Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical re ....Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical resource.Read moreRead less
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
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
Megadrought likelihood and its water resource impacts in Australia. This interdisciplinary project plans to assemble a world-class team of hydrologists, climate scientists and water managers to investigate the history and future risk of decadal to multidecadal droughts (megadroughts). Despite Australia’s vulnerability to water scarcity, the likelihood of persistent megadroughts has not been assessed in Australia. This has resulted in inadequate capacity to prepare for and adapt to megadrought un ....Megadrought likelihood and its water resource impacts in Australia. This interdisciplinary project plans to assemble a world-class team of hydrologists, climate scientists and water managers to investigate the history and future risk of decadal to multidecadal droughts (megadroughts). Despite Australia’s vulnerability to water scarcity, the likelihood of persistent megadroughts has not been assessed in Australia. This has resulted in inadequate capacity to prepare for and adapt to megadrought under future climate change. For the first time, palaeoclimate reconstructions and climate change projections will be used to constrain future hydroclimatic variability, advancing the decision-making capacity of Australian water resource managers.Read moreRead less
A New Photocatalysis Hybrid System in Wastewater Treatment for Reuse. This project would particularly be useful to unreticulated sewage systems and small sewage treatment plants are prevalent in the coastal areas of NSW and Queensland and the interior parts of Northern Territory with small and isolated communities. Opportunities for demonstrating the successful application of this cost effective method of waste water treatment to appropriate stakeholders through participation in workshops, semin ....A New Photocatalysis Hybrid System in Wastewater Treatment for Reuse. This project would particularly be useful to unreticulated sewage systems and small sewage treatment plants are prevalent in the coastal areas of NSW and Queensland and the interior parts of Northern Territory with small and isolated communities. Opportunities for demonstrating the successful application of this cost effective method of waste water treatment to appropriate stakeholders through participation in workshops, seminars and events will be explored. The study can also be extended to small and medium sized industries in their wastewater treatment. The technology is of direct benefit within the Nation and also has significant export potential. Read moreRead less
Application of the MIEXR DOC process to membrane hybrid systems for water reuse. Fresh water is increasingly scarce in Australia and wastewater reuse is being advocated as a strategy for both meeting our needs and protecting the environment. This research will test the magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) process as a pretreatment for a membrane-flocculation hybrid system (MFHS). MIEX will remove small and medium molecular weight organics and minimize membrane fouling. Large molecular weight organics, s ....Application of the MIEXR DOC process to membrane hybrid systems for water reuse. Fresh water is increasingly scarce in Australia and wastewater reuse is being advocated as a strategy for both meeting our needs and protecting the environment. This research will test the magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) process as a pretreatment for a membrane-flocculation hybrid system (MFHS). MIEX will remove small and medium molecular weight organics and minimize membrane fouling. Large molecular weight organics, suspended solids and micro-organisms will be removed by MFHS. This research will pioneer a novel hybrid system for treatment and reuse of domestic wastewater for non-drinking purposes and provide high quality research training of a doctoral student.Read moreRead less
Healthier Water: Innovative Processes for Arsenic Removal and Sludge Management. Arsenic is a highly toxic metal found in drinking water in parts of Australia and in many parts of the world. The enforcement of stringent arsenic standard for drinking water calls for an effective treatment technology. In this study, an innovative and cost effective treatment system for arsenic removal will be developed for use in small community water supplies. This novel hybrid system consists of buoyant media f ....Healthier Water: Innovative Processes for Arsenic Removal and Sludge Management. Arsenic is a highly toxic metal found in drinking water in parts of Australia and in many parts of the world. The enforcement of stringent arsenic standard for drinking water calls for an effective treatment technology. In this study, an innovative and cost effective treatment system for arsenic removal will be developed for use in small community water supplies. This novel hybrid system consists of buoyant media flocculator and a newly-developed metal oxide coated media adsorption technique to achieve superior arsenic removal. A simple and safe disposal of arsenic sludge will also be established and tested.Read moreRead less
An innovative wastewater treatment system for the removal of persisting organic pollutants (POPs). Photocatalysis is an emerging technology in wastewater treatment that is capable of completely converting POPs into harmless compounds. In this research, we will combine the expertise of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in water reuse technologies, and Chonnam National University (CNU) in advanced oxidation processes with that of UTS' in physico-chemical treatment processes to dev ....An innovative wastewater treatment system for the removal of persisting organic pollutants (POPs). Photocatalysis is an emerging technology in wastewater treatment that is capable of completely converting POPs into harmless compounds. In this research, we will combine the expertise of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in water reuse technologies, and Chonnam National University (CNU) in advanced oxidation processes with that of UTS' in physico-chemical treatment processes to develop a novel photocatalysis hybrid system. Through long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish an innovative hybrid system for POPs removal, (ii) prepare industry grants, (iii) research training of postgraduate research students, and (iv) help to commercialize our research outcomes for domestic benefit and export.Read moreRead less
A novel filtration-bioadsorption hybrid system in water treatment: Cleaner and safer water for small communities. Dissolved organic matter inadequately removed by conventional water treatment processes leads to carcinogenic compounds and the formation of biofilm in the water pipe. In this research, a novel hybrid system will be developed, which consists of a bioadsorption (biologically activated carbon (BAC)) system and a floating medium prefilter. The BAC and prefilter design will be optimized ....A novel filtration-bioadsorption hybrid system in water treatment: Cleaner and safer water for small communities. Dissolved organic matter inadequately removed by conventional water treatment processes leads to carcinogenic compounds and the formation of biofilm in the water pipe. In this research, a novel hybrid system will be developed, which consists of a bioadsorption (biologically activated carbon (BAC)) system and a floating medium prefilter. The BAC and prefilter design will be optimized through new techniques such as biomass analysis, specific organics characterization and particle size distribution analysis. The hybrid unit developed will be a cost effective and low maintenance system for safe organic removal, especially in small water supply schemes.Read moreRead less
A better way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Arsenic is a serious pollutant of drinking water in parts of Australia and in Asia, We propose to developed an inovative technology to remove arsenic from water. Our international partnership combines the expertise of the University of Regina (UR), Canada in physico-chemical treatment processes with that of the UTS in membrane processes. Through a long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish a full-scale innovative system for arsenic remova ....A better way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Arsenic is a serious pollutant of drinking water in parts of Australia and in Asia, We propose to developed an inovative technology to remove arsenic from water. Our international partnership combines the expertise of the University of Regina (UR), Canada in physico-chemical treatment processes with that of the UTS in membrane processes. Through a long term collaboration we aim to: (i) establish a full-scale innovative system for arsenic removal, (ii) prepare joint publications and apply for more industry grants, (iii) research training of postgraduate research student, and (iv) help to commercialize our research outcomes for domestic benefit and export.Read moreRead less