Enabling low greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles through the proper use of alternative fuels. A major increase in alternative transport fuel use appears necessary in our response to the challenges of climate change and energy security. This proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of key aspects of the combustion of particular alternative fuels, thus enabling proper engine design and so maximising greenhouse and energy security benefits. Further, the Australian automotive indu ....Enabling low greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles through the proper use of alternative fuels. A major increase in alternative transport fuel use appears necessary in our response to the challenges of climate change and energy security. This proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of key aspects of the combustion of particular alternative fuels, thus enabling proper engine design and so maximising greenhouse and energy security benefits. Further, the Australian automotive industry is a major employer and exporter, and needs to develop and/or maintain international leadership in low emission technologies to ensure its long term viability. This proposal builds a consortium of local organisations with common interests, thus helping local industry respond to several, significant challenges that they presently face.Read moreRead less
Nano- and micro-scale engineering of MoS2-based catalyst for conversion of syngas to ethanol. Domestic production of ethanol to provide a 10% blend in petrol (E10) can be achieved from waste methane gas that Australia currently vents or flares to atmosphere. This project aims to develop a conversion process for making ethanol from syngas (the product of coal or methane gasification). Small scale, modularised plants would make ethanol locally to the methane emission source. The benefits of local ....Nano- and micro-scale engineering of MoS2-based catalyst for conversion of syngas to ethanol. Domestic production of ethanol to provide a 10% blend in petrol (E10) can be achieved from waste methane gas that Australia currently vents or flares to atmosphere. This project aims to develop a conversion process for making ethanol from syngas (the product of coal or methane gasification). Small scale, modularised plants would make ethanol locally to the methane emission source. The benefits of local E10 production would be a reduction in the oil trade deficit of $1 billion per year, $500 million per year in lower carbon imposts to industry and government, 25 million tonnes per year of reduced CO2e release to atmosphere and significantly improved urban air through reduced emissions from car transport, with attendant human health benefits.Read moreRead less
Scaleable Microstructured Chemical Process Systems. This project seeks to revolutionize the way bulk chemicals are made industrially. By combining highly integrated process designs, with profound process intensification, we will create the basis for chemical process technology that is efficient and economical at relatively small scale. This development will reinvigorate the Australian chemical industry, with enormous benefits to the country in terms of improved security of supply of chemicals an ....Scaleable Microstructured Chemical Process Systems. This project seeks to revolutionize the way bulk chemicals are made industrially. By combining highly integrated process designs, with profound process intensification, we will create the basis for chemical process technology that is efficient and economical at relatively small scale. This development will reinvigorate the Australian chemical industry, with enormous benefits to the country in terms of improved security of supply of chemicals and fuels and reduced trade deficit. This new type of plant will be scaleable and without the technical risk normally associated with plant scale-up. At the smallest scale, it will be mobile and able to utilise remote and dispersed feedstocks such as stranded natural gas, coal bed methane, or biogas. Read moreRead less
Multiphase flows in microchannels. This project will improve our understanding of how multiphase fluids (such as a gas and a liquid or two liquids) flow in very small passages. Such flows are at the heart of almost all chemical processing and miniaturisation of chemical processes depends on our ability to design for and control them. There is a worldwide interest in microplant for chemicals manufacture and the international partner investigators are leaders in this field. The particular benefit ....Multiphase flows in microchannels. This project will improve our understanding of how multiphase fluids (such as a gas and a liquid or two liquids) flow in very small passages. Such flows are at the heart of almost all chemical processing and miniaturisation of chemical processes depends on our ability to design for and control them. There is a worldwide interest in microplant for chemicals manufacture and the international partner investigators are leaders in this field. The particular benefit to Australia lies in the possibility that miniaturised, microsctructured chemical plant could become the basis for remote, distributed manufacture that could, for example, allow natural gas processing on ocean platforms directly located at the point of production. Read moreRead less