research projects 2014 -abstracts

School of Chemical Engineering Research Projects

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Research Projects 2014 – Project Description

1. Adsorption of affinity protein A and monoclonal antibodies for bioprocess optimization

Supervisors of project: Dr Jingxiu Bi (N212) and A/Prof Sheng Dai

Nature of project work: Experimental investigation

Area of project work: Bioprocess engineering

Potential long-term implications of line of research: the improvement of product purity in protein based pharmaceutical industry

Number of students: 1

Brief description of project: Affinity chromatography separates proteins on the basis of a reversible interaction between a protein and a specific ligand coupled to a chromatography matrix. The technique provides high selectivity, high resolution and also high capacity for the proteins of interests. With a great purification level up to several thousand-fold, this technology has been favoured by industry especially in the downstream purification of protein based pharmaceuticals. However, the real world application of chromatographic separation remains largely empirical and for the large-scale monoclonal antibodies purification, the fundamental understanding of protein-ligand binding mechanism can help in the optimisation of existing purification methodology in order to improve the efficiency and profit in therapeutics production

In this research, the binding and elution thermodynamic properties between the adsorption of protein A ligand and Bevacinzumab will be investigated by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC). Protein purification will be applied in the AKTA Pure chromatography system, and the antibody purity will be determined by the SDS-PAGE.

2. Exploring biodegradable and non-cytotoxic Poly (ethylenimine) for efficient DNA delivery

Supervisor(s) of project(s): Dr Jingxiu Bi (N212) and A/Prof Sheng Dai

Nature of project work: Experimental investigation plus analysis of some existing data.

Area of project work: Bionanotechnology, gene delivery.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Gene therapy.

Number of students: Up to 2.

Brief description of project(s): One cationic polymer, Poly (ethylenimine) (PEI), has been proven to be an efficient gene vector because of its high cationic charge density potential. However, the high cytotoxicity of this polymer remains to be a drawback for its application in gene delivery. The main cause of its high cytotoxicity is also its high cationic density potential. To solve this problem, to develop a biodegradable PEI by using low molecular weight PEI could be the best strategy. This research will focus on the synthesis of biodegradable PEI by linking low molecular weight PEI with disulfide bond to maintain the high transfection efficiency as well as reduce its cytotoxicity.


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3. Investigation of Self-assembling of Protein/Peptide in Microfluidic System Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Jingxiu Bi (N212) and A/Prof Sheng Dai

Nature of project work: Experimental investigation plus analysis of some existing data

Area of project work: peptide nanotube, microfluidic system, protein folding

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Drug/gene delivery


Brief description of project: A new cylindrical peptide with extended parallel β-sheets was recently discovered to self-assemble into peptide-like nanotubes with secondary structure. These molecules are potential carriers for drugs and/or vaccine delivery, avoiding toxicity of current carbon nanotubes carriers. This project will investigate the control of the peptide self-assembly process using microfluidics system. With process control of the adapted microfluidic system, size distribution of the assembled nanotubes is willing to be harvested and characterization will be conducted.

4. Development of a novel world risk atlas of steel pitting at sea surface temperature and salinity Supervisor(s) of project: Dr K R (Ken) Davey (N211), Dr Olivier Lavigne (Mech Eng, S106)

Nature of project work: Predictive modelling of pitting of steels

Area of project work: Materials corrosion safety

Potential long-term implications of line of research: The development of a new world atlas of risk of materials pitting at different locations at sea; this would be consulted in the design stage for future new constructions.

Number of students: up to 6 students can be accommodated working in pairs but each considering a different steel and/or global position; ideally these would be integrated to produce the detailed world atlas

Brief description of project: Corrosion of materials of construction in chemical engineering off-shore platforms, underwater pipes etc. is a major problem world-wide. An understanding of the process of initiation of pitting is largely established. However, the risk of stochastic impacts i.e. chance variation in both sea temperature and salinity on pitting and materials safety, has not been looked at. The overall aims of this new project are to:

1) Establish a model of pitting that involves stochastic (chance) impacts through application of a new risk technique pioneered here in the School of Chemical Engineering by Davey et al and which has been recipient of a number of awards

2) Use the model to simulate a number of locations globally to produce a novel world atlas of risk of steel pitting at different sea surface temperatures and salinities.

Familiarity with Excel will be needed together with an interest in medium level mathematics. Detailed introduction to new techniques and training in necessary dedicated software will be provided.

Drs Davey and Lavigne are available to discuss this project by appointment.


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5. A new risk analysis of taint accumulation in export barramundi (Lates calcarifer) Supervisor(s) of project: Dr K R (Ken) Davey (N211), Mr Priyantha Hasurusingha (A203)

Nature of project work: Predictive modelling (some experimental work at Clarendon, SA)

Area of project work: Bio-process optimisation and safety

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of new management protocols for a premium Australian protein export

Number of students: up to 2 students can be accommodated working as a pair but each considering a different risk strategy; ideally these will be integrated to produce a more detailed protocol

Brief description of project: Barramundi fish are a premium protein globally and are grown here in SA in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). A major buyer resistance is “off flavour” due to the accumulation of taint molecules (as Geosmin or MIB) during a 240 day growth at a constant water temperature of 28 OC. We have been working on development of a new predictive model, based on unit-operations and bio-chemical engineering principles, to aid management protocols to grow fish without taint. A major experimental study is underway at the Southern Barramundi Farmers Association RAS plant, Clarendon. This project has University of Adelaide Animal Ethics Approval (S-2012-176). We are interested in the impact of stochastic changes i.e. chance variations in temperature and other determining factors on the accumulation of taint in the fish-flesh. This work is the first of its kind. The overall aims of this project are to:

1) Establish a model of taint accumulation that involves stochastic (chance) effects through integration with a new risk technique pioneered here in the School of Chemical Engineering

2) Use the model to simulate the safety and optimal management steps for “best” growth of barramundi with acceptable taint.

Familiarity with Excel will be needed together with an interest in medium level mathematics. Detailed introduction to new techniques and training in necessary dedicated software will be provided.

Dr Davey and Mr Hasurusingha are available to discuss this project and arrange travel to Clarendon by appointment.

6. A new global risk and safety assessment of milk processing Supervisor(s) of project: Dr K R (Ken) Davey (N211), Mr Saravanan Chandrakash (A303)

Nature of project work: Simulation of milk processing safety and failure

Area of project work: Foods process safety

Potential long-term implications of line of research: The development of the first global milk risk and safety model

Number of students: up to 2 students can be accommodated working as a pair but each considering a different risk aspect; ideally these will be integrated to produce a more detailed safety protocol.

Brief description of project: Milk processing is an important foods process world-wide. A unit-operations understanding of risk and safety in individual steps in the process has been


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largely established by us (Food Control, 29 (2013), 248-253). However, we are now investigating the accumulated risk of stochastic impacts i.e. chance variation in determining factors, on the “global” process. This work is the first of its kind. The overall aims of this project are to:

1) Establish a global risk model (i.e. two or more connected unit-operations in milk processing) that involves stochastic (chance) effects through application of a new risk technique being pioneered here in the School of Chemical Engineering by Davey et al and which has been recipient of a number of awards

2) Use the model to simulate the safety and optimal management steps for “safe” milk processing

3) Identify the nature of the accumulation of risk from each connected unit-operation on the overall process.

Familiarity with Excel will be needed together with an interest in medium level mathematics. A large data base of an existing milk processing plant in Adelaide is available. Detailed introduction to new techniques and training in necessary dedicated software will be provided.

Dr Davey and Mr Chandrakash are available to discuss this project by appointment.


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7. Pyrolysis of agricultural wastes using waste heat from internal combustion engine

Supervisor: Dr Philip Kwong (N209)

Nature of project work: Literature review and experiments

Area of project work: Waste management, renewable energy, thermo-chemical conversion

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Sustainable waste management.

Length of project: 1 or 2 semesters.

Number of students: Up to 2 students can be accommodated, each focusing on different configurations.

Brief description: This study will investigate the feasibility in converting various agricultural wastes into clean syngas and biochar using the waste heat of internal combustion engine. The syngas produced from pyrolysis will feed into the internal combustion engine for electricity generation and the waste heat from the engine exhaust could be utilized directly through the recirculation of the exhaust gas, or indirectly using heat exchanger to drive the endothermic pyrolysis reactions. The main goal of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using the waste heat of the internal combustion engine for the conversion of biomass into biochar for carbon sequestration and renewable electricity for energy services.

8. Development of low cost catalysts for tar elimination in biomass gasification/ pyrolysis process

Supervisor: Dr Philip Kwong (N209)

Nature of work: Literature review and experiments

Area of project work: Thermal chemical conversion of biomass.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Sustainable waste management

Length of project: 1 or 2 semesters.

Number of students: Up to 2 students can be accommodated, each considering a different catalyst and feedstock.

Brief description: Biomass energy is expected to be one of the main contributors to achieve renewable energy target in Australia. Gasification and pyrolysis will be important technologies to convert biomass feedstocks into useful energy products. Impeding the implementation of gasification/ pyrolysis systems, however, is the elimination of the organic impurities (tar) from the product gas to meet the gas quality requirement for power generations. The main goal for this project is to develop a cost effective catalytic system for tar elimination in biomass gasification/ pyrolysis process.


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9. Advanced Nanoporous Optical Biosensors for Detection of Cardiac Biomarkers Supervisor of project: Dr. Abel Santos (N207)

Nature of project work: Experimental.

Area of project work: Optics, Sensing, Cardiac Biomarkers.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of innovative optical biosensors for sensing cardiac biomarkers and improve current diagnosis techniques.

Number of students: 1.

