Development of Leakage Resistant Well-Cements for Geo-Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Application using Alkali Activated Slag and Geopolymer Cements. The biggest threat facing life now is climate change due to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Extreme weathers are increasing in frequency and intensity, as evidenced by recent bushfires, and it is predicted to get worse unless carbon mitigation strategies are quickly implemented. Geo-sequestration is the technology of capturing and storing of the CO ....Development of Leakage Resistant Well-Cements for Geo-Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Application using Alkali Activated Slag and Geopolymer Cements. The biggest threat facing life now is climate change due to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Extreme weathers are increasing in frequency and intensity, as evidenced by recent bushfires, and it is predicted to get worse unless carbon mitigation strategies are quickly implemented. Geo-sequestration is the technology of capturing and storing of the CO2 deep below ground for long time (>1000 years). It offers the best hope for large reductions of CO2 emissions. However, CO2-brine stored under pressure is acidic and has the risk of leaking in the long term by dissolving the cement used to seal the pipe wells. This project will develop alternative novel cements which are acid resistant and will not allow CO2 to leak through the sealed wells.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Prediction of Landfill Gas Emissions Through Geosynthetic Systems. Landfill gas represents an opportunity for electricity generation and carbon abatement: it need not be managed solely for environmental, health or safety risk reasons. However, our ability to predict gas collection and fugitive emissions from landfills capped with geosynthetics liners, in consideration of the myriad of factors that control these processes, is imperfect. Building on recent advances in unsaturated soil mec ....Enhanced Prediction of Landfill Gas Emissions Through Geosynthetic Systems. Landfill gas represents an opportunity for electricity generation and carbon abatement: it need not be managed solely for environmental, health or safety risk reasons. However, our ability to predict gas collection and fugitive emissions from landfills capped with geosynthetics liners, in consideration of the myriad of factors that control these processes, is imperfect. Building on recent advances in unsaturated soil mechanics, this project aims to conduct cutting-edge experimental and theoretical research to develop an experimentally-validated theory of gas migration through geosynthetics systems that is expected to lead to major improvement in performance and provide integrated design tools which are much needed but not currently availableRead moreRead less
Improved predictions of greenhouse gas transfers in landfill composite liner covers containing geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that methane accounted for 85 per cent of the waste sector's annual greenhouse emissions in 2008, and stressed the need to undertake a range of activities to reduce these emissions. Models and theories derived from this project will address specifically the above issue leading to enhanced economic benefits.
Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greate ....Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greater than currently estimated. This research will provide primary data on the magnitude of downstream N2O emissions coming from the near-shore marine disposal of primary-level municipal wastewater in Australia. Results from this research will help quantify the carbon footprint associated with marine disposal of poorly treated effluents worldwide.Read moreRead less
The effect of climate change on the biogeochemistry of estuarine soft soils. The Australian coastline is dotted with soft clays to a significant depth. These soft clay deposits display excessive settlement characteristics, affecting transport infrastructure. Understanding the couplings between the biogeochemical composition of the pore liquid and the mechanical behaviour of soft soils is essential, but current engineering practice is limited. Sea level rise in Australia will potentially place as ....The effect of climate change on the biogeochemistry of estuarine soft soils. The Australian coastline is dotted with soft clays to a significant depth. These soft clay deposits display excessive settlement characteristics, affecting transport infrastructure. Understanding the couplings between the biogeochemical composition of the pore liquid and the mechanical behaviour of soft soils is essential, but current engineering practice is limited. Sea level rise in Australia will potentially place as much as $67 billion in transport infrastructure at risk; consequently, this project aims to examine the impact of climate change on the biogeochemical processes of estuarine sediments in relation to: geotechnical properties; soft soil stability under sea level change; and soil carbon sequestration.Read moreRead less
A new strategy for design flood estimation in a nonstationary climate. Evidence suggests that global warming will result in an increase in the frequency and/or magnitude of heavy rainfall, leading to flooding with potentially devastating consequences. This study provides a renewed focus on design flood estimation that takes into account a changing climate where assumptions of stationarity are no longer tenable.
Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of ....Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of Climate Change will enable industry to manage changes in rainfall pattern and conduit biofouling. An improved understanding of biofilms can be applied to achieve wider national benefit in water reticulation, irrigation systems and maritime applications. The team will develop research skills and technical expertise and train PhD students and industry counterparts.Read moreRead less
Combined strategies to extinguish underground coal fires and to extract geothermal energy. This project addresses two serious environmental issues that occur worldwide. Firstly, it aims to develop strategies to combat underground coal fires which are a serious environmental problem. It has been estimated that underground coal fires in China alone contribute 2 to 3 per cent of the total world output of carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuel. Concentrations of CO2 and CO (carbon monoxide) o ....Combined strategies to extinguish underground coal fires and to extract geothermal energy. This project addresses two serious environmental issues that occur worldwide. Firstly, it aims to develop strategies to combat underground coal fires which are a serious environmental problem. It has been estimated that underground coal fires in China alone contribute 2 to 3 per cent of the total world output of carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuel. Concentrations of CO2 and CO (carbon monoxide) of up to 2200 ppm and 1000 ppm, respectively, have been measured in gases produced by underground coal fires. Secondly, the project is a proof of concept to validate the feasibility of production of geothermal energy from burning coal seams. This aspect has the potential to harvest large amounts of geothermal energy which is currently wasted.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials. The Centre will consist of leading researchers from four Australian universities, four CSIRO divisions, and two US research centres. The vision is to position Australia as a world leader in nanomaterials science and technology. The Centre will involve nanoscale science for building functional nanostructures of materials at the molecular level. It aims to develop new methods and techniques for self-assembling and characterizing nanomaterials with tailorabl ....ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials. The Centre will consist of leading researchers from four Australian universities, four CSIRO divisions, and two US research centres. The vision is to position Australia as a world leader in nanomaterials science and technology. The Centre will involve nanoscale science for building functional nanostructures of materials at the molecular level. It aims to develop new methods and techniques for self-assembling and characterizing nanomaterials with tailorable properties. The outcomes will include leading-edge science, the development of human capital, and intellectual property in new materials and products for applications in clean energy, environmental, and health care industries.Read moreRead less
A spatial extremes framework for predicting subdaily rainfall intensity. Climate change is causing extreme rainfall intensity to increase globally. The greatest increases occur for short-duration storms lasting up to several hours, bringing a heightened risk of flash-floods that are often extremely hazardous due to their rapid onset. The project aims to develop a new spatial extreme value framework to predict extreme rainfall patterns, using insights on future changes to rainfall triggering mech ....A spatial extremes framework for predicting subdaily rainfall intensity. Climate change is causing extreme rainfall intensity to increase globally. The greatest increases occur for short-duration storms lasting up to several hours, bringing a heightened risk of flash-floods that are often extremely hazardous due to their rapid onset. The project aims to develop a new spatial extreme value framework to predict extreme rainfall patterns, using insights on future changes to rainfall triggering mechanisms (e.g. convective, frontal or orographic). The research aims to provide projections in the form of intensity-frequency-duration curves, areal reduction factors and antecedent rainfall depths. Engineers are expected to use this information to design infrastructure and urban planning policies to adapt to future flood risk.Read moreRead less