Production, Fate and Transport of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Waterways. Australian waterways are under severe pressure from both large variation in precipitation patterns and various sources of contamination. In particular, the management of algal blooms costs Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Through the use of a unique approach this project will provide the necessary information for a science based decision making strategies to eradicate, as much as possible, algal blooms and ....Production, Fate and Transport of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Waterways. Australian waterways are under severe pressure from both large variation in precipitation patterns and various sources of contamination. In particular, the management of algal blooms costs Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Through the use of a unique approach this project will provide the necessary information for a science based decision making strategies to eradicate, as much as possible, algal blooms and to reduce the risk of severe injuries to the public, livestock and the environment, resulting from contamination waterways by algal toxins. Read moreRead less
Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a yea ....Optimal management of corrosion and odour problems in sewer systems. Pollutants in wastewater undergo complex changes in sewers, leading to the production and release of odorous and corrosive compounds. Despite major efforts and expenditure by water utilities to mitigate these problems, odorous emissions from sewers are still commonly occurring in urban areas. Furthermore, the value of public assets is significantly diminished due to sewer corrosion, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in Australia alone. This project is a major joint effort by the Australian water industry and world-leading scientists to generate advanced knowledge and develop effective technologies for optimal odour and corrosion management in sewers, delivering large social, environmental and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Understanding and mitigating nitrous oxide emission from wastewater treatment plants. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges that mankind is facing. Substantial reduction in emissions must be achieved, with responsibility to be shared by all industrial sectors. Wastewater systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through not only energy consumptions but also direct emissions of fugitive greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. This project aim ....Understanding and mitigating nitrous oxide emission from wastewater treatment plants. Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most serious challenges that mankind is facing. Substantial reduction in emissions must be achieved, with responsibility to be shared by all industrial sectors. Wastewater systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through not only energy consumptions but also direct emissions of fugitive greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. This project aims to provide knowledge and technology support to the Australian wastewater industry to minimize the emission of nitrous oxide during biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. This is critically important for this industry to achieve greenhouse gas neutral wastewater management.Read moreRead less
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from sewers – understanding, modelling and mitigation. The research and industry partners will collaborate on this project to quantify, understand and mitigate emissions of methane and nitrous oxide in sewer networks. Both methane and nitrous oxide are potent greenhouse gases, and their emissions need to be accounted for and mitigated for the water industry to achieve greenhouse neutral water services.
Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in res ....Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in response to ventilation and dynamic wastewater and atmospheric conditions, enabling model-based sewer ventilation design and operation. The project also aims to deliver novel, field-demonstrated ventilation strategies. The project findings will be incorporated in the Australian ventilation design and operation guidelines.Read moreRead less
Optimising biodegradation and removal of organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater using constructed wetlands. The urgency of water recycling is dictated by drying climate and rapid expansion of population in Australia. Constructed wetlands are environmentally-benign way to purify wastewater by removing inorganics and facilitating biodegradation of organic pollutants, thus producing recycled water that can be used in a variety of fit-for-purpose applications. This project will produce a dec ....Optimising biodegradation and removal of organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater using constructed wetlands. The urgency of water recycling is dictated by drying climate and rapid expansion of population in Australia. Constructed wetlands are environmentally-benign way to purify wastewater by removing inorganics and facilitating biodegradation of organic pollutants, thus producing recycled water that can be used in a variety of fit-for-purpose applications. This project will produce a decision-support system for optimising wetland performance in removing inorganics and biodegrading organic pollutants from wastewater, thus enhancing water recycling and reuse in this drying continent of ours.Read moreRead less
Reducing glyphosate exposure from high use practices. This project aims to investigate methods of reducing occupational exposure to glyphosate, a ubiquitous pollutant of emerging concern. This will be achieved through developing new cost-effective analytical and sampling tools and refining methods for integrating human exposure (biomonitoring) data with surveillance data on the pathways of glyphosate exposure from high use. The project will generate new targeted knowledge on (sub) population-spe ....Reducing glyphosate exposure from high use practices. This project aims to investigate methods of reducing occupational exposure to glyphosate, a ubiquitous pollutant of emerging concern. This will be achieved through developing new cost-effective analytical and sampling tools and refining methods for integrating human exposure (biomonitoring) data with surveillance data on the pathways of glyphosate exposure from high use. The project will generate new targeted knowledge on (sub) population-specific chemical exposures in Australia, and globally. Such data are critical to inform public health and chemical regulation policy, and provide clear guidance aimed at reducing exposures, to assess the effectiveness of existing regulations, and provide a framework for implementing surveys in the future.Read moreRead less
Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. This project aims to develop innovative, cost-effective, high resolution air quality networks. Recent developments in sensor technologies improve the ability to harvest atmospheric data. This project will develop, validate and implement methods for high sensitivity atmospheric sensing and apply cutting-edge statistical and analytic techniques to the data sets, ....Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. This project aims to develop innovative, cost-effective, high resolution air quality networks. Recent developments in sensor technologies improve the ability to harvest atmospheric data. This project will develop, validate and implement methods for high sensitivity atmospheric sensing and apply cutting-edge statistical and analytic techniques to the data sets, unprecedented in scope and resolution. Outcomes include an open access database to quantify and visualise intra-urban air pollution and human exposure and develop air quality maps and smoke pollution management tools. It is expected to advance the evidence-based management of air as a resource, increasing economic prosperity and enhancing human health and quality of life.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH130200025
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,181,756.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. This Research Hub aims to create a unique opportunity for completely different industries to come together, with a common goal of creating value from mixed plastic and glass waste in manufacturing. Starting with fundamental investigations of the transformation behaviour of waste materials under high temperature conditions, ....ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for transforming waste directly in cost-effective green manufacturing. This Research Hub aims to create a unique opportunity for completely different industries to come together, with a common goal of creating value from mixed plastic and glass waste in manufacturing. Starting with fundamental investigations of the transformation behaviour of waste materials under high temperature conditions, the hub will focus on developing scalable solutions for its manufacturing partners towards reducing the consumption of primary resources while simultaneously diverting waste streams from landfill. Additionally, the potential of using such transformations to yield improved products such as wear-resistant grinding media and light-weight building materials will be investigated to enhance Australian manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such ....Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such lakes and assess the possibility of using mining lakes as valued water resources in these regions. The primary outcome of the research will be improved management of the lakes for optimal long term water quality.Read moreRead less