Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH200100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy. This project aims to create new knowledge to reduce waste going to landfills and transform reclaimed waste into new materials for use in construction and other manufacturing sectors. It integrates multisector input and multidisciplinary academic research to address ten challenging waste streams. Expected outcomes are smart materials, socio-technical change, accelerated t ....ARC Research Hub for Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy. This project aims to create new knowledge to reduce waste going to landfills and transform reclaimed waste into new materials for use in construction and other manufacturing sectors. It integrates multisector input and multidisciplinary academic research to address ten challenging waste streams. Expected outcomes are smart materials, socio-technical change, accelerated testing methods, predictive modeling, circular life cycle costing and a trusted evidence base. Outcomes will lead to commercial benefits as well as jobs and a significant contribution to addressing the pressing environmental impacts of waste production, management, and re-use.Read moreRead less
A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include deve ....A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include development of a long-term durable treatment with reduced carbon footprint and use of waste materials. This should provide significant benefits commercially and critical insights to overcome expansive soils which cover approximately one-fifth of Australia’s surface area and six out of eight of its largest cities.Read moreRead less
Advancing the Engineering of Minipile Systems to Frontier Applications. This project aims to develop new knowledge on the performance of battered minipile systems used in a wide range of applications from solar panels to traffic signs. Minipiles provide concrete-free foundation systems, yet their behaviour under more complex loading such as wind, is yet to be fully understood. This project will examine the loading conditions experienced during installation and throughout service life. This will ....Advancing the Engineering of Minipile Systems to Frontier Applications. This project aims to develop new knowledge on the performance of battered minipile systems used in a wide range of applications from solar panels to traffic signs. Minipiles provide concrete-free foundation systems, yet their behaviour under more complex loading such as wind, is yet to be fully understood. This project will examine the loading conditions experienced during installation and throughout service life. This will include complex full-scale laboratory tests and advanced computer modelling to verify the performance against expected cyclic loading. New design approaches will be developed for this emerging foundation system, enabling more widespread adoption of this technology in the building and construction industry.Read moreRead less
Next generation transport infrastructure using high performance materials. This project aims to provide structural engineers with the tools required to develop ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete materials and to utilise their unique material properties in design. Recent feasibility studies have shown that the replacement of conventional concrete and steel transport infrastructure with ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete has the potential to revolutionise the sector. Fo ....Next generation transport infrastructure using high performance materials. This project aims to provide structural engineers with the tools required to develop ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete materials and to utilise their unique material properties in design. Recent feasibility studies have shown that the replacement of conventional concrete and steel transport infrastructure with ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete has the potential to revolutionise the sector. For these cost savings benefits to be realised, guidelines for the low cost development and testing of new materials, and for the application in structural design are required. This project is expected to deliver these guidelines and potentially maximise the impact of government spending on road and rail infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Soil dynamics at extreme deformations. This project aims to conduct a fundamental study of a challenging class of geotechnical problems in which soil undergoes large strains and rapid deformations. The main goal of this project is to discover the fundamental principles governing soil behaviour at large and fast deformation rates. The expected outcomes are an innovative testing device for site investigation purposes, and robust solution and computational procedures for analysing a wide range of p ....Soil dynamics at extreme deformations. This project aims to conduct a fundamental study of a challenging class of geotechnical problems in which soil undergoes large strains and rapid deformations. The main goal of this project is to discover the fundamental principles governing soil behaviour at large and fast deformation rates. The expected outcomes are an innovative testing device for site investigation purposes, and robust solution and computational procedures for analysing a wide range of problems in soil dynamics. This should benefit government and engineers by providing safer and more cost-effective strategies for the design, construction, and maintenance of Australia's infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical ....Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical processes. Time-dependent clogging will be evaluated through geotechnical laboratory & field testing. Expected outcomes are enhanced PRB design methods and sound geotechnical field monitoring to provide significant industry benefits, such as mine-site rehabilitation, increased productivity and infrastructure longevity.Read moreRead less
