Phase stability of biomass fast pyrolysis bio-oil: behaviour and control. This project aims to carry out a systematic investigation into the phase behaviour and control of biomass fast pyrolysis into bio-oil and its derived fuels. The project addresses the major problem of fuel phase separation during processing and handling that cause significant operational challenges, for example pumping difficulties and line clogging, during storage, transport and applications of these fuels. The outcomes in ....Phase stability of biomass fast pyrolysis bio-oil: behaviour and control. This project aims to carry out a systematic investigation into the phase behaviour and control of biomass fast pyrolysis into bio-oil and its derived fuels. The project addresses the major problem of fuel phase separation during processing and handling that cause significant operational challenges, for example pumping difficulties and line clogging, during storage, transport and applications of these fuels. The outcomes include the discovery of fundamental knowledge on the phase structure, stability and behaviour of the products of biomass fast pyrolysis bio-oil and its derived fuels and the development of essential engineering tools for predicting and controlling phase behaviour and stability of these fuels.Read moreRead less
High temperature corrosion induced by multiple secondary oxidants . Heat resisting chromia-forming alloys passivate successfully in clean, dry air at temperatures up to about 950°C. However, this performance is degraded by secondary oxidants (carbon, sulphur, chlorine, water vapour), leading to corrosion failure in important industries. The project aims to investigate the effect of these secondary oxidants on corrosion behaviour of chromia-forming alloys, to identify interactions between multipl ....High temperature corrosion induced by multiple secondary oxidants . Heat resisting chromia-forming alloys passivate successfully in clean, dry air at temperatures up to about 950°C. However, this performance is degraded by secondary oxidants (carbon, sulphur, chlorine, water vapour), leading to corrosion failure in important industries. The project aims to investigate the effect of these secondary oxidants on corrosion behaviour of chromia-forming alloys, to identify interactions between multiple oxidants within the scale, to establish the mechanisms of oxide scale penetration by foreign species, and to evaluate scales on different alloy types. The results will provide a basis for improved design/selection of heat resisting chromia-forming alloys, key to power generation industries.Read moreRead less
Spatially orthogonal multifunctional materials for catalytic cascades. This project aims to develop and implement new strategies to create, visualise, and apply multifunctional catalysts in which the location of (and communication between) active sites is precisely controlled to unlock ultraselective cascade reactions. Catalysis is a key enabling technology contributing to 35 % of the global economy, with new catalysts underpinning socioeconomic advancement through fuels, chemicals, and pharmace ....Spatially orthogonal multifunctional materials for catalytic cascades. This project aims to develop and implement new strategies to create, visualise, and apply multifunctional catalysts in which the location of (and communication between) active sites is precisely controlled to unlock ultraselective cascade reactions. Catalysis is a key enabling technology contributing to 35 % of the global economy, with new catalysts underpinning socioeconomic advancement through fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals production, and environmental depollution. This interdisciplinary project expects to discover next-generation nanoengineered catalysts, and to develop innovative energy- and resource-efficient chemical processes, which should offer significant benefits to Australian science, industry, and the environment.Read moreRead less
AI in agriculture: hybrid machine learning models for nitrogen simulation. Agricultural simulation models are used to guide nitrogen management to reduce nitrogen loss and its environmental impact, but they were developed using constrained datasets, which restricts them to site- or regional-specific simulations. This project adopts a novel approach to addressing these problems by applying machine learning-based data analytics. The project will refine the linkages between nitrogen losses and thei ....AI in agriculture: hybrid machine learning models for nitrogen simulation. Agricultural simulation models are used to guide nitrogen management to reduce nitrogen loss and its environmental impact, but they were developed using constrained datasets, which restricts them to site- or regional-specific simulations. This project adopts a novel approach to addressing these problems by applying machine learning-based data analytics. The project will refine the linkages between nitrogen losses and their key drivers, and improve the existing agroecosystem models through data imputation, parameter optimisation and module enhancement. The outcomes of this project will lead to an accurate prediction of nitrogen losses from agriculture, advancement in agroecosystem models and their adaptability to a global context.Read moreRead less
Connecting soil nitrogen and plant uptake for greener agriculture. This project will use synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, root and rhizosphere biology and rhizosphere modelling to establish detailed mechanistic knowledge of the nitrogen (N) transport and uptake processes at the soil-root interface to develop new, efficient urease and nitrification inhibitors for reliable provision of N to the plant/root system. The reduction of excessive N fertilisation has significant environmental be ....Connecting soil nitrogen and plant uptake for greener agriculture. This project will use synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, root and rhizosphere biology and rhizosphere modelling to establish detailed mechanistic knowledge of the nitrogen (N) transport and uptake processes at the soil-root interface to develop new, efficient urease and nitrification inhibitors for reliable provision of N to the plant/root system. The reduction of excessive N fertilisation has significant environmental benefits by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. This project will lead to a breakthrough for the triple challenge of food security, environmental degradation and climate change, while improving plant productivity and increasing the profitability of agriculture through lower fertiliser costs.Read moreRead less
Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is ex ....Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is expected to enable a broad array of applications, from agricultural treatments to nasal sprays, by exhibiting responsive behaviour at concentrations much lower than conventional modifiers require. The project will study the responsiveness of the system in single droplet, spray, and coating form as well as an active delivery system.Read moreRead less
Faster interfacial electron transfer: the effect of molecule shape and size. This project aims to explore the effect of shape and size of pi-conjugated molecules on interfacial electron transfer reactions, which are fundamentally important in all applications of photo-electrochemical conversion and storage of energy. By making two series of pi-conjugated molecules and determining electron transfer rates using a combination of transient spectroscopies and computational chemistry, the project expe ....Faster interfacial electron transfer: the effect of molecule shape and size. This project aims to explore the effect of shape and size of pi-conjugated molecules on interfacial electron transfer reactions, which are fundamentally important in all applications of photo-electrochemical conversion and storage of energy. By making two series of pi-conjugated molecules and determining electron transfer rates using a combination of transient spectroscopies and computational chemistry, the project expects to generate new design principles for molecules with the potential to significantly improve the efficiencies of solar energy conversion and photo-catalytic processes. The new materials and findings will be exploited in a novel redox-mediated water splitting device as a practical outcome with potential end user benefits.Read moreRead less
Nanostructured solid acid catalysts for sustainable chemical manufacturing. This project aims to develop next-generation solid acid catalysts for energy- and atom-efficient transformations of waste biomass and carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals and fuels. Catalysis is a transformative technology, key to both life and lifestyle, contributing to 90% of chemical manufacturing processes and >20% of all industrial products, and will be a key enabler for the emerging Australian bioeconomy. The ex ....Nanostructured solid acid catalysts for sustainable chemical manufacturing. This project aims to develop next-generation solid acid catalysts for energy- and atom-efficient transformations of waste biomass and carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals and fuels. Catalysis is a transformative technology, key to both life and lifestyle, contributing to 90% of chemical manufacturing processes and >20% of all industrial products, and will be a key enabler for the emerging Australian bioeconomy. The expected development of new high performance catalysts for the production of renewable transportation fuels and sustainable chemical feedstocks will underpin commercially viable low carbon technologies using waste resources, and should provide significant benefits to Australian science, industry, and the environment.
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Biomass-derived Carbon Dots Enable Flexible, On-Demand Hydrogen Delivery . Methanol is a promising liquid hydrogen carrier for long distance H2 transportation and exportation, because it is rich in hydrogen content, cheap, recyclable between methanol-formaldehyde and easier to manufacture from renewable resources including biomass waste. The critical bottleneck in adopting methanol as the carrier is the demanding dehydrogenation process. The project aims to create a new class of photocatalyst ba ....Biomass-derived Carbon Dots Enable Flexible, On-Demand Hydrogen Delivery . Methanol is a promising liquid hydrogen carrier for long distance H2 transportation and exportation, because it is rich in hydrogen content, cheap, recyclable between methanol-formaldehyde and easier to manufacture from renewable resources including biomass waste. The critical bottleneck in adopting methanol as the carrier is the demanding dehydrogenation process. The project aims to create a new class of photocatalyst based on biomass-derived carbon nanodots grown on transition metal (di)chalcogenide nanosheets that can effectively enable a light-controlled methanol H2 release of desired quantity. The key outcomes will be a new class of photocatalysts and flexible, on-demand hydrogen delivery technology for liquid hydrogen carriers.Read moreRead less
General systems modelling of hydrogen production network in Australia. The project aims at further developing a general framework for systems modelling and applying the framework to investigate the feasibility and sustainability of large-scale hydrogen production in Australia. Two pathways proposed in this project are to be examined: 1) hybrid plants sourcing hydrogen from fossil fuels and solar thermal energy and 2) hydrogen production network producing hydrogen from 100% renewable energy. The ....General systems modelling of hydrogen production network in Australia. The project aims at further developing a general framework for systems modelling and applying the framework to investigate the feasibility and sustainability of large-scale hydrogen production in Australia. Two pathways proposed in this project are to be examined: 1) hybrid plants sourcing hydrogen from fossil fuels and solar thermal energy and 2) hydrogen production network producing hydrogen from 100% renewable energy. The project involves building systems models and using these models to determine optimal operational parameters and conditions with the goal of maintaining export of high-end energy resources to Japan and other countries as well as using hydrogen domestically while minimising the environment effects of hydrogen production.Read moreRead less