a wide range of industries requiring packaging active ingredients into particle form to achieve desirable end-use performances. It has an economic impact of multibillion dollars per annum. In particular, it will facilitate the release of new drugs to the market for the pharmaceutical industry, and increase the range and improve the availability of quality foods for the food industry. This will bring about a healthier life style to the Australian population.Read moreRead less
Discrete Element Method for Analysis and Design of Pharmaceutical Encapsulation. Tablets represent the preferred method of dose delivery in the pharmaceutical industry, with over 80% of the market. PressFit - gelcaps have recently been developed, which encase a tablet core within a gelatin coating. The product combines the consumer appeal of capsules with the processing convenience of tablets, and provides a high degree of tamper-resistance. An important issue is that the caplets are required ....Discrete Element Method for Analysis and Design of Pharmaceutical Encapsulation. Tablets represent the preferred method of dose delivery in the pharmaceutical industry, with over 80% of the market. PressFit - gelcaps have recently been developed, which encase a tablet core within a gelatin coating. The product combines the consumer appeal of capsules with the processing convenience of tablets, and provides a high degree of tamper-resistance. An important issue is that the caplets are required to have very precise dimensional precision, an issue not previously of high priority for tabletting . This project seeks to enhance the competitive advantage of this new technology, through a combination of advanced mathematical modeling supported by experiments.Read moreRead less
Development of smart material for the adsorption of oil spills on roads. The cost of road fuel spills in both Australia and worldwide is enormous. The research objective is to develop an admixture suitable for the absorption/adsorption of fuel and oil from road spills. The material will be designed to be contained within a fabric. The innovation is the application of the admixture in the form of a carpet, which is designed as easily used, non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly. T ....Development of smart material for the adsorption of oil spills on roads. The cost of road fuel spills in both Australia and worldwide is enormous. The research objective is to develop an admixture suitable for the absorption/adsorption of fuel and oil from road spills. The material will be designed to be contained within a fabric. The innovation is the application of the admixture in the form of a carpet, which is designed as easily used, non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly. The application is rapid. The successful development of the material has enormous economic benefits to Australia, providing a new industry with many employees. This new industry has the potential to bring great wealth to Australia.Read moreRead less
Controlled Crystallisation of Bioactives. The new technologies developed in this project for bioactive recovery and particle design will allow the development of new value added products for Australia's growing biotechnology industry, especially in pharmaceuticals, neutraceuticals and functional foods. Two PhD students will receive excellent research training to then move into research and development in these industries.
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH170100009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation. The ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation aims to develop advanced separation materials, innovative products and smart processes to reduce the energy consumption of separation processes. The Research Hub will create a multi-disciplinary training platform, supplying a highly-trained workforce for the advanced manufacturing sector, particularly in separation technology–a growth area in which Australia can lead the world. The advancement ....ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation. The ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation aims to develop advanced separation materials, innovative products and smart processes to reduce the energy consumption of separation processes. The Research Hub will create a multi-disciplinary training platform, supplying a highly-trained workforce for the advanced manufacturing sector, particularly in separation technology–a growth area in which Australia can lead the world. The advancement of Australia’s capability as a world-leading technology provider in manufacturing advanced separation materials and equipment will enable Australian industry to become more energy-efficient and cost-competitive in a global economy.Read moreRead less