What are the risks of viral infections in drinking water storages? South East Queensland's population growth is the fastest in Australia but our drinking water supplies will be fully allocated by 2020. Maintaining public health standards of the existing supplies is vital. Declines in water quality in these unprotected catchments will influence viral infection but we don't know how. Toxin producing algae (cyanobacteria) also bloom and we don't know why. We have an innovative approach to determine ....What are the risks of viral infections in drinking water storages? South East Queensland's population growth is the fastest in Australia but our drinking water supplies will be fully allocated by 2020. Maintaining public health standards of the existing supplies is vital. Declines in water quality in these unprotected catchments will influence viral infection but we don't know how. Toxin producing algae (cyanobacteria) also bloom and we don't know why. We have an innovative approach to determine how changing water quality influences viral infection of toxic cyanobacteria and the potential of human viral pathogens (disease causing) to infect. This new knowledge will improve SEQWater's ability to manage public and ecosystem health risks in drinking water storages.Read moreRead less
Are nutrients the key driver in stimulating toxic algae in subtropical water reservoirs? This project aims to determine the key factors causing blooms of the toxic algae, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, which dominates many freshwater reservoirs throughout Queensland. Little is known of why blooms of this species occur. Without the development of this understanding and research capacity to tackle this issue in Queensland, the severity of the problem is likely to increase, putting ever-greater ....Are nutrients the key driver in stimulating toxic algae in subtropical water reservoirs? This project aims to determine the key factors causing blooms of the toxic algae, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, which dominates many freshwater reservoirs throughout Queensland. Little is known of why blooms of this species occur. Without the development of this understanding and research capacity to tackle this issue in Queensland, the severity of the problem is likely to increase, putting ever-greater pressure on drinking water supplies. The outcomes from this project would therefore be an increased capacity to predict blooms, and identification of management options for reducing the occurrence of blooms to ensure a cost-effective and safe water supply.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354630
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. The Network in Fluorescence applications in biotechnology and life sciences will coordinate a research program relating to applications of fluorescence whose proper resolution requires a high degree of interaction between biology, physics, chemistry, bioengineering and medicine. These would be applied to industrially relevant problems in areas such as public health, biotechnology, safety of foods, chemical biology and environmental mo ....Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. The Network in Fluorescence applications in biotechnology and life sciences will coordinate a research program relating to applications of fluorescence whose proper resolution requires a high degree of interaction between biology, physics, chemistry, bioengineering and medicine. These would be applied to industrially relevant problems in areas such as public health, biotechnology, safety of foods, chemical biology and environmental monitoring. Approaches such as highly selective fluorescent labelling of targets using appropriate immunological and molecular techniques and purpose-engineered fluorochromes accompanied by the development of specialised instrumentation will capitalise on the multi-disciplinary research strengths in Australia and lead towards tangible industrial outcomes.
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ARC/NHMRC Research Network Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. This Network will concentrate Australian research in new applications of fluorescence to biological systems to solve significant problems in health diagnostics, biotechnology and the environment. The scientific goals identified by the Network such as highly selective fluorescent labelling and purpose-engineered fluorochromes will be accompanied by the development of specialised instrumentation. These resear ....ARC/NHMRC Research Network Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. This Network will concentrate Australian research in new applications of fluorescence to biological systems to solve significant problems in health diagnostics, biotechnology and the environment. The scientific goals identified by the Network such as highly selective fluorescent labelling and purpose-engineered fluorochromes will be accompanied by the development of specialised instrumentation. These research directions pursued by strong multi-disciplinary teams spanning biology, chemistry, physics, bioengineering and medicine will benefit from the support of the Network programs. Through its focus on academic - industry collaboration the Network will also facilitate development of basic scientific discoveries into commercial outcomes.Read moreRead less
