Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce ....Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce water treatment costs in Australia. This is made possible by the collaboration with Australia's largest manufacturer of water treatment membranes. The outcomes will lead towards a lower maintenance water treatment technology available to communities, at lower cost. The application of such a technology will span from local small scale to major installations worldwide.Read moreRead less
Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based ....Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based waste (including food, garden, paper, and wood) and fossil-fuel derived materials (plastics). Using an innovative and environmentally-sustainable catalytic process, the outcomes of this project are aimed alleviating Australia’s dependence on diesel fuel imports and better waste management solutions in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100445
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Engineering triple-phase boundary for superior aqueous metal-air batteries. This project aims to advance development of high-performance rechargeable aqueous zinc-air (Zn-air) batteries by engineering the triple-phase boundary to increase battery efficiency and power density for practical applications. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and efficient energy storage and conversion systems to underpin technological development with increasing demand for superior battery technologies fo ....Engineering triple-phase boundary for superior aqueous metal-air batteries. This project aims to advance development of high-performance rechargeable aqueous zinc-air (Zn-air) batteries by engineering the triple-phase boundary to increase battery efficiency and power density for practical applications. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and efficient energy storage and conversion systems to underpin technological development with increasing demand for superior battery technologies for portable electronics, renewable power sources and electrified vehicles. This project expects to accelerate the commercialisation of rechargeable aqueous Zn-air batteries and progress global commitments to new clean energy sources and storage technologies that are efficient, cost-effective and reliable.Read moreRead less
Optimisation and Control of Bagasse Handling System in a Sugar Mill. Bagasse, the fibre residue from sugar cane, is used as fuel in suspension fired boilers for energy production for the sugar milling process. The use of bagasse as a fuel is currently gaining more prominence as the sugar industry looks to co-generation joint ventures with traditional electricity supply and generation authorities. This project is aimed at applying optimisation and control techniques to bagasse handling system in ....Optimisation and Control of Bagasse Handling System in a Sugar Mill. Bagasse, the fibre residue from sugar cane, is used as fuel in suspension fired boilers for energy production for the sugar milling process. The use of bagasse as a fuel is currently gaining more prominence as the sugar industry looks to co-generation joint ventures with traditional electricity supply and generation authorities. This project is aimed at applying optimisation and control techniques to bagasse handling system in a CSR sugar mill so that the fibre residue from sugar cane can be used to gain maximum efficiency in generating energy supplies in the sugar mill. If the project succeeds, other sugar mills from CSR would implement the advanced control system.Read moreRead less
Development of in Ground and on Site Technologies for Low Cost Metal Remediation of Remote Contaminated Sites. Australia has taken a leading role internationally in promoting environmental awareness and is committed to both tackling existing pollution and mitigating future hazards. The clean-up of contaminated Australian, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic sites is seen as a national priority and research into in-situ technologies is central to meeting established remediation goals. Successful developm ....Development of in Ground and on Site Technologies for Low Cost Metal Remediation of Remote Contaminated Sites. Australia has taken a leading role internationally in promoting environmental awareness and is committed to both tackling existing pollution and mitigating future hazards. The clean-up of contaminated Australian, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic sites is seen as a national priority and research into in-situ technologies is central to meeting established remediation goals. Successful development of a low-cost in-ground remediation scheme will provide vital protection for remote Australian, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas. It will also do much to cement Australia as a global leader in environmental protection, offering as it does a generic remote regions metal contamination remediation solution.Read moreRead less
Development of Low Cost In Situ Techniques for Petroleum Remediation in Cold Regions. Internationally, Australia has taken a leading role in promoting environmental awareness and is committed to both the mitigation of future hazards, and the tackling of existing pollution. The clean-up of abandoned Antarctic sites is seen as a priority, and research into low-impact technology is central to meeting established remediation goals. Successful development of a low-cost in-situ remediation scheme wi ....Development of Low Cost In Situ Techniques for Petroleum Remediation in Cold Regions. Internationally, Australia has taken a leading role in promoting environmental awareness and is committed to both the mitigation of future hazards, and the tackling of existing pollution. The clean-up of abandoned Antarctic sites is seen as a priority, and research into low-impact technology is central to meeting established remediation goals. Successful development of a low-cost in-situ remediation scheme will not only serve to protect vulnerable Antarctic habitats in Australian stewardship, but will do much to cement Australia as a global leader in environmental protection offering as it does, a generic cold region hydrocarbon remediation solution.Read moreRead less
The development of low cost sorbents for removal of contaminants in ground water at cold regions contaminated sites. Contamination of soils and waters as a result of industrial and other human activities, is a significant global environmental issue. Both Australia and Japan have a large legacy of hydrocarbon and heavy metals contamination from mining activities and industry. This project aims to address hydrocarbon and heavy metals contamination through investigation of novel, low-cost sorbents ....The development of low cost sorbents for removal of contaminants in ground water at cold regions contaminated sites. Contamination of soils and waters as a result of industrial and other human activities, is a significant global environmental issue. Both Australia and Japan have a large legacy of hydrocarbon and heavy metals contamination from mining activities and industry. This project aims to address hydrocarbon and heavy metals contamination through investigation of novel, low-cost sorbents suitable for implementation in passive in-situ remediation technologies. This will be achieved through the combined efforts of Australian and Japanese scientists who are expert in the fields of water treatment and chemical synthesis of sorbent materials.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100135
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,400.00
Summary
Superhydrophobic thermally rearranged membranes for low-energy separation. This project aims to develop thermally rearranged membranes with superhydrophobicity using novel polymer chemistry and nanofibre morphology. Both water flowrate in membrane distillation and gas flowrate in carbon dioxide stripping from solvents will be increased by minimising the water vapor condensation between the nanofibers; resolving shortcomings in current energy-intensive filtration systems. This project will provid ....Superhydrophobic thermally rearranged membranes for low-energy separation. This project aims to develop thermally rearranged membranes with superhydrophobicity using novel polymer chemistry and nanofibre morphology. Both water flowrate in membrane distillation and gas flowrate in carbon dioxide stripping from solvents will be increased by minimising the water vapor condensation between the nanofibers; resolving shortcomings in current energy-intensive filtration systems. This project will provide significant benefits to Australian communities by advancing cost-effective and energy-efficient potable water production and carbon dioxide separation processes for sustainable development. The advanced materials developed can be manufactured locally and will enhance our national capability in modern manufacturing.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
Atomically thin membranes to transform chemical separations. Energy-efficient chemical separation is at the heart of modern resource and manufacturing industries, central to a prosperous and sustainable Australia. This project aims to develop next generation membrane technologies to transform chemical separations by employing recent breakthrough in materials discovery and nanofluidics. Expected outcomes include new fundamental understandings on sub-continuum transport physics and new atomically ....Atomically thin membranes to transform chemical separations. Energy-efficient chemical separation is at the heart of modern resource and manufacturing industries, central to a prosperous and sustainable Australia. This project aims to develop next generation membrane technologies to transform chemical separations by employing recent breakthrough in materials discovery and nanofluidics. Expected outcomes include new fundamental understandings on sub-continuum transport physics and new atomically thin membranes that enable energy-efficient separations for processing challenging streams beyond water purification. This project aims to position Australia at the forefront of sustainable separation technology and make the local resource and manufacturing industries more sustainable and globally competitive.Read moreRead less