Brief description of project: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the greatest cause of adult mortality in western countries. Inefficient point-of-care (POC) tests play a direct role and contribute significantly to this problem. So far, cardiac biomarkers have demonstrated to be an excellent tool to detect CVD at early stage, when suitable medical therapies can be implemented. These biomolecules have typically been used as early CVD risk predictors or diagnosis indicators. Nevertheless, there is still an important lack of systematisation and implementation of efficient, universal and cost-competitive POC tests for the broad range of acute myocardial syndromes, which range from unstable angina (reversible myocardial injury) to myocardial necrosis (irreversible myocardial damage) [2]. In that regard, ultra-sensitive optical biosensors can accurately detect small amounts of analytes with cost-competitive laboratory equipments. Among these optical biosensors, those based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) have been successfully tested in many biological processes, showing very promising results [3]. NAA is a nanoporous material obtained by electrochemical anodisation of aluminium that can be used as an optically active substrate combined with such optical techniques as reflectrometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) [4]. Cardiac biomarkers can be detected and quantified when they are immobilised onto the nanoporous matrix of NAA through changes in its effective optical thickness. The aim of this project will be to develop optical biosensors for sensing different levels of cardiac biomarkers and implement more sophisticated POC tests by combining RIfS and NAA (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing the proposed optical biosensing system based on functionalised NAA structures for detection of cardiac biomarkers.

References:

[1] S. Mendis, P. Puska and B. Norrving, Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control, World Health Organization, 2011.

[2] B. McDonnell, S. Hearty, P. Leonard and R. O'Kennedy, Clin. Biochem., 2009, 42, 549.

[3] A. M. Md Jani, D. Losic and N. H. Voelcker, Prog. Mater Sci., 2013, 58, 636.

[4] A. Santos, T. Kumeria and D. Losic, TrAC, Trends Anal. Chem., 2013, 44, 25.


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10. Advanced Nanoporous Optical Biosensors for Detection of Food Biomarkers Supervisor of project: Dr. Abel Santos (N207)


Area of project work: Optics, Sensing, Food Biomarkers.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of innovative optical biosensors for sensing food biomarkers and improve current analytical techniques in food technology.


Brief description of project: There is a serious safety concern in food technology as nowadays foods and beverages are not only traded nationally but also globally. Recently, traditional proteomic technology has been integrated with nanotechnology in order to yield a real-time multiplexed analysis of food biomarkers performed in a miniaturized assay, with consumption of small amount of analytes and high sensitivity [1]. This combination of proteomics and nanotechnology has demonstrated and outstanding potential to overcome the challenges of sensitivity faced by proteomics for food biomarker detection. Nevertheless, these techniques still suffer from inherent drawbacks as they require complicated, laborious, time-consuming and expensive analyses. In this scenario, ultra-sensitive optical biosensors based on nanoporous materials such as nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) can accurately detect small amounts of analytes with cost-competitive laboratory equipments. [2]. NAA is a nanoporous material obtained by electrochemical anodisation of aluminium, which can be used as an optically active substrate combined with such optical techniques as reflectrometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) [3]. Food biomarkers can be detected and quantified when they are immobilised onto the nanoporous matrix of NAA through changes in its effective optical thickness. The aim of this project will be to develop optical biosensors for sensing different levels of food biomarkers and implement more sophisticated analytical tests for food technology by combining RIfS and NAA (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing the proposed optical biosensing system based on functionalised NAA structures for detection of food biomarkers.

References

[1] G. K. Agrawal, A. M. Timperio, L. Zolla, V. Bansal, R. Shukla and R. Rakwal, J. Proteomics, 2013, 93, 74.




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11. Biosensors for Detection of Biomarkers in Food Technology

Supervisor of project: Prof. Dusan Losic (N206) and Dr. Abel Santos (N207)

Nature of project work: Literature-based.

Area of project work: Sensing, Biomarkers, Food technology.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Study of current analytical systems for sensing food biomarkers and identification of their inherent advantages, technical drawbacks and limitations.


Brief description of project: Foods and beverages produced at industrial scale are not only traded nationally but also globally. This has raised serious safety concerns in food technology as the quality of these products must be guaranteed before they are distributed through the markets. Current detection systems are based on expensive analytical instruments and time-consuming procedures (e.g. proteomics) [1]. For this reason, food technology companies must invest an important part of their budgets in protocols and equipments to guarantee the quality of products according to the established requirements. In many cases, this makes products expensive and non-competitive for targeting international markets. In this scenario, some alternative sensing techniques could provide food technology with cost-competitive, ultra-sensitive, simple and efficient analytical methods and protocols to establish levels of key biomarkers [2,3] (Figure 1). The aim of this project will be to compile the current analytical methods used in food industry as well as to identify their inherent advantages, drawbacks, limitations and potential alternative analytical techniques.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing alternative sensing systems with potential applicability in food industry.

References

[1] G. K. Agrawal, A. M. Timperio, L. Zolla, V. Bansal, R. Shukla and R. Rakwal, J. Proteomics, 2013, 93, 74.




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12. Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Membranes for Lab-on-a-Chip Chromatography Supervisor of project: Prof. Dusan Losic (N206) and Dr. Abel Santos (N207)

Nature of project work: Literature-based.

Area of project work: Chromatography, Sensing, Biomolecules, Analytical Chips.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Study of current analytical systems for separation and identification of target molecules by using nanoporous membranes as stationary phase.


Brief description of project: Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) is one of the most popular and promising nanomaterials for its simple and cost-competitive fabrication process as well as its outstanding physical and chemical properties (e.g. chemical resistance, thermal stability, hardness, biocompatibility, high specific surface area, highly ordered nanoporous structure, etc.). Self-ordered NAA consists of a nanoporous matrix of alumina (Al2O3) featuring close-packed arrays of hexagonally arranged cells containing a cylindrical central pore, which grows perpendicularly to the surface of the underlying aluminium foil during the anodisation process [1] (Figure 1). So far, several studies have reported about the use of NAA membranes as stationary phase in liquid chromatography applications. For instance, this material has been used for performing separations of DNA molecules of different sizes, enantiomers and ionic molecules [2-4]. Notice that NAA can also be used as an optical/electrochemical sensing platform and this can enable the development of analytical chips able to carry out separation and detection of analytes simultaneously. The aim of this project will be to compile the recent advances on the use of NAA in liquid chromatography chips as well as to identify their inherent advantages, drawbacks and limitations and to provide a future perspective for this research field.

Figure 1. Principle of chromatographic separation and detection based on NAA membranes.

References


[2] S. B. Lee, D. T. Mitchell, L. Trofin, T. K. Nevanen, H. Söderlund and C. R. Martin, Science, 2002, 296, 2198.

[3] T. Sano, N. Iguchi, K. Lida, T. Sakamoto, M. Baba and H. Kawaura, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2003, 83, 4438.

[4] T. Yamashita, S. Kodama, M. Ohto, E. Nakayama, N. Takayanagi, T. Kemmei, A. Yamaguchi, N. Teramae and Y. Saito, Chem. Commun., 2007, 11, 1160.


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13. Producing High-Quality Graphene from Natural Graphite Flakes

Supervisor of Project: Dr Diana Tran

Nature of Project Work: Literature Search/Proposal and Experimental Implementation

Area of Project Work: Mineral processing, graphene, composite materials

Potential Long-Term Implications of Line of Research: Solar cells, battery, water purification

Number of Students: 2*

* Project provisionally reserved for Sophia Wang and Ting Rui Sim

Brief Description of Project: Graphene, a 2D honeycomb arrangement of carbon atoms of one atom thickness, is the center of attraction in nanoscience and nanotechnology. It is remarkable material owing to its exceptional physical properties, such as high electronic conductivity, good thermal stability, and excellent mechanical strength. The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for isolation of graphene. Other forms of graphene-related materials, including graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and exfoliated graphite, can been reliably produced from grpahite. It is less known that South Australia has large reserves of graphite, which can provide great potential for large scale production of this valuable material in our state. Different techniques have been performed to obtain graphene such as, epitaxial growth by ultra high vacuum graphitizatin, chemical oxidization and further reduction, chemical vapour deposition and solvothermal synthesis with pyrolysis. Electrochemical techniques are one of the most common procedures used to a produce graphene because they are simple, economic, non-destructive, environmentally friendly, operate at ambient temperature and pressure, and provide thickness controlled by adjusting the electrode potential. This project proposes to use natural graphite flakes from South Australia’s mining industry to prepare high-quality graphene. From this project, the student will have the chance to learn how to obtain graphene from graphite by using a electrochemical system, their characterization and about the mechanism of electrochemical intercalation and exfoliation of graphite. The application of isolated graphene oxide and graphene by their incorporation into other functional materials developed in our lab will be finally demonstrated.

References:

1. Ruoff, R. (2008) Graphene: calling all chemists. Nat. Nanotechnol. 3, 10–11. 2. Stankovich, S., Dikin, D. A., Dommett, G. H., Kohlhaas, K. M., Zimney, E. J., Stach, E. A., Piner, R. D.,

Nguyen, S. T., and Ruoff, R. S. (2006) Graphene-based composite materials. Nature 442, 282–286. 3. Dikin, D. A., Stankovich, S., Zimney, E. J., Piner, R. D., Dommett, G. H., Evmenenko, G., Nguyen, S. T.,

and Ruoff, R. S. (2007) Preparation and characterization of graphene oxide paper. Nature 448, 457–460.


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14. Graphene: Emerging material for the 21st century

Supervisor of Project: Prof Dusan Losic (N206) and Dr Diana Tran

Nature of Project Work: Literature Search/Proposal

Area of Project Work: Nanomaterials, engineering, graphene,

Potential Long-Term Implications of Line of Research: Solar cells, battery, water purification

Number of Students: 1 to 2 students

Brief Description of Project: Graphene, a new two-dimensional nanomaterial consists of a single layer of strongly bonded carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal network structure, which was recently discovered and isolated from graphite (Nobel prize for physics in 2004), and is widely recognized as materials of the 21st century. This new material has many unique properties, not seen before, due its planar structure, ultra-large surface area, excellent chemical stability, enormous mechanical strength, superb electrical and thermal conductivity, and good biocompatibility offering exceptional opportunities for broad industrial applications. However, many of these applications are dependent of technologies for isolation and preparation of graphene material from graphite supplied from mining industry. The most currently developed methods are based on the use of concentrated acids and oxidants which are hazardous, highly toxic or explosive, and are not environmentally benign making bulk production of graphene difficult and not suitable for further applications. Therefore, there is great interests to develop new green and more sustainable technologies for large scale production of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) based materials for their future applications. One of the major areas of focus currently is the discovery of novel and improved materials for water purification and other filtration applications. Current devices have not been successful, making further treatment necessary leading to consuming costs. The aim of the proposed project is to provide a literature review on current graphene-based materials and propose alternative synthesis methods that are simple and environmentally friendly, which would enable enhancement of properties.

