Investigation of Geopolymer based Concretes for the Construction of High Fire Risk Infrastructures. Geopolymer concretes are emerging new materials promising superior fire resistance and durability and potentially cheaper than the widely used high strength concretes, which also consume high levels of Portland cements. Production of 1 ton of Portland cement releases 1 ton of green house gases. Further, the 6.5 million tons/year of cement currently produced in Australia is insufficient to meet the ....Investigation of Geopolymer based Concretes for the Construction of High Fire Risk Infrastructures. Geopolymer concretes are emerging new materials promising superior fire resistance and durability and potentially cheaper than the widely used high strength concretes, which also consume high levels of Portland cements. Production of 1 ton of Portland cement releases 1 ton of green house gases. Further, the 6.5 million tons/year of cement currently produced in Australia is insufficient to meet the industry demand. This project investigates the use of fly ash to make geopolymer concrete, without using any Portland cement, to find usage for part of the 11 million tons/year of fly ash produced as a waste from coal power stations in Australia.Read moreRead less
Development of an Alkali Activated Slag based Construction Material for High Fire Risk Infrastructures. This project will develop an alkali-activated slag (AAS) based construction material for tunnel construction. In tunnels, conventional concretes are likely to 'spall' in a hydrocarbon fire accident, possibly resulting in a tunnel collapse. The project is set to develop a spalling-resistant AAS as an alternative to conventional Portland cement, which is responsible for 6.5 million tons of gre ....Development of an Alkali Activated Slag based Construction Material for High Fire Risk Infrastructures. This project will develop an alkali-activated slag (AAS) based construction material for tunnel construction. In tunnels, conventional concretes are likely to 'spall' in a hydrocarbon fire accident, possibly resulting in a tunnel collapse. The project is set to develop a spalling-resistant AAS as an alternative to conventional Portland cement, which is responsible for 6.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia per year, whereas AAS is based on slag, an industrial waste product. The project also seeks to provide better understanding of the spalling phenomenon so that the engineers can design fireproofing for conventional concrete tunnels with confidence.Read moreRead less
Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This p ....Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This project aims to develop a set of rational guidelines for the testing, analysis and design of recycled plastic material and structural components that will enable the continued expansion of this technology, significantly reducing waste plastic.Read moreRead less
Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical re ....Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical resource.Read moreRead less
A New Photocatalysis Hybrid System in Wastewater Treatment for Reuse. This project would particularly be useful to unreticulated sewage systems and small sewage treatment plants are prevalent in the coastal areas of NSW and Queensland and the interior parts of Northern Territory with small and isolated communities. Opportunities for demonstrating the successful application of this cost effective method of waste water treatment to appropriate stakeholders through participation in workshops, semin ....A New Photocatalysis Hybrid System in Wastewater Treatment for Reuse. This project would particularly be useful to unreticulated sewage systems and small sewage treatment plants are prevalent in the coastal areas of NSW and Queensland and the interior parts of Northern Territory with small and isolated communities. Opportunities for demonstrating the successful application of this cost effective method of waste water treatment to appropriate stakeholders through participation in workshops, seminars and events will be explored. The study can also be extended to small and medium sized industries in their wastewater treatment. The technology is of direct benefit within the Nation and also has significant export potential. Read moreRead less
Application of the MIEXR DOC process to membrane hybrid systems for water reuse. Fresh water is increasingly scarce in Australia and wastewater reuse is being advocated as a strategy for both meeting our needs and protecting the environment. This research will test the magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) process as a pretreatment for a membrane-flocculation hybrid system (MFHS). MIEX will remove small and medium molecular weight organics and minimize membrane fouling. Large molecular weight organics, s ....Application of the MIEXR DOC process to membrane hybrid systems for water reuse. Fresh water is increasingly scarce in Australia and wastewater reuse is being advocated as a strategy for both meeting our needs and protecting the environment. This research will test the magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) process as a pretreatment for a membrane-flocculation hybrid system (MFHS). MIEX will remove small and medium molecular weight organics and minimize membrane fouling. Large molecular weight organics, suspended solids and micro-organisms will be removed by MFHS. This research will pioneer a novel hybrid system for treatment and reuse of domestic wastewater for non-drinking purposes and provide high quality research training of a doctoral student.Read moreRead less
