Detailed understanding of the behaviour of soot in, and emission from, turbulent flames and fires. While combustion processes involving soot have been widely employed for many years, their great complexity puts them beyond present capacity to understand or model reliably. Within a flame, soot plays an important role in radiant heat transfer, and hence in energy efficiency. Beyond a flame, soot can either be emitted as an unwanted air pollutant or as a desirable source of nano-particles, dependin ....Detailed understanding of the behaviour of soot in, and emission from, turbulent flames and fires. While combustion processes involving soot have been widely employed for many years, their great complexity puts them beyond present capacity to understand or model reliably. Within a flame, soot plays an important role in radiant heat transfer, and hence in energy efficiency. Beyond a flame, soot can either be emitted as an unwanted air pollutant or as a desirable source of nano-particles, depending on the application. The benefits to society from improved understanding and predictive capability include reduced air pollution, improved health and safety, increased efficiency in the utilisation of both fossil and alternative fuels, the support of the rapidly growing sector employing carbon nano-particles and increased fire safety. Read moreRead less
Study of hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This project aims to study gaseous flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This technology has been proven to reduce fuel consumption, improve thermal efficiency and substantially reduce nitric oxides emission. The effect of mixing, turbulence and temperature on the structure and stability of these flames will be investigated. The project combines experimental and computational research applied to a laboratory s ....Study of hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This project aims to study gaseous flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This technology has been proven to reduce fuel consumption, improve thermal efficiency and substantially reduce nitric oxides emission. The effect of mixing, turbulence and temperature on the structure and stability of these flames will be investigated. The project combines experimental and computational research applied to a laboratory scale burner and a small scale furnace. The main objectives are to better understand the chemical pathways in low temperature hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions and to understand the effect of mixing and turbulence on the flame structure and pollutants emission.Read moreRead less
Development and Modellling of Advanced Coagulation and Oxidation Processes. The success of this program will help place Australia at the forefront of water quality control and management research. It will address concerns with managing and treating waters of changing characteristics due to climate change. In addition to the socio benefits, project success will also impart economic benefits to the nation through (i) fabricating new hybrid coagulants, that are versatile with enhanced performance ....Development and Modellling of Advanced Coagulation and Oxidation Processes. The success of this program will help place Australia at the forefront of water quality control and management research. It will address concerns with managing and treating waters of changing characteristics due to climate change. In addition to the socio benefits, project success will also impart economic benefits to the nation through (i) fabricating new hybrid coagulants, that are versatile with enhanced performance for removing NOM, and possess antimicrobial properties (ii) developing a new energy efficient photocatalysis technology.The proposed research will expand the knowledge base in this area and increase Australia’s international profile as a global leader in developing cutting-edge cost effective water resource technologies.Read moreRead less
Energy from microalgae: industrial scale development and downstream processing of co-products. In this project Australian researchers will develop processes to produce renewable energy and commodity chemicals from microalgae grown in open saline ponds, enabling sustainable production of commercial quantities of clean biofuels and commodity products for the future. Renewable energy is an essential part of Australia's low greenhouse gas emissions energy target and is central to energy security. Th ....Energy from microalgae: industrial scale development and downstream processing of co-products. In this project Australian researchers will develop processes to produce renewable energy and commodity chemicals from microalgae grown in open saline ponds, enabling sustainable production of commercial quantities of clean biofuels and commodity products for the future. Renewable energy is an essential part of Australia's low greenhouse gas emissions energy target and is central to energy security. The development of microalgal energy will help Australia's determination to meet its Kyoto target. Additional benefits will include the development of value-added co-products from microalgal biomass, which is one route to commercial success of the novel technology.Read moreRead less
Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal. Direct anaerobic treatment of wastewater converts majority of organic matters in wastewater to methane, an energy source. However, up to 50% of the methane produced stays dissolved in wastewater. Its subsequent stripping to atmosphere in aerobic treatment not only causes significant loss of energy but also emission of a potent greenhouse gas. This project aims to develop a technology that not only avoids methane stripping but also enables its ....Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal. Direct anaerobic treatment of wastewater converts majority of organic matters in wastewater to methane, an energy source. However, up to 50% of the methane produced stays dissolved in wastewater. Its subsequent stripping to atmosphere in aerobic treatment not only causes significant loss of energy but also emission of a potent greenhouse gas. This project aims to develop a technology that not only avoids methane stripping but also enables its beneficial use to enhance nitrogen removal, which is otherwise typically unsatisfactory due to the lack of organic carbon to support denitrification. The project will provide strong support to the Australian water industry in their endeavour to achieve energy- and carbon-neutral wastewater services.Read moreRead less