References:

1. Ruoff, R. (2008) Graphene: calling all chemists. Nat. Nanotechnol. 3, 10–11. 2. Gao, W., Majumder, M., Alemany, L. B., Narayanan, T. N., Ibarra, M. A., Pradhan, B. K., and Ajayan, P. M. (2011)

Engineered graphite oxide materials for application in water purification. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 3, 1821–1826. 3. Madadrang, C. J., Kim, H. Y., Gao, G., Wang, N., Zhu, J., Feng, H., Gorring, M., Kasner, M. L., and Hou, S., (2012)

Adsorption behavior of EDTA-graphite oxide for Pb (II) removal, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 4, 1186–1193.


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15. Enhanced Protection of Stored Grain from Insect Pests by Combining Inert Dusts and Modified Atmosphere. Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Lucas Johnson (N207)

Nature of project work: Conducting experiments to evaluate the efficacy of novel, non-toxic treatments to protect grain from major insect pests.

Area of project work: Grain Protection

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Given the emergence of pesticide resistant insect species in Australia, the development of new treatments to prevent loss of stored grain due to insect infestation is needed. This will help ensure continued food security and high value in this important sector of the economy.

Number of students: 2*

* One position is provisionally reserved for Raymond Fok

Brief description of project(s): Rhyzopertha dominica (commonly known as the lesser grain borer) is one of the major insect pest species responsible for spoilage during storage of cereal grains, which represent a substantial portion of the Australian economy ($6.8 billion per year). [1] Conventional treatments to protect stored grains, such as fumigation with phosphine gas, are beginning to fail

to control this insect due to the development of resistance. Therefore, there is a need for the development of alternative treatments that are resistance free, safe and cost-effective, in order to ensure continued bio-security of stored grains both in Australia and world-wide.

One promising approach is to combine inert dusts with modification of the atmospheric conditions under which the grain is stored. Inert dusts are already known to be effective as contact insecticides (causing insect death by desiccation). [2] However, large quantities are required to be effective, which makes this approach costly and negatively impacts grain quality. Likewise, modifying the atmosphere (such as applying a vacuum to lower the amount of O2) has also been shown to be effective for grain protection, but typically only under conditions that are very difficult to achieve and maintain cost effectively. [3] The idea here is that by combining these approaches, the overall effectiveness is increased so that smaller quantities of inert dust, and less stringent atmospheric conditions may be used for grain protection, thereby overcoming the disadvantages associated with each individual approach.

The overall goal of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of treatments based on this strategy on R. dominica. The first aspect of this project involves investigating the efficacy of different combinations of inert dusts and low O2 content (achieved by reducing the pressure). The second aspect of this project is to investigate the efficacy of additional means of atmosphere control, such as oxygen scavengers and desiccants.

References [1] Agricultural Production. In: Year Book Australia. (2012) Australian Bureau of Statistics. [2] Subramanyam, B.; Roesli, R. (2006) Chapter 12: Inert Dusts. In: Alternatives to Pesticides in Stored-Product IPM. Subramanyam, B. Ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers. (http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/grsc_subi/Teaching/GRSC651/GRSC651_Courses_Material/lecture_slides/GRSC651_lect_20(1)_Inert_Dusts.pdf). [3] Navarro, S. (2006) Modified Atmospheres for the Control of Stored-Product Insects and Mites. In: Insect Management for Food Storage and Processing, Second Edition. Heaps, J. W. Ed., AACC International, St. Paul, MN, pp. 105-146.

R dominica. © Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, United States, (www.bugwood.org)


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16. Design of Laboratory Scale Grain Storage Bunkers for Testing Insecticide Efficacy Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Lucas Johnson (N207), Prof Dusan Losic (N206)

Nature of project work: Conduct a review and analysis of the literature describing bunker-based grain storage, and use this information to design a laboratory scale model bunker. This will be used to evaluate new pesticide treatments under conditions that emulate bunker storage in the field.

Area of project work: Grain Protection

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Given the emergence of pesticide resistant insect species in Australia, the development of new treatments to prevent loss of stored grain due to insect infestation is needed. Critical to this is the ability to evaluate the efficacy of new treatments under a

variety of conditions, due to the range of storage methods and climates in Australia. Developing this capability will help ensure continued food security and high value in this important sector of the economy.


Brief description of project(s): Cereal grains, such as wheat and barley, are major agricultural products that represent a substantial portion of the Australian economy ($6.8 billion). [1] Following harvest, grains are traditionally stored in steel or concrete silos. However, there is currently a prevailing trend towards on-farm storage of grain in high capacity bunkers owing to lower cost and the ability to store excess production from highly variable crop yields that typically occur in Australia. [2]

One challenge associated with using bunkers is that, being unsealed structures, they are more vulnerable to infestation by insect pests. Infestation results in spoilage, reducing overall grain quality and potentially making it unfit for consumption. As a result, protection of the stored grain with insecticides is of paramount importance. In order to select an appropriate insecticide, the efficacy of candidates against various insect species needs to be known. Most often, insecticides are tested under conditions emulating storage in silos. However, this data is not applicable to storage in bunkers, as the unsealed nature of this storage method means that the environmental conditions are much more variable. Therefore, there is a need to devise a test method by which the efficacy of insecticides against insect pests may be evaluated under bunker storage conditions.

The overall goal of this project is to design a laboratory scale bunker. This will first involve a review and analysis of the literature to identify prevailing conditions and construction materials (or suitable alternatives). Subsequent design of the bunker will need to consider methods for emulating environmental conditions, how to introduce and contain test insects, and how to count insects following treatment so that efficacy can be evaluated.

References

[1] Agricultural Production. In: Year Book Australia. (2012) Australian Bureau of Statistics.

[2] The Australian Grains Industry: The Basics. (2011) PwC Australia. (http://www.pwc.com.au/industry/agribusiness/assets/Australian-Grains-Industry-Nov11.pdf).

Grain storage bunker. Copyright © Darling Downs Tarpaulins, 2014


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17. Drug-releasing biomedical implants: Current progress, challenges and perspectives Supervisor of project: Prof Dusan Losic (N206), Dr Shafi Rahman (N207)

Nature of project work: theoretical/literature review

Area of project work: drug delivery, pharmaceutical science

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of innovative biomedical implants for localized therapy bone, cardiovascular disease and cancer.


Brief description of project(s): Most of current clinical therapies are based on intermittent oral or intravenous administration of drug, which provide a high level of drug in blood right after the dose is administered. However, the drug level in the bloodstream immediately decreases below the therapeutic window. This is the peak-and-valley effect, which can generate serious side effects in clinical patients as the drug concentration in the bloodstream can reach toxic levels shortly after administration and subsequently fall below the therapeutic level, making the therapy inefficient. Therefore there is urgent need of more efficient drug delivery strategies to treat resilient diseases and the raise of micro/nanotechnology have led to the development of more sophisticated drug-releasing implants with improved capabilities and performances for localised and controlled therapies. In the last years, implantable drug-releasing systems have emerged as an outstanding alternative to conventional clinical therapies. This technology can overcome the inherent problems of conventional implants and therapies, making clinical treatments more efficient with minimised side effects. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that this technology can improve the life of clinical patients and increase their life expectancy.

The main focus of this work is to summarise the different types/concepts of drug-releasing implants incorporating micro/nanomaterials and their capabilities, advantages and inherent limitations. Furthermore, we provide information about their clinical applications as well as their future challenges and perspectives.

References

1. M. Sinn Aw, M. Kurian D. Losic, Non-eroding drug-releasing implants with ordered nanoporous and nanotubular structures: Concepts for controlling drug release, Biomaterials Science (RSC), 2014, 9, 9243-9257

2. K. Gulati, M. Sinn Aw, D.M. Findlay, D. Losic, Local drug delivery in bone by drug releasing implants: perspectives of nano-engineereed titania nanotubes, Therapeutic Delivery, 2012, 3 (7) 857-873

3. D. Losic, S. Simovic, Self-ordered nanopore and nanotube platforms for drug delivery applications, Expert Opinion in Drug Delivery, 2009, 6, 1363-1380

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram summarising the most common micro/nanomaterials used to develop drug-releasing implants and the most characteristic clinical applications in which these medical devices are employed.


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18. Mechanical cell disruption of microalgae for the production of biofuels Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Andrew Lee (N212b).

Nature of project work: Literature review & laboratory work.

Area of project work: Processing

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Microalgal cell disruption energy requirements.


Brief description of project: Microalgae has the potential to be the feedstock for the production of biofuels, and cell disruption is an integral part of the downstream processes for the production of algal biodiesel. Mechanical disruptions are preferred due to the low risk of contamination. The majority of literatures on the topic of cell disruption concentrated on the disruption kinetics and efficiencies of the process but overlooked the energy requirements. For the biofuel production to be sustainable it is essential for the overall process to be energy positive and this project aims to optimise the disruption energy.

19. Microalgal culturing under Nitrogen deficit conditions and the effects on cell density and lipid profile Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Andrew Lee (N212b)

Nature of project work: Literature review & laboratory work

Area of project work: Biotechnology

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Production of microalgal as a feedstock for biofuels


Brief description of project: Microalgae has the potential to be the feedstock for the production of biofuels and it is important for the production process to have a positive energy balance. Life cycle analysis indicates that nutrient (nitrate) dosage is one of the major consumption of energy but current microalgal culture media such as f or BG11 are formulated for maximum cell growths. For the sustainable production of biofuels where the energy balance is an important consideration, the nitrate dosage needs to be optimised. This study involves the culturing of microalgae under different nutrient concentration and observes its effects on cell number and content to determine the optimum level.


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20. Ion channel stability in lipid bilayers Supervisor of project: Dr Milan Mijajlovic (N119).

Nature of project work: Molecular modelling of protein-lipid interactions.

Area of project work: Biotechnology.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of drugs acting on ion channels.

Number of students: Up to 2 students, each studying different lipids.

