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
Selective generation of hydrogen from biomass and waste fuels. Biomass fuels account for 14% of global energy supply. This is likely to increase in future as the population increases, energy demand rises, cheap oil and coal reserves are depleted, and the effects of global warming become more readily visible. In Australia the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy is a national priority. The hydrogen economy could bring about improved energy security, substantially reduced greenhouse gas e ....Selective generation of hydrogen from biomass and waste fuels. Biomass fuels account for 14% of global energy supply. This is likely to increase in future as the population increases, energy demand rises, cheap oil and coal reserves are depleted, and the effects of global warming become more readily visible. In Australia the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy is a national priority. The hydrogen economy could bring about improved energy security, substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy efficiency and improved air quality. This proposal directly addresses this challenge by investigating the science underpinning a large-scale sustainable hydrogen synthesis process using biomass and waste fuels. Read moreRead less
A Comprehensive Kinetic Model for Sulfur Reactions in Combustion, Gasification, and Chemical Processing. Sulfur chemistry in high temperature processes is poorly understood, leading to uncertainties in the design of these processes and in the control of their emissions. In particular, new approaches to lowering greenhouse emissions which depend on the combustion and gasification of coal, biomass, or refuse-derived fuel, such as integrated gasification combined cycle processes, are especially aff ....A Comprehensive Kinetic Model for Sulfur Reactions in Combustion, Gasification, and Chemical Processing. Sulfur chemistry in high temperature processes is poorly understood, leading to uncertainties in the design of these processes and in the control of their emissions. In particular, new approaches to lowering greenhouse emissions which depend on the combustion and gasification of coal, biomass, or refuse-derived fuel, such as integrated gasification combined cycle processes, are especially affected by these uncertainties. This project seeks to combine experimental measurements and quantum chemical modelling to produce a detailed mechanistic model for the reactions of sulfur in high-temperature systems. Such a model will provide designers with a tool to optimise these complex interacting systems.Read moreRead less
Assessment and optimisation of N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis for planned potable water recycling applications. Water recycling is a strategic approach to secure potable water supplies in Australia. The underlying challenge is to protect public health by ensuring robust treatment processes capable of effectively eliminating contaminants of concern. This research aims to enhance the capabilities of advanced water treatment plant designers and operators to control N-nitrosamine concent ....Assessment and optimisation of N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis for planned potable water recycling applications. Water recycling is a strategic approach to secure potable water supplies in Australia. The underlying challenge is to protect public health by ensuring robust treatment processes capable of effectively eliminating contaminants of concern. This research aims to enhance the capabilities of advanced water treatment plant designers and operators to control N-nitrosamine concentrations by optimised reverse osmosis treatment. A predictive model will be developed allowing for the optimisation of N-nitrosamine removal by reverse osmosis filtration in full scale installation. The project will directly enhance the viability of indirect potable water recycling and thus reduce dependency on water sources vulnerable to climate change.Read moreRead less
Adsorption and Removal of Trace Organic Compounds by Membrane Processes used in Water Treatment and Wastewater Recycling. Recycling of municipal wastewaters is of growing importance as a resource-conservation and environmental-protection measure in Australia. A major impediment to increased rates of water recycling is a lack of knowledge regarding the presence, fate and removal of key trace organic compounds. Among these key contaminants are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and steroid ....Adsorption and Removal of Trace Organic Compounds by Membrane Processes used in Water Treatment and Wastewater Recycling. Recycling of municipal wastewaters is of growing importance as a resource-conservation and environmental-protection measure in Australia. A major impediment to increased rates of water recycling is a lack of knowledge regarding the presence, fate and removal of key trace organic compounds. Among these key contaminants are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and steroid hormones. This research will lead to a thorough understanding of the mechanisms involved with the removal of these compounds by membrane treatment applications. Major benefits will be enhanced ability to undertake risk management and a lowering of costs associated with full-scale water treatment applications.Read moreRead less
