Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greate ....Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greater than currently estimated. This research will provide primary data on the magnitude of downstream N2O emissions coming from the near-shore marine disposal of primary-level municipal wastewater in Australia. Results from this research will help quantify the carbon footprint associated with marine disposal of poorly treated effluents worldwide.Read moreRead less
The effect of wastewater treatment on the ecotoxicity of chiral chemicals. This project aims to assess the environmental implications of pharmaceuticals discharged in effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Trace levels of human pharmaceuticals occur in sewage and urban waterways, but during sewage treatment, some pharmaceuticals can undergo a chemical transformation known as 'chiral inversion'. In some cases, this may convert relatively benign environmental contaminants to more ecologically ....The effect of wastewater treatment on the ecotoxicity of chiral chemicals. This project aims to assess the environmental implications of pharmaceuticals discharged in effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Trace levels of human pharmaceuticals occur in sewage and urban waterways, but during sewage treatment, some pharmaceuticals can undergo a chemical transformation known as 'chiral inversion'. In some cases, this may convert relatively benign environmental contaminants to more ecologically toxic species. This project will investigate why and how some pharmaceuticals become susceptible to chiral inversion and assess ecotoxicological differences. This work is expected to determine the significance of considering chiral inversion in environmental risk assessment, with applications to a broader range of chemicals including pesticides and industrial chemicals.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100056
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,746.00
Summary
Microstructured Nanohybrid Films for Passive Daytime Cooling. This project aims to develop a daytime radiative cooling surface without external energy requirement via novel microstructured nanohybrid film coatings to perpetually dump heat into cold outer space through the atmospheric window. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of building cooling materials, via multidisciplinary utilisation of cutting-edge construction materials and design. The expected outcome ....Microstructured Nanohybrid Films for Passive Daytime Cooling. This project aims to develop a daytime radiative cooling surface without external energy requirement via novel microstructured nanohybrid film coatings to perpetually dump heat into cold outer space through the atmospheric window. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of building cooling materials, via multidisciplinary utilisation of cutting-edge construction materials and design. The expected outcome of the project will place Australia in a competitive position in advanced green building infrastructure and highly demanded energy-saving technologies. This should provide benefits, such as significantly decreasing building energy consumption, and, thus reducing greenhouse gas emission.Read moreRead less
Computational analysis and design of injection stretch blow-moulded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. There are approximately 2.5 billion containers made each year representing 80,000 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Australia. A weight reduction of each PET container will have a significant economic benefit and an environmental impact. This project aims to develop an integrated and innovative computer-aided design technology for assisting manufacturing of injection stretch ....Computational analysis and design of injection stretch blow-moulded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. There are approximately 2.5 billion containers made each year representing 80,000 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Australia. A weight reduction of each PET container will have a significant economic benefit and an environmental impact. This project aims to develop an integrated and innovative computer-aided design technology for assisting manufacturing of injection stretch moulded PET bottles by making full use of the up-to-date computational technologies. It is expected that the research will improve the competitiveness of Australian packaging industries by developing leading-edge technology and will enhance living environment in terms of optimally designing lightweight and structurally strong PET bottles.Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of vegetation in nitrogen removal by biofiltration. Many of Australia's bays and waterways are threatened by eutrophication due to excess nitrogen loads, particularly from urban stormwater. Biofiltration systems are a widely used (Melbourne Water alone has a programme of constructing 10000 systems in partnership with municipalities over the next 5 years) and potentially effective treatment, but their nitrogen removal is highly dependent on the type of vegetation used. Th ....Understanding the role of vegetation in nitrogen removal by biofiltration. Many of Australia's bays and waterways are threatened by eutrophication due to excess nitrogen loads, particularly from urban stormwater. Biofiltration systems are a widely used (Melbourne Water alone has a programme of constructing 10000 systems in partnership with municipalities over the next 5 years) and potentially effective treatment, but their nitrogen removal is highly dependent on the type of vegetation used. This project will improve the understanding of the role of vegetation in nitrogen retention by stormwater biofilters, and will thus provide important guidance on plant selection and design for biofiltration.Read moreRead less