Brief description of project: Ion channels are complex proteins whose role is to provide a pathway for transfer of ions through hydrophobic interior of cellular membranes. They achieve this by forming a cylindrical structure whose interior is filled with water, while its outer wall is exposed to hydrocarbon chains of the lipid bilayer of the membrane. Molecular dynamics simulations are routinely used to study ion channels in order to better understand mechanisms of ion conductance through these structures and exploit them in pharmaceutical and other applications. While they provide an unprecedented insight into events on an atomic level, MD simulations of biological systems are computationally expensive, which often limits their usefulness. Due to prohibitively long time scales associated with movement of lipid molecules, mixtures of lipids in molecular simulations are usually replaced with systems consisting of a single type of lipid molecule. This simplification may, however, affect the stability of ion channels embedded in such membranes. The aim of this project is to assess an effect of a choice of lipid on the stability and conductive properties of an ion channel inside the lipid bilayer. This will be achieved by conducting molecular dynamics simulations of the ion channel in lipid membranes and monitoring the channel structural fluctuations as well as its conductance over time.

21. Molecular simulations of DNA translocation through functionalized graphene nanopores Supervisor of project: Dr Milan Mijajlovic (N119).

Nature of project work: Molecular modelling of DNA sequencing.

Area of project work: Bionanotechnology.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Fast and cheap DNA sequencing devices.

Number of students: Up to 2 students, each studying different pore functional groups.

Brief description of project: Despite the successful completion of the Human Genome Project more than ten years ago, DNA sequencing remains a challenging task in terms of cost and time scales involved. In order for the procedure to be routinely applied in diagnostics of genetic disorders, faster and cheaper approach to DNA sequencing is required. One such approach is based on DNA chain translocation through nanopores drilled through atomistically thin graphene sheets (e.g. Schneider et al., DNA translocation through graphene nanopores, Nano Letters, 2010, 10, 3163-3167). The technique applied there is based on measuring the electric current of ions through the nanopore and mapping dips in ionic conductance associated with simultaneous transit of nucleotides. One of the remaining obstacles to


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implementing this procedure in practice is a high speed of DNA translocation and inability to resolve translocation events of individual nucleotides. It was shown that attaching hydrogen atoms to C atoms of graphene nanopore edges can reduce DNA speed by up to 20% due to formation of weak hydrogen bonds between nanopore edges and nucleotides (He et al., Enhanced DNA sequencing performance through edge-hydrogenation of graphene electrodes, Advanced Functional Materials, 2011, 21, 2674-2679). The aim of this project is to further explore this effect by functionalizing graphene nanopore edges with OH- and SH-groups, which are expected to form stronger hydrogen-bonds with nucleotides and considerably reduce their translocation speeds. These studies will be conducted using molecular dynamics simulations of DNA translocation through a graphene nanopore and measuring individual nucleotide transit times, as well as their translocation free energy profiles and strengths of their interaction with graphene and functionalized graphene nanopore edges.

22. Techno-economic evaluation of solar hybridised gasification polygeneration plants

Supervisor(s) of project: Dr. Woei Saw (N123c), Dr. Philip van Eyk (N123c) and Prof. Peter Ashman (N122).

Nature of project work: Literature review, modelling and techno-economic study.

Area of project work: Process design and hybridisation.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Process modelling and optimisation

Number of students: Up to six (6) students, each focussing on a different process.

Brief description of project:

The concept of solar hybridised polygeneration is to produce heat, electricity, and transportation liquid fuels (or chemical feedstocks) from product gas obtained from carbonaceous feedstock gasification with the integration of concentrated solar thermal power (CSP). In comparison with conventional gasification systems, the proposed solar hybrid gasification system increases the product gas production rate by ~25%, depending on the configuration, while also achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions by ~23% for coal as the feedstock [1]. This is due to the fact that the heat required to meet the endothermic gasification reactions is supplied by CSP when the sun is available, rather than due to the partial combustion of the carbonaceous feedstock that is typical of conventional gasification. To date, the dynamic process modelling and the economic analysis of such hybrid system is limited.

The objectives of this project are therefore: 1) to identify promising processes for the production of liquid transport fuels and/or chemical feedstocks using solar hybridised gasification of carbonaceous feedstocks by conducting a review of the literature; 2) to perform modelling of these processes using standard simulation package (e.g. AspenPlus); 3) to assess the technical and economic feasibility of these processes with a view to provide a direct comparison of relative economic viability of the different processes.

[1] Kaniyal, K.A., van Eyk, P.J., Nathan, G.J., Ashman, P.J., Pincus, J.J. (2013). Polygeneration of liquid fuels and electricity by the atmospheric pressure hybrid solar gasification of coal, Energy & Fuels, 27(6), 3538-3555.

DNA translocation through a graphene nanopore (Sathe et al., ACS Nano, 2011,

5, 8842-8851)


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23. Therapeutic Bioproducts Produced by Plant Biotechnology Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Hu Zhang (N208).

Nature of project work: Literature Review; Data Analysis.

Area of project work: Biopharmaceutical Engineering

Potential long-term implications of line of research: This report will guide future R&D for plant biotechnology to produce therapeutic bioproducts.


Brief description of project: Plants have been served as a source for therapeutic bioproducts for many years. Biotechnology advances have injected new blood into this traditional biopharmaceutical source. Recombinant proteins, vaccines, as well as gene-modified metabolites have been produced from the plant tissues via plant tissue culture, plant cell culture, or traditional agriculture. In this project, cases for drugs from plant biotechnologies on the market, clinical trials stage 1-4, preclinical trials, and laboratory tests will be identified and analyzed. A comprehensive report will be generated to guide future R & D for plant biotechnology to produce therapeutics.

24. Bioreactor Design for Bioprocesing using Nanobiocataysts Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Hu Zhang (N208)

Nature of project work: Experimental design and implementation.

Area of project work: Nanobiocatalyst Bioreactor Design and Development

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Bioreactor prototype for large-scale production process.


Brief description of project: Nanobiocatalysts have attracted great attention for their wide applications in producing functional products. However, most of current research is focused on developing enzyme nanocarriers and there is little research on reactor design for long-term batch production process. In this project, a reactor will be designed and developed for accommodating nanobiocatalysts and this reactor will be tested for producing bioproducts for up to 100 runs.

25. Thermo-sensitive Nanocarrier for Drug Delivery Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Hu Zhang (N208) and A/Professor Sheng Dai.

Nature of project work: Experimental design and implementation.

Area of project work: Drug delivery

Potential long-term implications of line of research: New formulation of anticancer drugs


Brief description of project: New anti-cancer drugs are being developed due to advances in high-throughput screening, human genome decoding, as well as drug formulation techniques. These new drugs are, however, limited in the clinical applications due to their hydrophobic nature and strong side effects. Formulation of these drugs attracts great attention to achieve control release, target release, as well as reduction of toxicity for normal cells. Smart polymers responsive to external stimuli have been developed


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and applied for drug delivery. In this project, we will develop a thermo-sensitive nanocarrier based on chitosan and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) for drug release.

26. Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer using Nanofluids Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Hu Zhang (N208) and A/Professor Dzuy Nguyen

Nature of project work: Mathematical modelling.

Area of project work: Computational Fluid Flow

Potential long-term implications of line of research: chemical processing.

Number of students: 1 student*

* Project provisionally reserved for a student nominated by Dr Zhang

Brief description of project: Nanofluids have been demonstrated to enhance heat transfer, however, the mechanisms of enhancement still remains unclear. In this project, numerical simulation will be used to study the heat transfer performance with nanofluids, considering different nanoparticles, concentration, and geometry. The nanoparticle Brownian movement and thermodynamic properties will be incorporated into the computational fluid dynamics model.

27. Lattice Boltzmann Method for Two-Fluid Flow in Porous Media Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Hu Zhang (N208) and Ed Green (Mathematical Science).

Nature of project work: Mathematical modelling.

Area of project work: Computational Fluid Flow

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Mineral, chemical and pharmaceutical processing.

Number of students: 1 student with MATLAB skills.

Brief description of project: Numerical simulation and modelling of immiscible multiphase flow in porous media have gained wide attention in the past decades because of its wide applications in mineral, chemical and pharmaceutical engineering. Lattice Boltzmann method has been recently developed and it has been attractive because of its microscopic model and mesoscopic kinetic equations. This method is particularly interesting for a large topology change occurring around the interface during the fluid flow. Matlab code of Lattice Boltzmann method for 2-D single phase flow has been developed. In this project, this code will be extended to 2-D two-fluid flow in the porous media. Understanding and development of Matlab code are essential for this project.


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28. Polymer-Surfactant Interactions in Mineral Flotation Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai (N212a) and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (A/Prof David Beattie and Dr. Marta Krasowska)

Nature of project work: Experimental, with data analysis requiring familiarity with relevant physical models. Literature work will also be required. Experiments will involve polymer and surfactant adsorption studies on solid substrates and liquid surfaces. Also, studies of bubble collisions with solid surfaces will be performed. Experimental work to be conducted at IWRI (i.e., must have your own transport)

Area of project work: adsorption, surface characterisation, dynamic dewetting

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Mineral flotation is the most important industrial process for the separation and concentration of valuable metal sulfide minerals. The study of reagents used in flotation on a fundamental level (i.e. the level needed to develop a physicochemical understanding of this engineering process) is often restricted to optimising one reagent at a time. This approach neglects antagonistic and synergistic effects that will control flotation outcomes. Novel reagent strategies that will underpin the processing strategies of complex and low value ore bodies cannot be effectively developed without a more complex approach.

Number of student: 1*

* This project is provisionally reserved for Jueying Wu

Brief description of project: Carbonaceous material can cause significant problems in the recovery of valuable sulfide minerals. Such material can coat unwanted minerals (such as silica or pyrite) with a hydrophobic surface layer, which will cause the minerals to be recovered along with the valuable material in the flotation process. Polymers are often used to adsorb onto this carbonaceous layer and lower the hydrophobicity, thus preventing bubble-particle attachment in the flotation cell, and reducing the recovery of the unwanted mineral. However, many surfactants used in flotation (to stabilise bubbles) are also likely to adsorb onto the carbonaceous layer, and this may prevent the polymers from performing their task (or enhance their action). There is very little literature on this potential antagonistic (or potentially synergistic) effect.