Carbon dioxide in water nanoemulsions for carbon sequestration. The project will address a key objection to geological carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration by removing the risk of long-term leakage to drinking water aquifers or to atmosphere. By injecting a nano-emulsion of CO2-in-water, the project seeks to show complete reaction to permanently stable solid carbonate occurs within weeks, eliminating the need for secure caprock or extended seal integrity monitoring. New knowledge will be generated ....Carbon dioxide in water nanoemulsions for carbon sequestration. The project will address a key objection to geological carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration by removing the risk of long-term leakage to drinking water aquifers or to atmosphere. By injecting a nano-emulsion of CO2-in-water, the project seeks to show complete reaction to permanently stable solid carbonate occurs within weeks, eliminating the need for secure caprock or extended seal integrity monitoring. New knowledge will be generated using innovative approaches to create and stabilise CO2-in-water nano-emulsions and demonstrate the fast conversion of CO2 into stable minerals. The benefits are significant in opening potential sequestration targets to include areas without secure caps, reduced cost and elimination of long-term leakage riskRead moreRead less
Characterisation of Pyrolytic Thermal Regions in Coal Macerals using Computer Aided Thermal Analysis. The research will assist in the fundamental understanding of coal pyrolysis mechanisms. All coal contains proportions of different fossilised plant material, which behaves differently when heated. This proposal studies thermal behaviour of the density separated fractions in Australian coals using a highly sensitive technique. The characterisation adds value and use to current coal reserves and ....Characterisation of Pyrolytic Thermal Regions in Coal Macerals using Computer Aided Thermal Analysis. The research will assist in the fundamental understanding of coal pyrolysis mechanisms. All coal contains proportions of different fossilised plant material, which behaves differently when heated. This proposal studies thermal behaviour of the density separated fractions in Australian coals using a highly sensitive technique. The characterisation adds value and use to current coal reserves and is aimed towards producing an advanced modelling capability to promote efficient coal usage in existing and future technologies. Such innovative approaches support the sustainability of Australian coal reserves, particularly in the transition towards decarbonised energy.Read moreRead less
Impact of Fouling on Retention of Contaminants in Electrodialysis for Brackish Water and Wastewater Applications. Water desalination and water recycling are both of utmost importance in the current global water crisis. Reverse osmosis is a commonly used process in both areas but this process has two main limitations (1) it is limited in water recovery by the concentration of salts, and (2) it produces a relatively large amount of concentrates that require disposal. Using electrodialysis to treat ....Impact of Fouling on Retention of Contaminants in Electrodialysis for Brackish Water and Wastewater Applications. Water desalination and water recycling are both of utmost importance in the current global water crisis. Reverse osmosis is a commonly used process in both areas but this process has two main limitations (1) it is limited in water recovery by the concentration of salts, and (2) it produces a relatively large amount of concentrates that require disposal. Using electrodialysis to treat such concentrates will decrease the salinity problem caused by disposal and also increase the water efficiency of the treatment process. In this research project the potential performance limitations fouling and micropollutant removal will be investigated and hence the performance improved.Read moreRead less
Combined Ozonation-Flotation for the Treatment of Potable Water. Water Authorities are tightly regulated to guarantee removal of pollutants such as algal cells and toxins, cryptosporidium oocysts, and geosmin from drinking water. Processing options such as membrane filtration are effective but become very expensive when continuously operated to protect against occasional contamination events. This project aims to develop a fully-integrated process combining flotation and ozonation which can be ....Combined Ozonation-Flotation for the Treatment of Potable Water. Water Authorities are tightly regulated to guarantee removal of pollutants such as algal cells and toxins, cryptosporidium oocysts, and geosmin from drinking water. Processing options such as membrane filtration are effective but become very expensive when continuously operated to protect against occasional contamination events. This project aims to develop a fully-integrated process combining flotation and ozonation which can be operated continuously when required in a number of different modes to provide a barrier against a range of contamination events. The process utilises much of the existing water treatment infrastructure reducing capital and operating costs.Read moreRead less
Ozone-Enhanced Particle Removal in Water Treatment. Combined ozonation/biologically active carbon filtration provides effective contaminant removal while minimizing disinfection by-product formation. However, the cost of installation in conventional water treatment plants is very high. This project will investigate the beneficial influence of ozonation on the micro-flocculation of small particles, with the aim to optimising particle removal by sedimentation prior to filtration. To do this, requi ....Ozone-Enhanced Particle Removal in Water Treatment. Combined ozonation/biologically active carbon filtration provides effective contaminant removal while minimizing disinfection by-product formation. However, the cost of installation in conventional water treatment plants is very high. This project will investigate the beneficial influence of ozonation on the micro-flocculation of small particles, with the aim to optimising particle removal by sedimentation prior to filtration. To do this, requires a clear understanding of how dissolved ozone interacts with particle surfaces for different water chemistries. The ideal outcome would be to develop a robust water treatment system that required BAC filtration only and eliminated the need for a conventional sand filtration stage as well.Read moreRead less