Modelling surface stresses in crystalline plates. This project intends to improve our understanding of the influence of surface stress on bending in anisotropic crystalline plates. Micro/nanoelectro-mechanical systems as transducers, switches, logic gates, actuators and sensors are widely used in fields of biotechnology, medicine, automotive, civionics, avionics and defence. A key issue that affects the accuracy and reliability of these systems is how to correctly predict the size-dependent surf ....Modelling surface stresses in crystalline plates. This project intends to improve our understanding of the influence of surface stress on bending in anisotropic crystalline plates. Micro/nanoelectro-mechanical systems as transducers, switches, logic gates, actuators and sensors are widely used in fields of biotechnology, medicine, automotive, civionics, avionics and defence. A key issue that affects the accuracy and reliability of these systems is how to correctly predict the size-dependent surface stress of the structural components in the systems. The project aims to quantify the relations between the change in surface stress and the bending of structures with micro/nanoscale thickness and arbitrary crystallographic symmetry. Expected project outcomes may lead to significant advancement in overcoming the current shortcomings in designing micro/nanoelectro-mechanical devices.Read moreRead less
Material properties and mechanical behaviours of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite structures. Polymer nanocomposites and their applications in advanced structures represent one of the most significant developments of composite materials and structures in the past decade. This project aims to quantify the equivalent material properties of effective individual carbon nanotube in polymer matrix, predict the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites and optimise the ....Material properties and mechanical behaviours of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite structures. Polymer nanocomposites and their applications in advanced structures represent one of the most significant developments of composite materials and structures in the past decade. This project aims to quantify the equivalent material properties of effective individual carbon nanotube in polymer matrix, predict the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites and optimise the mechanical behaviours of functionally graded carbon nanotube polymer composite structures through a multi-scale modelling and analytical approach. It will establish guidelines and strategies for design and development of high performance carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites and their functionally graded structures. Read moreRead less
Design of Welded Steel Tubular Connections. Steel tubes are widely used in building, road transportation, defence, recreation, and agriculture industries. The proposed program will develop static design procedures for welded tubular connections to ensure safe and economic structures. The program will also investigate the behaviour of a popular tubular connection utilizing very high strength steel tubes to extend the existing design scope and enhance the utilization of Australian produced innovat ....Design of Welded Steel Tubular Connections. Steel tubes are widely used in building, road transportation, defence, recreation, and agriculture industries. The proposed program will develop static design procedures for welded tubular connections to ensure safe and economic structures. The program will also investigate the behaviour of a popular tubular connection utilizing very high strength steel tubes to extend the existing design scope and enhance the utilization of Australian produced innovative tubular sections. The notch toughness of steel tubes will also be investigated to avoid fracture failure of welded connections under dynamic loading. The program will build strong ongoing collaboration between University of Toronto and Monash University.Read moreRead less
Interaction of Local and Distortional Buckling in Thin-Walled High Strength Steel Sections. Recent research at the University of Sydney has shown that the local and distortional buckling modes in thin-walled high strength steel sections may have adverse interaction. Cold-Formed steel sections of this type are used in residential construction, ceiling systems, partitioning systems in offices and other light gauge applications. The project will develop mathematical models of the interaction beha ....Interaction of Local and Distortional Buckling in Thin-Walled High Strength Steel Sections. Recent research at the University of Sydney has shown that the local and distortional buckling modes in thin-walled high strength steel sections may have adverse interaction. Cold-Formed steel sections of this type are used in residential construction, ceiling systems, partitioning systems in offices and other light gauge applications. The project will develop mathematical models of the interaction behaviour of sections of this type for a wide range of section geometries. A major outcome will be design methods which accurately quantify the interaction behaviour based on the models. Testing will be undertaken to support the theoretical developments and to calibrate the design models.Read moreRead less
Structural behaviour of innovative hollow flange steel members subject to local and lateral distortional buckling effects. This project will investigate the local and lateral distortional buckling behaviour of a new generation of innovative and cost-effective thin and high strength steel hollow flange sections (HFS) being developed using a unique dual weld and roll-forming technology. It will use experiments and advanced numerical modelling to develop fundamental behavioural and design data for ....Structural behaviour of innovative hollow flange steel members subject to local and lateral distortional buckling effects. This project will investigate the local and lateral distortional buckling behaviour of a new generation of innovative and cost-effective thin and high strength steel hollow flange sections (HFS) being developed using a unique dual weld and roll-forming technology. It will use experiments and advanced numerical modelling to develop fundamental behavioural and design data for HFS flexural members. Effects of web corrugations and punched holes will also be investigated. The research will enable innovative applications using HFS in the building industry in Australia and overseas. It will bring significant economic benefits to the industry partner, steel building industry, and Australia.Read moreRead less