The student chosen for this project will perform studies of polymer and surfactant co-adsorption onto the surface of graphite (representative of graphitic carbonaceous material) and alkanethiol-coated gold (representative of non-graphitic carbonaceous material). The techniques to be used will be quartz crystal microbalance and ellipsometry. These techniques will quantify the adsorbed material in terms of adsorbed amount, thickness, and rigidity (Sedeva et al, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2010, vol. 345, pp417-426). Studies of surface tension for bubbles will also be performed to study co-adsorption phenomena at the liquid-air interface. The effect of co-adsorption phenomena on bubble-particle attachment will be studied by using single bubble collisions against planar carbonaceous surfaces (monitored using high speed video capture), which will reveal the kinetics of thin film rupture and bubble spreading that control the recovery of minerals in flotation (e.g. Beaussart et al, Langmuir, 2009, vol. 25, pp13290-13294).


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29. A Device for Applying Heat Stress to Wheat in the Field

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai (N212a), Dr Nick Collins (ACPFG, Waite Campus) and other supervisors from Phenomics and Bioinformatics Research Centre, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor and Prof. Stan Miklavcic)

Nature of project work: Experimental work to be conducted at PBRC and the Waite Campus (i.e. must have your own transport)

Area of project work: Process design and thermodynamics applied to agriculture

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of heat resistant crops

Number of students: 1 student

Brief description of project: Agriculture plays a significant role in Australia’s economy. Heat stress is major issue for wheat growers in Australia that leads to reduced harvest yields and profits. Considerable effort has been directed toward developing wheat varieties that have improved heat tolerance at the ACPFG hosted at Adelaide University’s Waite Campus. However, the current experimental strategies for comparing the crop’s response to different environmental conditions are limited by seasonal conditions. In particular, crop samples are often planted at different times of the year to simulate the stressed and unstressed environments (e.g. plants would be sown closer to the hotter months to impose heat stress while the control would be sown earlier when the climate is much cooler). A problem with this strategy is that other conditions besides average temperature differ between the two samples, e.g. rainfall, daylength and humidity. Patterns of short-term weather fluctuations also differ, which can have a significant impact on expression of heat responses that are specific to a developmental-stage. It would be much better to sow both samples at the same time, and apply a short burst of heat stress artificially at a particular developmental stage. A chemical engineering solution may potentially solve this problem! We propose to design a heat exchanger system that can be located within a wheat crop to artificially modify the local environment to simulate heat stress. The equipment needs to be inexpensive, simple to implement and compatible with the footprint of the crop. The project would involve literature review, design of a suitable piece of equipment and if time permits commissioning of the equipment.

30. Hybrid Coating using Ionic Liquid

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai (N212a) and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Prof Namita Choudhury ([email protected]) and Prof Naba Dutta ([email protected]))

Nature of project work: Experimental work to be conducted at IWRI (i.e. must have your own transport)

Area of project work: adsorption, surface characterisation. Potential long-term implications of line of research: Novel products

Number of student: 1


With a view to achieve barrier characteristics of a protective coating, in this investigation, we aim to explore novel environment-friendly polymeric hybrid coatings using ionic liquid based active component in microencapsulates. The task of developing ‘green’ and ‘smart’ additive releasable coatings has the


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potential to advance a new generation of polymeric coating materials with enhanced corrosion inhibition, controlled encapsulation delivery and room- temperature and/or multi self-healing cycles. The design and development strategies will involve use of ionic liquid to increase the functionality where both the cation and anion can adopt an inhibitive role; controlled delivery of healing agent to failures in response to local environmental changes (temperature, salts, irradiation, pH or light); versatile coating material preparation method and simultaneous maintenance of high recovery efficiency and good self- healing reaction conditions, e.g. room temperature.

The student will gain knowledge in polymer based smart coating and state of the art characterisation techniques.

References:

1. Samadzadeh, M., et al., A review on self-healing coatings based on micro/nanocapsules. Progress in Organic Coatings, 2010. 68(3): p. 159-164. 2. Shchukin, D. G.; Mohwald, H. Chem Commun 2011, 47, (31), 8730-8739. 3. White, S. R.; Sottos, N. R.; Geubelle, P. H.; Moore, J. S.; Kessler, M. R.; Sriram, S. R.; Brown, E. N.; Viswanathan, S. Nature 2001, 409, (6822), 794-797. 4. Chen, X. X.; Dam, M. A.; Ono, K.; Mal, A.; Shen, H. B.; Nutt, S. R.; Sheran, K.; Wudl, F. Science 2002, 295, (5560), 1698-1702.

31. Electrospun Hybrid for Energy and Biomedical Applications Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Prof Naba Dutta ([email protected]) and Prof Namita Choudhury ([email protected]))

Nature of project work: Experimental work to be conducted at IWRI (i.e. student must have own transport)

Area of project work: Polymer Science & Engineering Potential long-term implications of line of research: Novel products



The project aims to develop and characterise electrospun hybrid materials for diverse range of applications such as energy and biomedical. The major focus is to develop nanoscale hybrid structure involving inorganic nanoparticles and functional polymer. The hybrid self- assembled structures is expected to have unique electronic and surface properties, which have significant potential impact on emerging fields.

Electrospinning will be used to create highly porous structure consisting of polymer nanofibers for various applications ranging from membrane for energy storage and scaffolds for biomedical applications. Such nanoporous fibers possess very high porosity and excellent inter-connectivity, making them ideally suited for membrane. In this work, we plan to use electrospinning in the fabrication of hybrid nanofibres that can be used as scaffold. The project also involves characterisation of the hybrid using techniques such as electrochemical, surface spectroscopy and thermal analysis in order to assess their suitability for the above applications. In depth understanding of the interdependence of the functional properties on the type of the nanoparticles, its size, size distribution, morphology and its interaction with the polymer will be developed.

References:

1. Langer R, Tirrell DA, Nature 2004, 428:487-492.


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2. Sun Z et.al Advanced Material, 2003, 15: 1929-1932 3. Peng, X et al, Chemical Science, 2012, 3:1262-1272 4. Choudhury N. R. et al, Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering, 2010,103:297-298

32. Corrosion of superhydrophobic surfaces Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor ([email protected]) and A/Prof. Rossen Sedev)

Nature of project work: Experimental work to be conducted at IWRI (i.e. student must have own transport)

Area of project work: Corrosion Engineering, Colloid & Interface Science, Chemistry/ Electrochemistry and nanotechnology

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Novel products


Brief description of project: Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) are created when surface texture (1 µm or less) is introduced on a hydrophobic surface. Air pockets are trapped between the liquid and the solid surface and on SHS drops do not adhere strongly and roll off easily. There is currently a great deal of interest in the technological applications of SHS ranging from self-cleaning windscreens and underwater devices through to microfluidic chips. One potential application of SHS is in corrosion protection. The premise being, if the liquid does not contact most of the surface then corrosion will be much less. In this project metal surfaces will be modified to be superhydrophobic and their corrosion resistance will be investigated.

33. Corrosion under liquid droplets Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor ([email protected]) and A/Prof Rossen Sedev)


Area of project work: Corrosion Engineering, Colloid & Interface science, Chemistry & Electrochemistry

Potential long-term implications of line of research: New technology


Brief description of project: Often liquids form discrete droplets on solid surfaces rather than a continuous film (e.g. salt spray from sea water, fugitive emissions from chemical process plants and drop condensation on aircraft frames during flight). In these instances corrosion due to the droplet is localised and often complicated by

Effect of a monolayer thiol coating on a roughened brass surface. LHS hydrophilic; RHS super hydrophobic.

(A. Hurkmans, 4th Year Thesis 2013)

Spreading of a sulphuric acid droplet on a mild steel surface over 22 min. (L. W. Ng. et al 2012)

(a) (b) (c)

(f) (d) (e)


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factors such as evaporation and how well the droplet wets the surface. We are interested in the relationship between the corrosion of the surface and droplet spreading on the surface. The droplet behaviour is complex and often leads to unusual effects such as secondary spreading and a variety of deposition patterns. In this project we will explore the corrosion of steel under a corrosive liquid droplet. The aim is gain new understanding that will inform new anti-corrosion strategies.

Reference:

L. W. Ng, C. Fung, J. N. Connor, Y. Ngothai, D. Druskovich & R. Sedev, Reactive Wetting in Corrosion: A Mild Steel Example in Proceedings of Corrosion and Prevention 2012, Melbourne, Australia. Australasian Corrosion Association. Paper 073.

34. Tribology in industrially relevant environments Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor ([email protected]) and A/Prof Rossen Sedev)


Area of project work: Rheology, Tribology and Corrosion Engineering.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: New technology

Number of students: up to 2 students with one working on tribology of emulsions and the other on tribocorrosion.

Brief description of project: Tribology is the study of friction and wear. It usually refers to the interactions between solid surfaces that may or may not have a lubricant present but is also relevant to erosion of surfaces in pipe flow. The pin on disk tribometer is commonly used to investigate friction and wear by running a pin pressed against a circular disk under a constant load and rotation rate. Sensors detect the friction force and the wear scar is studied using microscopy.

We have two projects on offer related to tribology of industrially relevant conditions.

1. Tribology of emulsions

Emulsions are often used as lubricants. High-speed machining would not be possible without the use of “metalworking fluids” which are typically oil-in-water emulsions. Drilling fluids based on emulsions play a key role in deep drilling for oil and gas recovery. It is generally understood that the oil provides the lubrication while the aqueous phase acts as a coolant. Rheological measurements with emulsions have shown that emulsion structure and stability can change in confined spaces and this affects their lubrication behaviour. We will explore the effectiveness of emulsion-based lubricants as a function of the oil volume fraction and the type of stabilisation (with surfactants, or nano-particles, or both). The friction coefficient between lubricated metal surfaces will be measured with a pin-on-disk apparatus. The structure of the emulsions will be characterised with optical and confocal microscopy.

2. Tribo-corrosion in aqueous environments

Machinery in process plants, such as pumps, often operate in highly corrosive environments (like leach circuits) of high salt concentration, pH and temperature. The combination of friction and corrosion can

Pin on disk tribometer (LHS) testing an oil-in-water emulsion (RHS). (A. Verma, IWRI Vacation Student Project Report 2012)


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result in accelerated wear of this equipment. In this project we will monitor electrochemical processes taking place as a metal surface is worn in a pin-on-disk tribometer. The wear will be characterised by optical and electron microscopy. The aim is to understand better the link between corrosion, friction and wear.

