Electrochemical treatment of problematic water recycle waste streams. Supply of potable water to Australia's major urban areas is a major challenge to growth and quality of life. Indirect potable reuse via membranes can address this issue, as it offers an inexpensive and sustainable water supply, as well as leveraging new water sources. However, the potential impact of the generated reject concentrates on aquatic and human health is potentially of large concern. Our project helps address this, ....Electrochemical treatment of problematic water recycle waste streams. Supply of potable water to Australia's major urban areas is a major challenge to growth and quality of life. Indirect potable reuse via membranes can address this issue, as it offers an inexpensive and sustainable water supply, as well as leveraging new water sources. However, the potential impact of the generated reject concentrates on aquatic and human health is potentially of large concern. Our project helps address this, by making reject treatment economically and environmentally much more sustainable, and thereby future-proofing the technology. In addition, it develops technology that can be used worldwide to treat other recalcitrant streams (e.g., hospital, tannery, pulp and paper), is highly scalable, and is low in operating cost.Read moreRead less
Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits ....Drying sewage sludge using hot oil. The project seeks to investigate and develop an entirely new area of fundamental and applied research involving the process, mechanisms and kinetics of direct dehydration of sewage sludge by fry-drying in hot oil. Frying can be carried out as a drying process, though it not widely recognized or applied in this way, and has consequently not been exploited outside of the traditional food industries. It potentially provides a wide range of significant benefits for sludge drying, including high efficiency and low costs, and produces a non-offensive product with a high energy value suitable for (renewable) power generation.Read moreRead less
An optimally integrated treatment process for food waste and wastewater to maximise sustainability in a decentralised treatment plant. Decentralised small scale treatment plants are required for remote communities, resort locations and 'rural residential' developments. This project has access to an operational plant in urban Brisbane serving 21 houses, the first development in urban Australia with full approval for an onsite treatment facility. The plant has been designed to treat an integrate ....An optimally integrated treatment process for food waste and wastewater to maximise sustainability in a decentralised treatment plant. Decentralised small scale treatment plants are required for remote communities, resort locations and 'rural residential' developments. This project has access to an operational plant in urban Brisbane serving 21 houses, the first development in urban Australia with full approval for an onsite treatment facility. The plant has been designed to treat an integrated kitchen waste and blackwater stream, with upstream anaerobic digestion that reduces the survival of wastewater pathogens and generates soluble organic carbon for the biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorous. The project will produce expertise in decentralised treatment systems, including the development of two PhD students in this area.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,924,858.00
Summary
Methane bioconversion to liquid chemicals. This project aims to develop a suite of leading-edge biotechnology solutions to enable the cost-effective production of liquid chemicals from biogas. This will create a much stronger economic driver for biogas production from organic wastes, by significantly increasing the value of biogas compared to its current use for power generation. With a multi-disciplinary approach, the project will substantially advance the fundamental science in the exciting an ....Methane bioconversion to liquid chemicals. This project aims to develop a suite of leading-edge biotechnology solutions to enable the cost-effective production of liquid chemicals from biogas. This will create a much stronger economic driver for biogas production from organic wastes, by significantly increasing the value of biogas compared to its current use for power generation. With a multi-disciplinary approach, the project will substantially advance the fundamental science in the exciting and highly valuable area of anaerobic microbial conversion of methane, the least understood process in the global carbon cycle. This transformational research has a strong potential to create a new biotechnology sector producing high-value chemicals from methane, and will propel Australia to the forefront of sustainable resources research.Read moreRead less