New Systems for High Rise Steel Structures in Rising Factory Construction. This project will develop new and innovative ways of constructing steel structures using the rising factory concept. The rising factory is a 10 storey enclosure where the final high-rise building is safely constructed within a watertight envelope which rises as the building progresses. The project will perform the necessary research to make possible high-rise steel structural systems consisting of hot-rolled (heavy gauge ....New Systems for High Rise Steel Structures in Rising Factory Construction. This project will develop new and innovative ways of constructing steel structures using the rising factory concept. The rising factory is a 10 storey enclosure where the final high-rise building is safely constructed within a watertight envelope which rises as the building progresses. The project will perform the necessary research to make possible high-rise steel structural systems consisting of hot-rolled (heavy gauge) and cold-formed (light gauge) steel structural members and connections which can be used in the rising factory. The main benefits of the rising factory are the waterproof construction environment and the substantially increased safety as a result of no external cranes.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101563
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Scrubbing pollutant gases from air via biochar-foam concrete technology. This project aims to address the pressing need to curb carbon dioxide and sulfur oxide level in the air through direct air capture technology using foamed concrete with engineered biochar, prepared by pyrolysis of food waste. The expected outcome of the project would be a durable biochar-foam concrete technology that enhances uptake of the mentioned pollutants, thus reducing their concentration in the ambient environment. I ....Scrubbing pollutant gases from air via biochar-foam concrete technology. This project aims to address the pressing need to curb carbon dioxide and sulfur oxide level in the air through direct air capture technology using foamed concrete with engineered biochar, prepared by pyrolysis of food waste. The expected outcome of the project would be a durable biochar-foam concrete technology that enhances uptake of the mentioned pollutants, thus reducing their concentration in the ambient environment. It links to Australian Government’s Science and Research priority areas of Resources and Environmental Change through utilization of waste-stream and offering an adaptive measure to impacts of climate change. Deploying this technology would offer durable lightweight construction and healthy environment for urban residents.Read moreRead less
Innovative composite systems with enhanced resilience to extreme loads. The rapidly increasing global population (projected to be 9.8 billion by 2050) and global urbanisation have created a demand for the construction industry, thereby increasing the pressure on our planet’s limited resources for the construction industry. This high demand can yield detrimental effects to the environment due to the high carbon footprint of conventional construction materials, and is amplified by the threat of ac ....Innovative composite systems with enhanced resilience to extreme loads. The rapidly increasing global population (projected to be 9.8 billion by 2050) and global urbanisation have created a demand for the construction industry, thereby increasing the pressure on our planet’s limited resources for the construction industry. This high demand can yield detrimental effects to the environment due to the high carbon footprint of conventional construction materials, and is amplified by the threat of accidental or deliberate extreme loadings to buildings, which can trigger fatal progressive collapse events. The proposed project aims to develop an innovative structural system with that possesses superior structural resilience to extreme loads and progressive collapse using lightweight eco-friendly materials. Read moreRead less
Next generation offshore blue water aquaculture. The project aims to develop innovative technologies for the next generation of blue water aquaculture, focusing on developing novel floating concrete platforms, cages and anti-biofouling systems. Increasing global demand for high quality protein means offshore marine aquaculture is the only realistic environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional livestock farming and depleted wild fisheries. This project will provide significant benefits ....Next generation offshore blue water aquaculture. The project aims to develop innovative technologies for the next generation of blue water aquaculture, focusing on developing novel floating concrete platforms, cages and anti-biofouling systems. Increasing global demand for high quality protein means offshore marine aquaculture is the only realistic environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional livestock farming and depleted wild fisheries. This project will provide significant benefits by addressing significant community objections to nearshore fish farms, including severe environmental pollution, disease and pathogens, over use of antibiotics and economic impacts on tourism.Read moreRead less