35. Dynamic surface tension and frother efficiency in flotation Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI , University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor ([email protected]) and A/Prof. Rossen Sedev)


Area of project work: Minerals Processing, Colloid & Interface science, Physical Chemistry

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improvements in minerals processing technology


Brief description of project: Frothers are often added to flotation cells to stabilise the froth during mineral flotation. In some cases the frother is not effective in providing a stable froth and the efficiencies of the flotation process is compromised. On the other hand, a froth that is too stable can lead to downstream issues due to over frothing such as pump cavitation. The problem is often exacerbated because process water containing residual frother is recirculated. The effectiveness of the frother depends not only on the frother chemistry but also the physical and chemical characteristics of the particles involved. Since the formation and collapse of froth is a dynamic process the dynamic surface tension provides relevant information that can be related to froth stability. In this project dynamic surface tension will be correlated to froth stability. The insight in the mechanisms of frothing will be highly relevant to the minerals industry.

36. Thin film drainage of water in oil in relation to CRUD formation in solvent extraction processes Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Yung Ngothai and other supervisors from IWRI , University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes (Dr Jason Connor ([email protected]) and A/Prof. Rossen Sedev)


Area of project work: Minerals Processing, Colloid & Interface science, Physical Chemistry

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improvements in minerals processing technology


Brief description of project: Solvent extraction is a key step in the recovery of many important metals (e.g. U, Ni and Cu). Extraction is achieved by contacting aqueous pregnant liquor with an organic solvent in mixer settlers. When an appropriate solvent is used the metal species transfer from the aqueous to the solvent phase. Since the two phases are immiscible the loaded

Draining aqueous film stabilised by surfactant.

(J. Russell, 4th Year Thesis 2013)

The overflowing cylinder apparatus used to measure dynamic surface tension.

(M G b 4th Y Th i 2011)


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solvent and the aqueous raffinate separate into two distinct liquid layers. However during the phase separation process a stable intermediate layer (known as CRUD) can form. The CRUD prevents the phases from completely separating and leads to plant downtime and reduced recovery of the value species. CRUD is a kinetically stable emulsion of solvent (oil) and water. Stabilisation may result from organic material within the liquor or particles collecting at the oil/water interface. In this project we will use a model oil/water system to study how water-in-oil and also oil-in-water films are stabilised by the presence of particles and surfactants. The experiment will monitor the film thickness as a function of time under different conditions.

37. Nanoparticle Hybridized Thin Film Composite RO Membrane for Desalination

Supervisor(s) of project: Associate Prof Bo Jin (N116), Associate Prof Sheng Dai


Area of project work: nanotechnology and water treatment

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Reverse osmosis membrane for desalination.

Length of project: 1 and 2 semester (lab work in the second semester)


Brief description of project: Desalination of seawater has been recognized as an important and sustainable practice to produce fresh water in many drought regions over the world, including Australia. Nowadays, reverse osmosis (RO) by polymeric membranes is considered as the simplest and most efficient technology for seawater desalination. However, the high energy and capital costs due to the low permeability and fouling associated with RO membrane (ROM) performance have been a challenge for its industrial application.

Our aim of this project is to develop a novel nanoparticle hybridized thin film composite reverse osmosis membrane (NHTFC-ROM) and its module for seawater desalination. It is expected that the NHTFC-ROM is capable to enhance the permeability and the fouling resistance without sacrificing salt and contaminant rejection efficiency. Such performance directly impacts desalination key cost drivers - energy consumption and capital expenditures. The TFC-RO fabricated membrane will be incorporated with chemically modified porous hydrophilic core-shell nanoparticles which have reactive end capping groups (eg. NH2). The membrane is expected to have improved permeability, salt rejection and antifouling property.

The specific objectives of this project are to fabricate and characterise the NHTFC-ROM.

38. Biotechnological Hydrogen Production from Industrial Wastewater

Supervisor(s) of project: Associate Prof Bo Jin (N116)

Nature of project work: Experimental

Area of project work: Biotechnology process

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Biological Hydrogen Production.

Length of project: 1 and 2 semesters (lab work in the second semester)


Brief description of project: H2 is an attractive future energy carrier, which offers several technical, economic and environmental benefits. H2 has the highest energy density of the known fuels, and produces


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water as the sole by-product of combustion. H2 is now universally recognised as an environmentally friendly, renewable energy resource and an ideal alternative to fossil fuels. Most of the hydrogen now produced globally is by the process of water electrolysis and steam reforming, or as by-product of petroleum refining and chemical production. These processes are, however, highly energy intensive and not always environmentally benign. Biological H2 production offers the possibility of generating H2 that is renewable and carbon neutral. H2 can be produced by three biological processes: fermentation, photosynthesis and microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) from renewable biomass.

The microbial electrolysis cell provides a viable technology to produce hydrogen from renewable biomass. Although previous studies showed that the hydrogen was produced at high yield and efficiency from organic matters, the hydrogen evolution reaction is not spontaneous and needs an external power supply in the MEC system. The MECs performance is also affected by the construction of reactor, microbial community, properties of electrodes; the process needs to be optimized, like reducing methane gas formation in the chamber, enhancing the efficiency of converting the organic acids into current, and improving the hydrogen recovery at the cathode. The aim of this research is to develop a MEC reactor system for H2 production from industrial wastewater. The research will mainly focus on the design of MECs, materials of anodes and cathodes along with cost-effective catalysts, their corresponding effects on the performance of hydrogen energy recovery, and carbon source accessibility.

The outcomes of the research will promote the development of a viable and cost-effective technology for H2 production using sucrose. It is expected that over 90% H2 yield and 95% COD removal could be achieved by the novel hybrid process.

39. Development of On-line Water Quality Optimisation Tools for Water Quality Monitoring and Treatment Process Optimisation

Supervisor(s) of project: Associate Prof Bo Jin (N116), Associate Prof Chris Chow and Associate Prof Mary Drikas, Australian Water Quality Centre (SA Water)

Nature of project work: Experiment and data analysis into SA Water’s current treatment process.

Area of project work: Water and wastewater treatment

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Management of water and wastewater treatment.

Length of project: 1 and 2 semesters



Climate change and extended drought periods in recent years have had negative impact on water quality across Australia and particularly in South Australia. Drier conditions have resulted in reduction of fresh inflows into rivers, dams and reservoirs and available water resources in southern regions of the continent. The reduced inflows have also impacted on water quality and subsequently on treatment processes used in the supply of potable water. The drier conditions and changes in water quality have led to an increase in algal bloom events, as a result of lower flows and higher nutrient levels in the water. The presence of algal cells and their metabolites can have major impact on water quality and consequently requires substantial changes in treatment processes. This variation in water quality is expected to continue with the drought situation worsening and may differ in quality to that previously experienced. This can impact on plant performance and coagulant dose often needs to be adjusted. Various on-line monitoring / optimisation tools have been applied for control of coagulant dosing. This project is about developing strategy to apply on-line optimisation techniques to improve water treatment process performance.


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This project will be based at the Australian Water Quality Centre (AWQC), SA Water in Adelaide city. This project will benefit the students by providing opportunities to work on an industry project in an industry environment and develop skill and knowledge for better understanding of monitoring and management of water and wastewater treatment processes. This project need two students and will be carried out in AWQC, SA Water in Adelaide. The students will work closely with researchers in AWQC.

References 1. Chow, C.W.K. (2004) Water Analysis: Potable Water, Encyclopaedia of Analytical Science. 2nd Edition, (Paul

J. Worsfold, Alan Townshend and Colin F. Poole, eds.), Elsevier, Oxford, Vol. 9, pp. 253-262. 2. Chow, C.W.K., van Leeuwen, J.A., Fabris, R. and Drikas, M. (2009) Optimised Coagulation Using Aluminium

Sulfate for the Removal of Dissolved Organic Carbon, Desalination, 245 120-134. 3. Chow, C., Dexter, R., Sutherland-Stacey, L., Fitzgerald, F., Fabris, R., Drikas, M., Holmes, M., Kaeding, U.

(2007) Multi-wavelength UV/Vis Spectrometry in Drinking Water Quality Management, AWA Water Journal 34(4) 63-66, Refereed Paper.

40. Porous metal oxide nanoarrays for efficient oxygen evolution Supervisor of project: Prof. Shi Zhang Qiao (N219), Dr. Tianyi Ma

Nature of project work: Nanomaterial synthesis and application

Area of project work: Nanotechnology

Potential long-term implications of line of research: fuel cells and metal-air batteries.


Brief description of project: Among all the electrochemical processes, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is coupled with a number of key renewable energy systems including direct solar and electrolytic water splitting, rechargeable metal-air batteries and regenerative fuel cells. Prof. Qiao and co-workers have developed a series of high-performance OER catalysts (see Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 13567; ACS Nano 2013, 7, 10190), and found the great importance of electrode structure (e.g. Ni foam, free-standing film) and interactions between active species and electrodes on determining the OER performance. Recently, well-aligned metal oxide nanoarrays with the active components directly grown on current collectors (Cu, Ti, Au foils) have demonstrated their intrinsic advantages such as good electrical conductivity, low diffusion resistance to ionic species, and easy electrolyte penetration in comparison to the conventional powder-form samples (see Yeo et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 5587). The aim of this project is to rationally design highly porous metal oxide nanoarrays for efficiently catalyzing OER process (see the figure). The objectives are: (1) controllably synthesizing nanoarrays composed of various redox-active transition-metal oxides, which are directly grown on metal foils, and (2) investigating the effects of porosity, nanoarray morphology and substrate on the OER activity.

41. Non-metallic heteroatoms engineered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for high-performance electrocatalysis Supervisor(s) of project: Prof. Shizhang Qiao (N219), Mr Yao Zheng

Nature of project work: Synthesis of nanomaterials


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Area of project work: Chemistry and Nanotechnology

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Efficient electrocatalysts


Brief description of project: Heteroatom doping into a periodical molecular framework is an important method to engineer pristine molecule’s electronic structure and promot catalytic activity. Our preliminary work found that the electro-reactivity of a two dimensional network molecular, e.g. graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), is intrinsically controlled by its electronic structures (see Y. Zheng and S. Z. Qiao, et. al., Energy Environ. Sci., 2012, 5, 6717-6731). However, the effect of heteroatoms with different electro-negativities on the electronic structures of g-C3N4 have not been explored before. In this project, g-C3N4 doped with some non-metal elements (B, S, P, F, I and O etc., see the figure) will be synthesized and characterized by chemical methods and nanotechnology. The resulted materials will be applied to catalyse some important electrocatalysis processes in energy conversion devices such as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water splitting cells. The results acquired may shed light on doping strategies for designing cost effective and highly efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for some key energy conversion reactions. The objectives are: (1) Synthesising the doped g-C3N4 with different heteroatoms and doping sites (see the figure). (2) Investigating the effect of the heteroatom dopants on the electrocatalytic activity.