Novel CO2-stable oxygen transporting membranes for oxyfuel-based CO2 capture and utilization. Industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is considered the main contribution to global warming. This project aims to develop a new class of oxygen transporting membrane (OTM) for CO2 capture and utilisation. To achieve this objective, the formation process and the unique characteristic of the membrane, as well as the oxygen transportation mechanism through the membrane will be investigated, experimental ....Novel CO2-stable oxygen transporting membranes for oxyfuel-based CO2 capture and utilization. Industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is considered the main contribution to global warming. This project aims to develop a new class of oxygen transporting membrane (OTM) for CO2 capture and utilisation. To achieve this objective, the formation process and the unique characteristic of the membrane, as well as the oxygen transportation mechanism through the membrane will be investigated, experimentally and theoretically. This will advance the membrane technology in economically viable and efficient, clean energy applications.Read moreRead less
Desalting reclaimed wastewater to safeguard Virginia's horticultural industries. Virginia is a major horticultural region of South Australia undergoing rapid expansion. Groundwater resources are depleted and reclaimed sewage effluent from Adelaide is required for irrigation. Unfortunately, the effluent is frequently too saline. Large-scale desalting is being considered. A pilot-scale plant will be built to evaluate suitable desalting processes (e.g. reverse osmosis) for reducing the effluent ....Desalting reclaimed wastewater to safeguard Virginia's horticultural industries. Virginia is a major horticultural region of South Australia undergoing rapid expansion. Groundwater resources are depleted and reclaimed sewage effluent from Adelaide is required for irrigation. Unfortunately, the effluent is frequently too saline. Large-scale desalting is being considered. A pilot-scale plant will be built to evaluate suitable desalting processes (e.g. reverse osmosis) for reducing the effluent's salt content. Original research will: (i) synthesize the best combination of technologies to produce effluent streams of varying salinity for matching different crop requirements; and (ii) optimise delivery and storage of effluent streams using new storage(s) and the region's multiple aquifer and surface storages.Read moreRead less
Production of Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers using Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Process Technology. The aim of this project is to develop a sustainable process for producing biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs)polymers from an innovative aerobic-anaerobic biological wastewater treatment process, ?treating? high strength food industry effluent. These biopolymers offer enormous potential for use as renewable and biodegradable thermoplastics.
It is proposed to inve ....Production of Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers using Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Process Technology. The aim of this project is to develop a sustainable process for producing biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs)polymers from an innovative aerobic-anaerobic biological wastewater treatment process, ?treating? high strength food industry effluent. These biopolymers offer enormous potential for use as renewable and biodegradable thermoplastics.
It is proposed to investigate two process configurations, namely the sequencing batch reactor and a continuous two step anaerobic-aerobic reaction system. These will be studied at bench-scale. The outcomes include:
1. Determination of the optimum microbial conditions and key growth
parameters for the production of PHA.
2. Optimisation of the process configuration, operating strategies
and operating conditions to maximise the
production of PHA.
3. Assessment of the influence of the feed composition (e.g. VFA)
on the PHA composition (PHB/PHV).
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Desalination Options for Metropolitan Adelaide's Water Supply & Implications for Water Resource Allocation to Regional Communities. This project will present a proposal for water supply augmentation by desalination to alleviate rising salinity concerns and supply uncertainty of River Murray water supplies to metropolitan Adelaide in South Australia. It will investigate the feasibility of desalination options available and their consequences for regional agriculture and industry that rely on rive ....Desalination Options for Metropolitan Adelaide's Water Supply & Implications for Water Resource Allocation to Regional Communities. This project will present a proposal for water supply augmentation by desalination to alleviate rising salinity concerns and supply uncertainty of River Murray water supplies to metropolitan Adelaide in South Australia. It will investigate the feasibility of desalination options available and their consequences for regional agriculture and industry that rely on river water from metropolitan water supply pipelines for their economic survival. The project outcomes will have significant implications for government water policies and private and public sector water-infrastructure investment. It will be the first detailed study of large-scale municipal desalting costs under Australian conditions.Read moreRead less
Multi-scale strategy to manage chloramine decay and nitrification in water distribution systems. The generation of knowledge and technologies in preventing chloramine decay would greatly benefit the Australian water industry. The success of the project would provide the highest possible quality of water, both economically and reliably, giving public assurances of microbiological compliance and safe drinking water.