Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact w ....Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact with each other and their surrounding environment to form blooms and produce toxins and other harmful metabolites. Such knowledge will inform risk assessment and provide strategies for the mitigation of future bloom events, improving the security of our increasingly valuable recycled water resources.Read moreRead less
Is mass commercialisation of silver-based nanotechnology undermining its biomedical antibacterial potential? Silver nanoparticles have demonstrated broad spectrum antibacterial potential and are increasingly used in biomedical applications to limit infection. They are also found in a growing range of everyday products such as shampoos and socks. This situation is analogous to the previous use of antibiotics for nonmedical purposes and the subsequent spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This ....Is mass commercialisation of silver-based nanotechnology undermining its biomedical antibacterial potential? Silver nanoparticles have demonstrated broad spectrum antibacterial potential and are increasingly used in biomedical applications to limit infection. They are also found in a growing range of everyday products such as shampoos and socks. This situation is analogous to the previous use of antibiotics for nonmedical purposes and the subsequent spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This project will measure silver resistance selection pressure in key microbial communities. Novel monitoring devices, a multi-technique chemistry approach, and correlative synchrotron spectroscopy and molecular biology techniques will be used to decipher the environmental silver resistome and its likely significance.Read moreRead less
Adaptive ecotyping of the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii to predict its invasive capacity. We change the world while other organisms adapt to these new conditions. Cyanobacteria (blue green algae) increasingly dominate water bodies that were previously free of these harmful blooms. To minimise the spread of these algae, this project will study the genetic basis that determines how rapidly they can evolve and adapt to a changing planet.
Determination of factors effecting pathogen removal in lagoons treating and storing effluent for reuse. Waste stabilisation ponds are a preferred treatment option for wastewater in many rural and remote communities within Australia and overseas because of their low-tech, robust structure. Reducing numbers of pathogens in the final treated effluent of these systems so that it can be reused, will minimise risks to the public and the environment and improve management of this sustainable water reso ....Determination of factors effecting pathogen removal in lagoons treating and storing effluent for reuse. Waste stabilisation ponds are a preferred treatment option for wastewater in many rural and remote communities within Australia and overseas because of their low-tech, robust structure. Reducing numbers of pathogens in the final treated effluent of these systems so that it can be reused, will minimise risks to the public and the environment and improve management of this sustainable water resource throughout the region. This research also provides an opportunity for Australia to export knowledge on the efficient use of these systems to 2.4 billion people worldwide currently without access to affordable sanitation.Read moreRead less
Improved biosecurity through the engineering of microbial ecosystems. This project aims to provide data and understanding that will help develop predictive models for changes in the distribution of drug-resistant bacteria, and surveillance and response programs for key biosecurity threats. Microorganisms, including commensals and pathogens, can live in complex communities in a range of environments including animal hosts. It is now known that these communities (known as microbiomes) can exert a ....Improved biosecurity through the engineering of microbial ecosystems. This project aims to provide data and understanding that will help develop predictive models for changes in the distribution of drug-resistant bacteria, and surveillance and response programs for key biosecurity threats. Microorganisms, including commensals and pathogens, can live in complex communities in a range of environments including animal hosts. It is now known that these communities (known as microbiomes) can exert a profound effect on animal health. This project seeks to understand where antimicrobial resistance genes reside in pig gut microbiotia and how they move between members of this complex microbial community, and to provide information on how probiotics may be used to reduce dependence on antibiotics.Read moreRead less
Australia's freshwater ecosystems: how microbial diversity and functionality influence harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a constant threat to safe drinking water supplies. A bloom is a poorly understood interaction between many species and the environment. This project will investigate the entire microbial population and their physiologies present in a bloom event in order to identify potential targets for their management.
Maintenance of Australia's soil resource - water, microbial diversity and function. Water availability is the major limitation to biological activity in semi-arid regions of Australia. We aim to quantify the dynamic relationships between organic matter cycling, microbial diversity and function in relation to seasonality, drought and land management. This will lead to a comprehensive understanding of how water mediates the diversity of soil organisms and their associated functions. This is of sp ....Maintenance of Australia's soil resource - water, microbial diversity and function. Water availability is the major limitation to biological activity in semi-arid regions of Australia. We aim to quantify the dynamic relationships between organic matter cycling, microbial diversity and function in relation to seasonality, drought and land management. This will lead to a comprehensive understanding of how water mediates the diversity of soil organisms and their associated functions. This is of specific relevance to maintaining biodiversity within the unique soil ecosystems that have developed under Australian climatic conditions.Read moreRead less
The characterisation of wastewater distribution patterns for the production of decision support systems for pathogenic risk analysis in water catchments. The project will aim to collate data and map base-level distribution patterns of molecular and microbial markers of human sewage and natural/agricultural contamination with reference to diurnal and seasonal fluctuations. These data will then be used to develop decision support systems that predict contaminant dispersion and identify high-risk c ....The characterisation of wastewater distribution patterns for the production of decision support systems for pathogenic risk analysis in water catchments. The project will aim to collate data and map base-level distribution patterns of molecular and microbial markers of human sewage and natural/agricultural contamination with reference to diurnal and seasonal fluctuations. These data will then be used to develop decision support systems that predict contaminant dispersion and identify high-risk contamination sources. The diurnal collection of data is expected to show significant variations in the measured parameters associated with time of day, light intensity and temperature. Mapping of the sewage and nutrient loads throughout the year will provide base line data for identifying potential hotspots for targeting system upgrades or improved management programs.Read moreRead less
Microbial Ecology and Control of Foaming in Anaerobic Digesters. One of the world's most common treatments of biosolids (product of wastewater treatment), anaerobic digestion often suffers from accumulation of biological foam. This foam hinders treatment, personnel health and safety, legal requirements for environmental protection are jeopardised and attempts to control digester foaming are costly. There is a clear lack of knowledge about the organisms involved and causes, therefore no informe ....Microbial Ecology and Control of Foaming in Anaerobic Digesters. One of the world's most common treatments of biosolids (product of wastewater treatment), anaerobic digestion often suffers from accumulation of biological foam. This foam hinders treatment, personnel health and safety, legal requirements for environmental protection are jeopardised and attempts to control digester foaming are costly. There is a clear lack of knowledge about the organisms involved and causes, therefore no informed solutions exist. Molecular DNA techniques, 16SrDNA sequencing and DGGE, will assist in deciphering causes and organisms involved. Research outcomes will present environmental, legal and economical acceptable control strategies for digester foaming to the waste management and water industries.Read moreRead less
Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertai ....Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertain benefits. This project’s control system will be guided by quantitative models formulated from multi-pronged, fundamental experiments. The project will quantify microbial chloramine decay and determine mechanisms to increase predictability. The project will develop and demonstrate a real-time control technology which delivered microbiologically safe, cost-efficient drinking water to people in warmer climates, despite warming climate and increasing population.Read moreRead less