42. Three-dimensional graphene-based catalysts for Water Splitting Supervisor(s) of project(s): Prof. Shi Zhang Qiao (N219), Dr Sheng Chen.

Nature of project work: Nanomaterials synthesis.

Area of project work: Chemistry & nanotechnology.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: A micro energy generator.

Number of students: Up to 2.


Conversion of electricity captured from the sustainable but intermittent energy sources (e.g., wind and sunlight) into H2 fuel by the electrochemical splitting of water is considered one of the holy grails of chemistry. Recently, Qiao and co-workers have developed a series of three-dimensional graphene materials for electrolytic water splitting with promising catalytic activities and stabilities. (see S. Chen and S. Z. Qiao, et. al, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2013, 13567-13570; S. Chen and S. Z. Qiao, et. al, Advanced Materials 2014, in press: DOI: 10.1002/adma.201305608). On the basis of these preliminary works, this project is to develop three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels for highly efficient water splittting. The objectives are: (1) controllably synthesizing graphene hydrogels; (2) introducing nitrogen doping sites onto graphene sheet, and (3) investigating the affects of morphology and doping sites toward the performance of water splitting.


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43. Optical diagnostics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot at low-pressure flames

Supervisor(s) of project: A/ Prof. Zeyad Alwahabi

Nature of project work: Literature Research

Area of project work: Energy Technology/ Laser diagnostics

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of new molecular detection technology



The fast developments in the field of laser technology have a direct impact on many advances in experimental research. One of these areas of research is combustion engineering where non-intrusive laser based techniques are required to study the combustion phenomena without disturbing the flow.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons (AH) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) plays a key role in the formation of soot during combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. Soots particles are carcinogenic, which are present in the emission from different combustion devices.

The project aims to conduct full review of optical diagnostics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot at low-pressure flames.

44. Optical diagnostics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot particles


Nature of project work: Literature Research & modelling

Area of project work: Energy Technology/ Laser diagnostics


Number of students: 2 students


The fast developments in the field of laser technology have a direct impact on many advances in experimental research. One of these areas of research is combustion engineering where non-intrusive laser based techniques are required to study the combustion phenomena without disturbing the flow.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons (AH) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) play a key role in the formation of soot during the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. Soots particles are carcinogenic, which are present in the emission from different combustion devices. Once formed in the flame, they can radiate energy out of the flames and reduce the flame temperature.

The project aims to conduct full review of optical diagnostics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot particles in premixed flames. The review will be followed by a systematic modelling approach of real experimental soot volume fraction data obtained recently in our laboratories.


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45. Quantitative detection of metal present in solid samples using laser techniques


Nature of project work: Literature research & modeling

Area of project work: Laser diagnostics

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Development of new sensing technology



Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a versatile tool for elemental analysis, which offers many great practical applications. The technique may be used for real-time detection of multiple elements simultaneously. LIBS may be utilized to measure the composition of samples in any physical state, including particles and aerosols. It is a superior technique for stand-off detection in harsh environments such as blast furnaces, nuclear reactors, biohazardous areas, and in space including the planet Mars.

This project aims for a full literature review on the use of LIBS for the quantitative detection of metal. The review will be followed by a systematic modeling approach of real experimental data obtained recently in our laboratories.

46. Quantitative detection of elements in gas-phase using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof. Zeyad Alwahabi

Nature of project work: Literature research & modeling

Area of project work: Laser diagnostics




Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a versatile tool for elemental analysis, which offers many great practical applications. The technique may be used for real-time detection of multiple elements simultaneously. LIBS may be utilized to measure the composition of samples in any physical state, including particles and aerosols. It is a superior technique for stand-off detection in harsh environments such as blast furnaces, nuclear reactors, biohazardous areas, and in space including the planet Mars.


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This project aims for a full literature review on the use of LIBS for the quantitative detection of metal in high concentration samples. The review will be followed by a systematic modeling approach of real experimental data obtained recently in our laboratories.

47. Development of Multifunctional Graphene Nanosized Sheets for Biomedical Applications

Supervisor of Project: Dr Diana Tran

Nature of Project Work: Literature Search and experimental implementation

Area of Project Work: Nanomaterials, engineering, graphene, chemistry or biotechnology

Potential Long-Term Implications of Line of Research: Drug delivery and biomedical applications

Number of Students: 1*

* Project provisionally reserved for Hao Chi

Brief Description of Project: Graphene-based materials are set to revolutionize the 21st century for its wide practical uses due to its unique physical and chemical properties, such as, ultra-large surface area, excellent chemical stability, enormous mechanical strength, superb electrical and thermal conductivity. Future development of graphene-based nanocarriers is required for poorly water soluble drugs, especially for anti-cancer therapy where these materials have shown considerable potential. One of the advantages of graphene oxide (synthesized from graphite) is that it can be well dispersed in water and other physiological environments due to its abundant hydrophilic groups, such as hydroxyl, epoxide and carboxylic groups. Therefore, the graphene oxide nanosheets can be chemically functionalised with a variety of compounds to enhance the material’s properties as controlled drug release depends strongly on pH values. The aim of the proposed research project is to multi-functionalize graphene nanosheets suitable for poor water soluble drugs for selective-drug delivery systems using a green chemistry approach for the reduction of graphene oxide. This knowledge will help provide significant development in nanomedicine and allow insights to new nanocarriers for future applications. References: 1. Ruoff, R. (2008) Graphene: calling all chemists. Nat. Nanotechnol. 3, 10–11. 2. Yang, X., Wang, Y., Huang, X., Ma, Y., Huang, Y., Yang, R., Duan, H., and Chen, Y. (2011) Multi-functionalized

graphene oxide based anticancer drug-carrier with dual-targeting function and pH-sensivity, J. Mat. Chem. 21, 3448-3454. 3. Pan, Y., Sahoo, N. G., and Li, L. (2012) The application of graphene oxide in drug delivery. Expert Opin. Drug Deliv., 1-

12. 4. Liu, J., Cui, L., and Losic, D., (2013) Graphene and graphene oxide as new nanocarriers for drug delivery applications,

Acta Biomaterialia, 9, 9243-9257.

Drug

Antibody

Targeting probes

Graphene oxide


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48. Optimisation of winery refrigeration and heat transfer systems

Supervisor(s) of project: Dr Richard Muhlack [email protected] (School of Agriculture Food & Wine, Room 106b, Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory – Waite Campus)

Nature of project work: Desktop process analysis and optimisation plus site visits to Waite Campus winery as required (i.e. must have your own transport)

Area of project work: Heat transfer / design

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Analysis and recommendations from this project will be used to inform planning for a wider large scale review and potential upgrade/redevelopment of the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (the University of Adelaide’s teaching and research winery) located on the Waite Campus. Publication in an industry journal may also be possible depending on the project findings.


Brief description of project: The University of Adelaide’s Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (HRWSL) is located on the Waite Campus and houses state of the art fermentation and wine making equipment for producing high quality small- and pilot-scale wines for teaching, research and commercial projects. Research conducted at the facility ranges from the use of new hybrid and non-hybrid yeasts, different strains of malolactic acid bacteria, enzymes used for increasing colour extraction, juice clarification and settling, and accelerated yeast autolysis, to the performance of different closures for wine ageing and development.

This project will involve an analysis of winery unit operations, batch sizes and process scheduling to determine refrigeration, temperature regulation and heat transfer requirements. A review of existing refrigeration and heat exchange equipment will be conducted to determine opportunities to optimise process efficiency, including recommendations for upgrade of plant and equipment to improve refrigeration and heat exchange performance.

49. Optimisation of winery waste treatment systems


Nature of project work: Desktop process analysis and optimisation plus site visits to Waite Campus winery as required (i.e. must have your own transport)

Area of project work: Environmental, Cleaner Production

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Further expansion of production capacity at the University of Adelaide’s teaching and research winery – the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (HRWSL) located on the Waite Campus – is (in part) limited by the waste treatment systems currently in place on site. Analysis and recommendations from this project will be used to inform planning for a wider large scale review and potential future upgrade and redevelopment of the HRWSL and associated campus infrastructure. Publication in an industry journal may also be possible depending on the project findings.


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Brief description of project: This project will involve an analysis of winery unit operations, batch sizes and process scheduling to identify solid and liquid waste streams at The University of Adelaide winery - the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (HRWSL) - located on the Waite Campus. A review of existing waste treatment systems and process equipment will be conducted to determine opportunities for wastewater reuse and optimisation of process costs and efficiency, including recommendations for upgrade of plant and equipment.

50. Bioenergy options to support small-scale winemaking


Nature of project work: Desktop feasibility study plus site visits to Waite Campus winery as required (i.e. must have own transport)

Area of project work: Renewable Energy, Environmental, Cleaner Production

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Analysis and recommendations from this project will be used to inform planning for a wider large scale review and potential future upgrade and redevelopment of the University of Adelaide’s Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (HRWSL) and associated process infrastructure. Publication in an industry journal may also be possible depending on the project findings.


Brief description of project: The Australian wine sector generates substantial quantities of biomass, such as grape marc and stalks, yeast lees and wastewater sludge. Instead of being seen as waste products, these materials could be utilised for a range of energy uses that would create additional value.

Previous studies at The University of Adelaide and affiliate organisations such as the Australian Wine Research Institute have investigated the application of bioenergy technology to wine production (van Eyk et al (2009), Muhlack (2013)). However whilst already established in other rural industries in Australia, the wine industry has largely overlooked this opportunity as there are no small- or pilot-scale wine specific facilities to demonstrate the technology benefits.

This project will explore the feasibility of developing a bioenergy demonstration facility at the University of Adelaide Winery (The Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory) located on the Waite Campus. This project will involve an analysis of winery unit operations, batch sizes and process scheduling at the HRWSL to identify process energy requirements as well as biomass waste streams. A review of available bioenergy process options will then be conducted to identify process technology options best suited to the Waite site.