Healthier Water: Innovative Processes for Arsenic Removal and Sludge Management. Arsenic is a highly toxic metal found in drinking water in parts of Australia and in many parts of the world. The enforcement of stringent arsenic standard for drinking water calls for an effective treatment technology. In this study, an innovative and cost effective treatment system for arsenic removal will be developed for use in small community water supplies. This novel hybrid system consists of buoyant media f ....Healthier Water: Innovative Processes for Arsenic Removal and Sludge Management. Arsenic is a highly toxic metal found in drinking water in parts of Australia and in many parts of the world. The enforcement of stringent arsenic standard for drinking water calls for an effective treatment technology. In this study, an innovative and cost effective treatment system for arsenic removal will be developed for use in small community water supplies. This novel hybrid system consists of buoyant media flocculator and a newly-developed metal oxide coated media adsorption technique to achieve superior arsenic removal. A simple and safe disposal of arsenic sludge will also be established and tested.Read moreRead less
An innovative wastewater treatment system for the removal of persisting organic pollutants (POPs). Photocatalysis is an emerging technology in wastewater treatment that is capable of completely converting POPs into harmless compounds. In this research, we will combine the expertise of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in water reuse technologies, and Chonnam National University (CNU) in advanced oxidation processes with that of UTS' in physico-chemical treatment processes to dev ....An innovative wastewater treatment system for the removal of persisting organic pollutants (POPs). Photocatalysis is an emerging technology in wastewater treatment that is capable of completely converting POPs into harmless compounds. In this research, we will combine the expertise of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in water reuse technologies, and Chonnam National University (CNU) in advanced oxidation processes with that of UTS' in physico-chemical treatment processes to develop a novel photocatalysis hybrid system. Through long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish an innovative hybrid system for POPs removal, (ii) prepare industry grants, (iii) research training of postgraduate research students, and (iv) help to commercialize our research outcomes for domestic benefit and export.Read moreRead less
A novel filtration-bioadsorption hybrid system in water treatment: Cleaner and safer water for small communities. Dissolved organic matter inadequately removed by conventional water treatment processes leads to carcinogenic compounds and the formation of biofilm in the water pipe. In this research, a novel hybrid system will be developed, which consists of a bioadsorption (biologically activated carbon (BAC)) system and a floating medium prefilter. The BAC and prefilter design will be optimized ....A novel filtration-bioadsorption hybrid system in water treatment: Cleaner and safer water for small communities. Dissolved organic matter inadequately removed by conventional water treatment processes leads to carcinogenic compounds and the formation of biofilm in the water pipe. In this research, a novel hybrid system will be developed, which consists of a bioadsorption (biologically activated carbon (BAC)) system and a floating medium prefilter. The BAC and prefilter design will be optimized through new techniques such as biomass analysis, specific organics characterization and particle size distribution analysis. The hybrid unit developed will be a cost effective and low maintenance system for safe organic removal, especially in small water supply schemes.Read moreRead less
A better way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Arsenic is a serious pollutant of drinking water in parts of Australia and in Asia, We propose to developed an inovative technology to remove arsenic from water. Our international partnership combines the expertise of the University of Regina (UR), Canada in physico-chemical treatment processes with that of the UTS in membrane processes. Through a long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish a full-scale innovative system for arsenic remova ....A better way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Arsenic is a serious pollutant of drinking water in parts of Australia and in Asia, We propose to developed an inovative technology to remove arsenic from water. Our international partnership combines the expertise of the University of Regina (UR), Canada in physico-chemical treatment processes with that of the UTS in membrane processes. Through a long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish a full-scale innovative system for arsenic removal, (ii) prepare joint publications and apply for more industry grants, (iii) research training of postgraduate research student, and (iv) help to commercialize our research outcomes for domestic benefit and export.Read moreRead less