PREDICTING THE CLOGGING OF STORM WATER INFILTRATION SYSTEMS. Infiltration systems are widely used in sustainable management of stormwater in both urban and rural areas. They are also an integral part of large stormwater-harvesting facilities. However, they tend to fail due to clogging (infiltration medium gets filled by silt from runoff), and this phenomenon is far from being understood. The aim of this project is to develop a new prediction method of clogging of stormwater infiltration systems. ....PREDICTING THE CLOGGING OF STORM WATER INFILTRATION SYSTEMS. Infiltration systems are widely used in sustainable management of stormwater in both urban and rural areas. They are also an integral part of large stormwater-harvesting facilities. However, they tend to fail due to clogging (infiltration medium gets filled by silt from runoff), and this phenomenon is far from being understood. The aim of this project is to develop a new prediction method of clogging of stormwater infiltration systems. Extensive 1D and 2D laboratory experimental programmes will be carried out. Models of unit processes that occur in infiltration systems will be defined/developed and built into a physically based model of an infiltration system. This model could be used for reliable design of stormwater drainage and harvesting systems, bringing major benefits to the people of drier and more populated areas of Australia.Read moreRead less
Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer ....Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer and flushing is lost, with the result that the lake quickly becomes anoxic, resulting in fish kills. This project examines some aeration solutions to this problem.Read moreRead less
Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient co ....Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient concentrations, pose a significant threat to waterways yet a process-based description of phosphorus release is not yet possible. The outcome will be a verified model of phosphorus release mechanisms suitable for a range of water bodies.Read moreRead less
SCANEM : A Scanning and Inspection Method for Urban Pipeline Systems. Water and sewage utilities are crucial factors limiting economic growth and urban amenity. However many of these facilities are subject to corrosion, fracture and collapse and new strategies are now required to provide a sound basis for systematic remediation and replacement. Suitable strategies involving a structural audit and statistical analysis have been proposed by CSIRO and Tyco Water. However new geophysical inspection ....SCANEM : A Scanning and Inspection Method for Urban Pipeline Systems. Water and sewage utilities are crucial factors limiting economic growth and urban amenity. However many of these facilities are subject to corrosion, fracture and collapse and new strategies are now required to provide a sound basis for systematic remediation and replacement. Suitable strategies involving a structural audit and statistical analysis have been proposed by CSIRO and Tyco Water. However new geophysical inspection methods are now required to provide the key physical parameters relating to pipeline condition. Hopefully the EM inspection tool resulting from this project will provide the industrial partners with a unique capacity to satisfy a major global market.Read moreRead less
Development of an adaptive statistical model for oceanic flooding hazards along the East Australian coast. Planning of invaluable coastal infrastructure and housing is critical to the economic and social well-being of Australian communities. Devastating flooding along coasts and estuaries in Australia frequently occurred before 1980, but has been less common since. However, the risks are clear and enormous as demonstrated in recent disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami ....Development of an adaptive statistical model for oceanic flooding hazards along the East Australian coast. Planning of invaluable coastal infrastructure and housing is critical to the economic and social well-being of Australian communities. Devastating flooding along coasts and estuaries in Australia frequently occurred before 1980, but has been less common since. However, the risks are clear and enormous as demonstrated in recent disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Climate change makes flood predictions even more difficult. This project will develop a new adaptive model which accounts for both the present and future climate and also regional variability. The research will be in collaboration with the NSW Dept of Climate Change to enable rapid government action to improve community trust in flood protection. Read moreRead less
Hydraulic durability of geosynthetic clay liners in steep slope sealing systems for landfills constructed in former quarries. Old quarries are increasingly used for the construction of landfills. The engineering challenge in constructing such landfills includes developing an appropriate lining system for the often steep sided quarry walls. The use of GCLs as part of the lining system can be a viable and a cost effective solution. However, this solution suffers from the lack of meaningful data on ....Hydraulic durability of geosynthetic clay liners in steep slope sealing systems for landfills constructed in former quarries. Old quarries are increasingly used for the construction of landfills. The engineering challenge in constructing such landfills includes developing an appropriate lining system for the often steep sided quarry walls. The use of GCLs as part of the lining system can be a viable and a cost effective solution. However, this solution suffers from the lack of meaningful data on their hydraulic durability in this particular situation. This proposal presents an original approach to investigate this durability under operating conditions typically encountered in steep sided quarries. This work is expected to provide benefits to waste containment efforts at national and international level.Read moreRead less