Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Water Reuse and Resource Recovery through Cost-Effective BNR. The recycling of treated wastewater effluents is needed to achieve water security, where very low nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels must be achieved for wastewater to be effectively recycled. This research investigates a more sustainable and cost-effective N&P removal process from wastewater, benefiting the environment and improving the viability of wastewater recycling. Phosphorus is a limited resource worldwide and ....Sustainable Water Reuse and Resource Recovery through Cost-Effective BNR. The recycling of treated wastewater effluents is needed to achieve water security, where very low nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels must be achieved for wastewater to be effectively recycled. This research investigates a more sustainable and cost-effective N&P removal process from wastewater, benefiting the environment and improving the viability of wastewater recycling. Phosphorus is a limited resource worldwide and will be effectively recovered in the process to be used as a fertiliser. This project develops wastewater treatment process tools, solutions and management strategies that addresses the current challenges of how optimal nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater is achieved, enabling water recycling and saving costs.Read moreRead less
Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of E ....Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of ENPs that have leached out of commercial products in groundwater systems. This information is expected to assist regulators in developing appropriate legislation to balance the tremendous benefits and potential risks of nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Water exchange and mixing at the aquifer-ocean interface. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGWD) has been identified by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme as an important contamination source for coastal marine and estuarine environments. Nutrient input associated with SGWD is threatening the Great Barrier Reef. Water exchange driven by tides/waves at the shore contributes to SGWD significantly. However, no data of the water exchange rates exist. This project will measure time-varying g ....Water exchange and mixing at the aquifer-ocean interface. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGWD) has been identified by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme as an important contamination source for coastal marine and estuarine environments. Nutrient input associated with SGWD is threatening the Great Barrier Reef. Water exchange driven by tides/waves at the shore contributes to SGWD significantly. However, no data of the water exchange rates exist. This project will measure time-varying groundwater flow and salinity distribution in the intertidal zone at two beaches to study near-shore water exchange and mixing. These unique data, providing basis for developing SGWD models, will improve the understanding and quantification of subsurface chemical fluxes to coastal waters.Read moreRead less
Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in res ....Sewer corrosion reduction through model-supported ventilation control. Ventilation is one of the key technologies for sewer corrosion control. However, its design and operation are currently based on experience and empirical equations, often leading to unsatisfactory results. By integrating in-depth laboratory and pilot-sewer studies under defined conditions with extensive field investigations, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop critical models to predict the corrosion process in response to ventilation and dynamic wastewater and atmospheric conditions, enabling model-based sewer ventilation design and operation. The project also aims to deliver novel, field-demonstrated ventilation strategies. The project findings will be incorporated in the Australian ventilation design and operation guidelines.Read moreRead less
An integrated approach to iron salt use in urban water systems. The project aims to develop and demonstrate an integrated and innovative strategy, and the associated science and technologies, to achieve multiple beneficial uses of iron salts in an urban water system. The project intends to use iron chloride to replace the most commonly used alum as a coagulant in water treatment. The same iron is then further used for corrosion and odour control in sewers, phosphorus removal in wastewater treatm ....An integrated approach to iron salt use in urban water systems. The project aims to develop and demonstrate an integrated and innovative strategy, and the associated science and technologies, to achieve multiple beneficial uses of iron salts in an urban water system. The project intends to use iron chloride to replace the most commonly used alum as a coagulant in water treatment. The same iron is then further used for corrosion and odour control in sewers, phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment reactors and hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas in an anaerobic digester. The strategy is expected to substantially reduce the use of chemicals in the entire urban water system, delivering large economic and environmental benefits to urban water utilities.Read moreRead less
Beach groundwater dynamics: measurement and modelling. Beach groundwater is a highly complex, dynamic system interacting with tides, waves and swash. Such interactions affect beach sediment movement and contaminant transport/transformation in coastal aquifers. This project aims to measure and model the groundwater's behaviour at three different types of beaches: sand, gravel and gravel-sand mixed beaches. The study will provide much needed understanding and quantification of the beach groundwate ....Beach groundwater dynamics: measurement and modelling. Beach groundwater is a highly complex, dynamic system interacting with tides, waves and swash. Such interactions affect beach sediment movement and contaminant transport/transformation in coastal aquifers. This project aims to measure and model the groundwater's behaviour at three different types of beaches: sand, gravel and gravel-sand mixed beaches. The study will provide much needed understanding and quantification of the beach groundwater dynamics over a range of time scales. The outcome will help to assess the extent and intensity of mass and momentum exchanges across the beach face, and the resulting effects on beach stability and the fate of contaminants in coastal aquifers.Read moreRead less
Gravity Changes, Soil Moisture and Data Assimilation. This project will assess the utility of space and ground based gravity measurements for monitoring changes in the hydrological cycle at regional scales. At present there are no methods available for monitoring changes in terrestrial water storage over the globe, despite their importance for assessing the effects of large-scale changes in land use and climate change. The launch of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites later ....Gravity Changes, Soil Moisture and Data Assimilation. This project will assess the utility of space and ground based gravity measurements for monitoring changes in the hydrological cycle at regional scales. At present there are no methods available for monitoring changes in terrestrial water storage over the globe, despite their importance for assessing the effects of large-scale changes in land use and climate change. The launch of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites later this year provides a 5-year window of opportunity to undertake ground-based research to test this innovative technique for monitoring terrestrial water storage from gravity measurements - something that has been shown to be possible theoretically, but has not been testable until now.Read moreRead less
Scaling and assimilation of soil moisture and streamflow. Information on how soil moisture varies in space and time has been largely restricted to point-scale groundbased measurements. We will develop methods for predicting how soil moisture status evolves in time over a range of spatial scales, by assimilating groundbased measurements and satellite observations of soil moisture with streamflow observations into simple rainfall-runoff models. Extensive soil moisture monitoring will allow develop ....Scaling and assimilation of soil moisture and streamflow. Information on how soil moisture varies in space and time has been largely restricted to point-scale groundbased measurements. We will develop methods for predicting how soil moisture status evolves in time over a range of spatial scales, by assimilating groundbased measurements and satellite observations of soil moisture with streamflow observations into simple rainfall-runoff models. Extensive soil moisture monitoring will allow development of scaling relationships and validation for new satellite-based microwave radiometers. The project's outcomes will have significant benefits in relation to flood mitigation, salinity control and irrigation management.Read moreRead less
Carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics in a semi-arid catchment. Carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics has a large impact on stream ecology so our ability to better understand and manage disturbance in a catchment is essential if we are to better manage our resources and natural systems. The project will provide fundamental data and insight into carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics in a semi-arid region.