Thermo-hydro-mechanics of geosynthetic liners: from processes to prediction. This project aims to resolve the complex interactions affecting the long-term performance of geosynthetic liner systems under harsh environmental conditions for preventing groundwater contamination. Failures of waste containment lining systems result in millions of dollars remedial costs and high societal costs. The project expects to underpin the development of an experimentally-validated theory to predict the performa ....Thermo-hydro-mechanics of geosynthetic liners: from processes to prediction. This project aims to resolve the complex interactions affecting the long-term performance of geosynthetic liner systems under harsh environmental conditions for preventing groundwater contamination. Failures of waste containment lining systems result in millions of dollars remedial costs and high societal costs. The project expects to underpin the development of an experimentally-validated theory to predict the performance of geosynthetic liner systems at high temperatures. Expected outcomes of the project are the establishment of a new conceptual framework and providing new guidelines for the design of geosynthetic liner systems for environmental protection. These outcomes are expected to benefit the waste and mining industries by informing planning, decision makers, consultants and construction engineers with science-based information on new lining systems for landfills and mining and industry waste containment.Read moreRead less
Integrating satellite observations into environmental accounts. Accounting for biomass, water and ecosystem helps to manage and protect Australia's natural capital. Existing data provide only limited information, but this project will build on recent advances in satellite observation and model-data fusion technology to produce national accounts with unprecedented detail, for each year since 1990.
Setting Geographic Priorities for Integrated Landscape Restoration in a Fragmented Agricultural Region. This research project aims to develop the theory and application of integrated landscape restoration in a fragmented agricultural region - the Mt. Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Spatially explicit priorities will be set for the type and location of habitat to be restored for the benefit of the natural biodiversity within a physical environmental, economic and social context. Heuristic and op ....Setting Geographic Priorities for Integrated Landscape Restoration in a Fragmented Agricultural Region. This research project aims to develop the theory and application of integrated landscape restoration in a fragmented agricultural region - the Mt. Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Spatially explicit priorities will be set for the type and location of habitat to be restored for the benefit of the natural biodiversity within a physical environmental, economic and social context. Heuristic and optimisation models will be created within a Geographic Information System (GIS) and assessed for their ability to set such priorities in integrated landscape restoration. The techniques will help sustain ecological, physical and human systems in many other over-cleared regions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100565
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Planning for rare aquatic species: conservation and restoration priorities at local and continental scales. This project will develop a new method to include rare species in conservation plans by identifying habitat characteristics that are responsible for their distribution. After establishing these relations, cost-effective conservation and restoration actions will target rare fish, waterbird and insect species in Australian and overseas rivers.
RISER: resilient information systems for emergency response. This project will help to provide emergency managers, responders, and the general public in Australia with access to more timely and relevant information during an emergency. The project will improve the resilience of emergency information systems to the unplanned component failures and uncertain data sources that arise during a disaster.
Estimating per capita use and release of chemicals by wastewater analysis. This project aims to systematically collect and analyse wastewater to assess human exposure to chemicals including drugs, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle chemicals and environmental pollutants. By combining temporal sampling from key sewage treatment plants with comprehensive nationwide sampling over the week of the 2016 census day, the project expects to estimate the per-capita human exposure to chemicals in the Australian po ....Estimating per capita use and release of chemicals by wastewater analysis. This project aims to systematically collect and analyse wastewater to assess human exposure to chemicals including drugs, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle chemicals and environmental pollutants. By combining temporal sampling from key sewage treatment plants with comprehensive nationwide sampling over the week of the 2016 census day, the project expects to estimate the per-capita human exposure to chemicals in the Australian population. Accurate and objective per-capita based consumption and release estimates for a wide range of chemicals is intended to provide a baseline against which to measure changes in our chemosphere.Read moreRead less
Smart metering founding a holistic evidence-based performance evaluation framework and demand forecasting model for diversified water supply schemes. The Australian water industry faces the challenge of catering for the potable water demand of a rapidly expanding population with reduced reliability on supply imposed by an increasingly variable climate. Diversified water supply schemes (DWSS) incorporating decentralised systems or reuse sources are touted as a means to handle the inherent weaknes ....Smart metering founding a holistic evidence-based performance evaluation framework and demand forecasting model for diversified water supply schemes. The Australian water industry faces the challenge of catering for the potable water demand of a rapidly expanding population with reduced reliability on supply imposed by an increasingly variable climate. Diversified water supply schemes (DWSS) incorporating decentralised systems or reuse sources are touted as a means to handle the inherent weaknesses of centralised urban water supply schemes by potentially drawing 30-50 per cent less demand on their reserves. This research study will provide evidence to support the implementation of best practice DWSS based on an evidence based holistic assessment of their performance considering potable water savings, capital and operation costs, energy demand, as well as environmental and community impacts.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
Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. This project aims to develop and demonstrate, through real-life field studies, a model predictive control approach that achieves cost-effective network-wide mitigation of hydrogen sulphide. The lack of suitable methodologies to support the control designs of chemical dosing units and sewage pumping stations makes network-wide sewer corrosio ....Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. Network-wide sewer odour and corrosion management by model predictive control. This project aims to develop and demonstrate, through real-life field studies, a model predictive control approach that achieves cost-effective network-wide mitigation of hydrogen sulphide. The lack of suitable methodologies to support the control designs of chemical dosing units and sewage pumping stations makes network-wide sewer corrosion and odour management a problem. Innovative control methodology will simultaneously manipulate chemical dosing unit(s) and selected sewage pumping station(s), based on real-time prediction of sewage flows and characteristics both at sources and across the network, to ensure optimal delivery of dosed chemicals to mitigate hydrogen sulphide.Read moreRead less