Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based ....Nano-engineered catalysts for sustainable fuel production from waste . This project aims to address two major problems simultaneously-reducing the burden of non-recyclable waste currently going to landfill in Australia, and offsetting Australia’s reliance on imported diesel to support industry and transport needs. While approximately 95% of diesel consumed in Australia is imported, vast quantities of carbon-based waste ends up in landfill. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a mixture of plant-based waste (including food, garden, paper, and wood) and fossil-fuel derived materials (plastics). Using an innovative and environmentally-sustainable catalytic process, the outcomes of this project are aimed alleviating Australia’s dependence on diesel fuel imports and better waste management solutions in Australia.Read moreRead less
Functional biomass carbons for low-cost sodium and potassium-ion batteries. The development of hard carbon anode materials for stationary rechargeable sodium and potassium ion batteries remains a major technological challenge. This project aims to utilise two very different biomass feedstock sources, sorghum and macadamia shell agricultural waste to manufacture low-cost, high-performance carbon anodes. Current carbon anode materials such as graphite or carbonised sucrose, pitch or phenolics suff ....Functional biomass carbons for low-cost sodium and potassium-ion batteries. The development of hard carbon anode materials for stationary rechargeable sodium and potassium ion batteries remains a major technological challenge. This project aims to utilise two very different biomass feedstock sources, sorghum and macadamia shell agricultural waste to manufacture low-cost, high-performance carbon anodes. Current carbon anode materials such as graphite or carbonised sucrose, pitch or phenolics suffer from poor performance, high cost and/or low carbon yield and device durability issues. This project will investigate combinations of biomass precursors, tailored graphene and carbon alloys in order to significantly enhance anode performance while minimising cost.Read moreRead less
Depressing pyrrhotite in copper and gold flotation. The mining industry is processing low-grade ores associated with high amounts of waste minerals. Extracting metals from low-grade ores is very difficult with technical challenges in rejecting waste minerals. This project aims to understand the surface properties and the behaviour of a major waste mineral which is becoming increasingly problematic during the processing of copper and gold ores. New chemistry and chemical reagents will be develope ....Depressing pyrrhotite in copper and gold flotation. The mining industry is processing low-grade ores associated with high amounts of waste minerals. Extracting metals from low-grade ores is very difficult with technical challenges in rejecting waste minerals. This project aims to understand the surface properties and the behaviour of a major waste mineral which is becoming increasingly problematic during the processing of copper and gold ores. New chemistry and chemical reagents will be developed to efficiently and economically reject the waste mineral by manipulating the reactions that take place on its surface. This project expects to have immediate economic and environmental impacts through increasing metal production, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and applying new green reagents.Read moreRead less
Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. S ....Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. Significant outcomes are expected to be achieved through building fundamental understanding around this breakthrough, including new concepts for hierarchical nanomaterials based on biomolecular design, new molecular and engineering design rules for core-shell materials, and novel materials for applications in sustained release and delivery systems.Read moreRead less
Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will re ....Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will resolve uncertainties in the underlying phenomena. The expected outcome should support future high quality cell cultures suitable for transplantation therapies.Read moreRead less
Plasma-Catalytist Hybrid Process for Simultaneous Removal of NOx and SOx. Coal combustion provides over 80% of the electricity produced in Australia, with the power stations being major emitters of the pollutants NOx and SOx. This project will potentially lead to a new technology to simultaneously remove NOx and SOx in a single and economical process, eliminating the secondary waste streams that disadvantage current competing technologies. This will provide: significant environmental benefits f ....Plasma-Catalytist Hybrid Process for Simultaneous Removal of NOx and SOx. Coal combustion provides over 80% of the electricity produced in Australia, with the power stations being major emitters of the pollutants NOx and SOx. This project will potentially lead to a new technology to simultaneously remove NOx and SOx in a single and economical process, eliminating the secondary waste streams that disadvantage current competing technologies. This will provide: significant environmental benefits for Australia in reducing these dangerous atmospheric pollutants; economic advantage to our power stations by enabling cheaper, more efficient technologies and consolidate Australia's leading position in the world in air pollution control. Read moreRead less
Multi-scale Process Modelling for Intelligent Control. Processing and manufacturing systems are inherently multi-scale in their behaviour. From the molecular scale to the enterprise-wide scale. This and other attributes of the individual models create difficulties in the design and control of such systems. This project will develop suitable multi-scale measures (metrics) for process models based on an object oriented assumption based modelling language. It will lead to enhanced intelligent contr ....Multi-scale Process Modelling for Intelligent Control. Processing and manufacturing systems are inherently multi-scale in their behaviour. From the molecular scale to the enterprise-wide scale. This and other attributes of the individual models create difficulties in the design and control of such systems. This project will develop suitable multi-scale measures (metrics) for process models based on an object oriented assumption based modelling language. It will lead to enhanced intelligent control strategies and improved operational performance through use of the most appropriate model. The work will focus on industrially important reaction and particulate processing systemsRead moreRead less
Improving biological nitrogen removal by enhanced mixing in non-aerated bioreactors. Mixing has been identified as a key factor in achieving enhanced performance out of existing and upgraded bioreactors. There is currently a poor understanding of the relationship between non-ideal flow and performance in wastewater treatment bioreactors. The project will determine this relationship and subsequently use it to show how reactor performance can be improved, providing first criteria by which mixing c ....Improving biological nitrogen removal by enhanced mixing in non-aerated bioreactors. Mixing has been identified as a key factor in achieving enhanced performance out of existing and upgraded bioreactors. There is currently a poor understanding of the relationship between non-ideal flow and performance in wastewater treatment bioreactors. The project will determine this relationship and subsequently use it to show how reactor performance can be improved, providing first criteria by which mixing can be assessed, and second a systematic methodology for improving reactor performance by improving mixing.Read moreRead less
Precision-engineered hybrid core-shell materials . This project aims to develop new platform technologies for making nanostructured hybrid core-shell materials with exceptionally high drug loading and programmed release. Building on this research team's recent breakthrough in the precision engineering of core-shell materials, this research will revolutionise current approaches for making drug-loaded polymer and inorganic particles. Significant outcomes will include a novel sequential nanoprecipi ....Precision-engineered hybrid core-shell materials . This project aims to develop new platform technologies for making nanostructured hybrid core-shell materials with exceptionally high drug loading and programmed release. Building on this research team's recent breakthrough in the precision engineering of core-shell materials, this research will revolutionise current approaches for making drug-loaded polymer and inorganic particles. Significant outcomes will include a novel sequential nanoprecipitation platform technology for making drug-core polymer-shell nanoparticles, and a new bio-inspired approach for making hybrid drug-core silica-shell nanocomposites, and new materials for applications in programmed release and delivery systems.Read moreRead less
Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design stand ....Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design standards for microdevice manufacture for these industries, ultimately leading to the creation of new, exciting avenues for tailoring novel biotechnology and 'point-of-care' products for Australia.Read moreRead less