PFAS transport through landfill clay liners enhanced with proteins. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of environmentally persistent, man-made chemicals found likely to be carcinogenic in humans. Due to their non-stick, water and stain repellences, PFAS have long been used in everyday products (food wrappers, carpets, furniture etc.) which end up in landfills. As it is currently unknown how PFAS move through the various components of landfill barriers, their fate and transpor ....PFAS transport through landfill clay liners enhanced with proteins. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of environmentally persistent, man-made chemicals found likely to be carcinogenic in humans. Due to their non-stick, water and stain repellences, PFAS have long been used in everyday products (food wrappers, carpets, furniture etc.) which end up in landfills. As it is currently unknown how PFAS move through the various components of landfill barriers, their fate and transport has become a priority for the regulators of Australia’s landfill sites according to the Australian 2018 PFAS National Environmental Management Plan. This research will determine PFAS transport through common clay barriers enhanced with proteins which have been shown to be an excellent sorbent for PFAS.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental bene ....A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental benefit, through reductions in fuel burn for each flight, and increases in system effectiveness. The project will enable better analysis of Australian aviation environmental effect, whilst at the same time allowing the aviation industry to continue to contribute to Australia's sustainable economic growth. 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 the Biotransformation Processes in a Sewer System to Achieve Optimal Management. Sewer corrosion and odour emissions are incurring massive costs to the wastewater management authorities. These problems are primarily caused by the hydrogen sulfide produced by the in-sewer biotransformation processes. Through integrating controlled laboratory experiments, extensive field measurement/experiments and advanced computer modelling, the project aims to generate a fundamental understanding ....Understanding the Biotransformation Processes in a Sewer System to Achieve Optimal Management. Sewer corrosion and odour emissions are incurring massive costs to the wastewater management authorities. These problems are primarily caused by the hydrogen sulfide produced by the in-sewer biotransformation processes. Through integrating controlled laboratory experiments, extensive field measurement/experiments and advanced computer modelling, the project aims to generate a fundamental understanding of the in-sewer biotransformation processes, in particular those occurring in sewer biofilms and sediments, and to provide scientific and engineering support to the wastewater authorities to manage their sewers in a more cost-effective way. Emphasis is placed on the integrated sewer and wastewater treatment performance to achieve overall optimal wastewater management.Read moreRead less
Integrated assessment of climate change, climate input errors and land-use change on soil-moisture and carbon-balance in a catchment simulation framework. Assessing soil moisture and carbon balance changes in a warmer climate is important for land-use and agricultural planning. A decision support tool is proposed that performs the assessment and allows us to develop plans that reduce adverse impacts. The tool consists of three parts. The first part models changes in rainfall accuracy to calibrat ....Integrated assessment of climate change, climate input errors and land-use change on soil-moisture and carbon-balance in a catchment simulation framework. Assessing soil moisture and carbon balance changes in a warmer climate is important for land-use and agricultural planning. A decision support tool is proposed that performs the assessment and allows us to develop plans that reduce adverse impacts. The tool consists of three parts. The first part models changes in rainfall accuracy to calibrate approaches for catchment simulation. The second part simulates rainfall under climate change conditions using stochastic downscaling. The third part simulates future soil moisture and carbon balance using downscaled climate inputs. The end result is a probabilistic simulation of the catchment hydrology under future climates.Read moreRead less
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
Removal of Potential Impact of Pharmaceutical Active Compounds during Wastewater Treatment. The increasing application of antimicrobial compounds in pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) requires improved understanding of their impact on the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a major removal process, however little is known about why certain PPCPs are removed during wastewater treatment and other are not. The project aims to study the fate of PPCPs and the spread of ....Removal of Potential Impact of Pharmaceutical Active Compounds during Wastewater Treatment. The increasing application of antimicrobial compounds in pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) requires improved understanding of their impact on the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a major removal process, however little is known about why certain PPCPs are removed during wastewater treatment and other are not. The project aims to study the fate of PPCPs and the spread of bacterial resistance in wastewater treatment. Studies will compare the effects of different treatment processes, operational conditions and environmental factors on the removal and treatment of PPCPs. The outcome will be the development of more sustainable WWTPs design and operation in terms of PPCPs removal.Read moreRead less
Developing a global environmental, social and economic information system. The outcome of this project will be a unique environmental information system that will open up new global analytical perspectives for international institutions, corporations and academia. It will enable decision makers to identify hidden impacts of global supply chains that could so far not be enumerated. This research will enhance Australia's international reputation in spearheading advances in Environmental Accounting ....Developing a global environmental, social and economic information system. The outcome of this project will be a unique environmental information system that will open up new global analytical perspectives for international institutions, corporations and academia. It will enable decision makers to identify hidden impacts of global supply chains that could so far not be enumerated. This research will enhance Australia's international reputation in spearheading advances in Environmental Accounting. It will fulfill ubiquitous needs of analysts worldwide, and become a sought-after export. It will demonstrate how Australians affect the global environment, and how we can improve it by changing the way we live and consume. This research is truly inter-disciplinary, and will benefit a multitude of other research areas.Read moreRead less
Unifying global approaches to environmental footprinting. This project will create a globally harmonised approach to calculating environmental footprints for nations, regions, cities and organisations. This research will establish the environmental burden caused by international trade, enabling global governance bodies to implement principles for a fairer global sharing of environmental burdens.
Harnessing the oceans to combat climate change: Developing law and policy frameworks for ocean energy and climate change mitigation. A major policy objective of the Australian Government is to address the adverse effects of climate change on the Australian economy, natural resources and national security. This project will analyse the adequacy of the current international and Australian legal and policy frameworks to prescribe regulatory principles for ocean energy activities and ocean based cli ....Harnessing the oceans to combat climate change: Developing law and policy frameworks for ocean energy and climate change mitigation. A major policy objective of the Australian Government is to address the adverse effects of climate change on the Australian economy, natural resources and national security. This project will analyse the adequacy of the current international and Australian legal and policy frameworks to prescribe regulatory principles for ocean energy activities and ocean based climate change mitigation activities which both protect and preserve the marine environment and its resources from adverse impacts and equitably accommodate other uses of the ocean. Australian legislative approaches to regulating these activities will be analysed to identify regulatory gaps and options developed to enhance Australia's regulatory framework.Read moreRead less