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References: van Eyk, P.J., Muhlack, R.A., Ashman, P.J. (2009) Gasification of Grape Marc in a Circulating Fluidised Bed. Proceedings of the Australian Combustion Symposium, Brisbane, Australia. Muhlack, R. (2013) It’s time to power up, Wine Business Monthly (WBM), Issue (August), pg 39-41 51. Study of graphene binding peptides for applications in energy and biotechnology

Supervisor(s) of project: Prof. Patrick Johnson (University of Wyoming, USA, visiting professor) and Prof. Mark J. Biggs (N119)

Nature of project work: Experimental and molecular modelling.

Area of project work: Bionanotechnology

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Energy storage, biosensors, nanodevices, solar cells.

Number of students: 4. Students can work on either experimental approaches or molecular modelling of peptide - surface interactions (ideally 2 modelling / 2 experimental).

Brief description of project: Graphene is a single atomic layer of graphite that was only recently isolated in 2004. This new nanostructured material has remarkable properties that are just beginning to be explored. It has a high strength to mass ratio as well as outstanding electrical and heat conduction properties. Potential applications are wide ranging, including biosensors, energy storage and solar cells.

The objectives of the project are to understand the interaction of unique peptides that specifically bind to graphene surfaces. Sophisticated techniques will be employed to evaluate how the peptides adsorb to graphene and to discern their conformations under various conditions. Potential experimental techniques include QCM-D (Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation) and SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance), while molecular modelling studies will utilize classical molecular dynamics as implemented in the code NAMD. Each project will focus on a different system (e.g. different peptide; different conditions; different levels of graphene oxide reduction).


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52. Waterproofing Australia

Supervisor(s) of project: Associate Professor Brian O’Neill (N114)

Nature of project work: modelling/design

Area of project work: sustainability

Potential long-term implications of line of research: ensuring that water is readily available and economically priced for Australia’s growing population and industries. The challenge is to do so in a sustainable manner.

Length of project: 1 semester.


Brief description of project: The catchments of northern Australia generate approximately 60% of Australia’s surface runoff, yet most rivers in the region remain undeveloped (e.g. Ord River). This lack of water harvest in the North is largely because settlement and intensive land use since Europeans arrived in 1788 have been focused on the so-called ‘well-watered’ more familiar temperate climes of southern Australia. Recently, there has been renewed interest in developing the water resources of northern Australia fuelled partly by widespread perceptions of abundant water resources in that region and partly by droughts and declining rainfall trends in southern Australia.

There is also now general recognition that in some catchments in southern Australia, water is over-allocated. A variety of schemes have been proposed including the construction of pipelines from the Ord River to Perth, transport of water by ship from north to south. This study would look at the design and costing of such schemes to determine how economically feasible these proposals are.

However, proposals to utilise water from rivers of northern Australia are highly contentious. These rivers have iconic status to many Australians and hold cultural value to indigenous populations. They also support fisheries that have considerable commercial, recreational and cultural value. Hence the project will need to consider such sustainability issues in an attempt to optimize and evaluate such proposals.

53. Optimization of MPC (Model Predictive Control) for complex non-linear systems

Supervisor(s) of project: Associate Professor Brian O’Neill (N114)

Nature of project work: modelling - focussed on the development of MPC for complex highly non-linear systems (e.g. exothermic reactor & fermenter). Comparison of performance when compared to classical PID tuning.

Area of project work: advanced control

Potential long-term implications of line of research: allow students to study the effects and advantages of advance control algorithms whilst avoiding tedious mathematics.

Length of project: 1 semester.


Brief description of project: Model predictive control (MPC) refers to a family of control algorithms that employ an explicit model to predict the future behaviour of the process over an extended prediction horizon. These algorithms are formulated as a performance objective function, which is defined as a combination of set point tracking performance and control effort. This objective function is minimized by computing a profile of controller output moves over a control horizon. The first controller output move


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is implemented, and then the entire procedure is repeated at the next sampling instance. Dynamic Matrix Control is the most widely used MPC control algorithm in the process industries.

A suite of simple transient systems (e.g. gravity drained tank, FOPDT model & complex exothermic reactor) will be developed then controlled by MPC. These will be used to illustrate the advantages & difficulties inherent in the development & application of such controllers and how they perform relative to classical controller design (PID).

54. Modelling the Sterilization of Wine Barrels Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Brian O’Neill (N114).

Nature of project work: Heat transfer; Finite Element Modelling

Area of project work: Wine Processing.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improved use of barrels in the wine industry; improved product quality.


Brief description of project: The objective of this project is to construct a mathematical model which describes temperature profiles along the cross sectional length or thickness of wine barrels as a function of time during the wine barrel sterilisation process. During the winemaking process, many types of wine undergo secondary fermentation in barrels, also known as the ageing process. Prior to filling the oak barrels with wine to be aged, it is necessary that the barrels are thoroughly cleaned and sterilised under proper conditions to minimise the risk of contamination and thus, maintain wine quality. Yeast such as Brettanomyces (Dekkera) which can be found in used wine barrels will spoil the wine during the ageing process, leading to wine fault or taint. Mathematical models for wine barrel heat transfer during sterilisation are to be constructed and solved by finite difference and finite element solution strategies. The ultimate goal is to determine an optimal time for sterilization of a typical wine barrel. This will also require modelling of the death kinetics of the spoilage micro-organisms. In this project ANSYS simulation software will be used to model temperature profiles & death kinetics.

55. Implementing an Inverse-Model Based Strategy for an Exothermic Reactor using Neural Nets.

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Brian O’Neill (N114)

Nature of project work: Controller synthesis, simulation and modelling, optimization

Area of project work: Process Control

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improved control of strongly non-linear, open loop unstable processes.


Brief description of project: The use of control strategies based on inverse process models has been shown to be highly promising. This project will focus on the development of such a controller for a highly non-linear exothermic CSTR. Comparison of the performance of the controller will be compared to conventional control algorithms. In this study, simulations will be developed using Matlab, its associated tool SIMULINK and the Neural Net Toolbox. As part of the study, different Artificial Neural Networks will be designed and trained to play the role of the inverse heat transfer model.


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56. Shipping Container Insulation that forms in place via a chemical reaction

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Brian O’Neill (N114), Dr. Simon Nordestgaard AWRI

Nature of project work: Heat transfer, polymers, insulation

Area of project work: Wine Processing

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improved temperature control for wine storage.


Brief description of project: Flexi-tanks are a collapsible polyethylene bags that convert a 20 ft dry shipping container into a 24,000 L liquid tank. They are a widely used alternative to ‘ISO tank’ liquid shipping containers that are usually in short supply in Australia. Unlike ISO tanks, flexi-tanks are not typically insulated. Simple radiant barrier insulation (often used in shipping containers for other products) is ineffective since flexi-tanks rest against the container walls. Other insulating materials have been trialled but are unwieldy to install and recycle. This project will investigate whether there are materials that can be expanded in place to form a layer of insulation. The ultimate goal is to develop a thin layer of material on a flexi-tank, which can be converted into insulation after the tank has already been filled with liquid, and after use disposed of or recycled together with the flexi-tank.

57. Improving the performance and life of positive plates in Collins Class submarines Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Brian O’Neill (N114), Peter Chaplin (PMB – Pacific Marine Batteries (manufacturer of the lead acid batteries for the Collins Class submarines)

Nature of project work: Improving the performance of battery design

Area of project work: Energy Storage; Batteries

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Improved life and performance for batteries on Collins Class submarines.


Brief description of project: This project will investigate the conductivity effect of introducing other metals into the lead oxide of positive plates. Silver would be very interesting (because its oxides and sulfates are all highly insoluble in acid and highly conductive) but these present a significant challenge to make. Initial studies could focus on tin in lead. Work at PMB confirms that the tin significantly improves conductivity in the spines, doesn’t seem to hurt the PAM (Positive Active Material) and decreases gassing on the negative plate.

As noted earlier, making an oxide powder is not a trivial exercise. However, it is possible to initially commence the study by constructing Plante cells, since the company already has plenty of sheet lead containing 1% Sn. The resulting oxide layer is thin but you could develop an understanding of its effect and hopefully then develop a procedure for binding the high conductivity oxides to the PAM. As well, a paper study of the predicted effect on electrical conductivity would be developed.

58. Two-Phase Flow and Displacement in Eccentric Annuli

Supervisor(s) of project: A/Prof Dzuy Nguyen (N117) and Mr Colin Ng

Nature of project work: Experimental study

Area of project work: Fluid mechanics; Oil & gas exploration; Polymer processing; Food processing.

Potential long-term implications of line of research: Oil/gas/hydro thermal well drilling & completion


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Number of students: up to 2*

* One project is provisionally reserved for Sean Leach

Brief description of project: Non-Newtonian fluid flow in eccentric annuli is encountered in the drilling of oil/gas wells and is of particular interest in polymer and food processing. The annular eccentricity makes the fluid to flow at a higher velocity in the wide part than in the narrow part of the annulus. In annular displacement of one fluid by another, this can lead to the displacing fluid channelling through the wide side, leaving behind a layer of the fluid to be displaced in the narrow side. An example is in the completion of oil/gas wells where the drilling mud, which initially fills the annulus between the steel casing and the wellbore, is displaced by a cementing fluid. Good bonding between casing/cement and cement/formation is essential for hydraulic isolation of the well. In addition to eccentricity, displacement efficiency is dependent on the flow rate, fluid rheology, interfacial mixing and deviation of the annulus from vertical.

This project is part of a research program funded by Halliburton Energy Services. It is focused on fundamental study of the flow and displacement involving miscible fluids flowing through an eccentric annulus using a unique helical flow apparatus with adjustable annular eccentricity, angle of inclination and inner pipe rotation. Displacement experiments are to be conducted with a variety of non-Newtonian fluids, representing drilling and cementing fluids, in various annular geometries and flow conditions to quantify the factors that affect the displacement efficiency. The profile and velocity of the interface are determined by flow visualization. Displacement efficiency is measured using the conductivity method.

research projects 2014 -abstracts

Documents

project description

protein purification

high cytotoxicity

adsorption of protein

high resolution

high capacity

high selectivity

adsorption of affinity