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September Research News
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Research Newsletter – September 2024
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Welcome to our September 2024 Research and Innovation Newsletter.
There are an army of researchers out there looking for solutions to make our economy more circular, find creative uses for our waste and provide a food grade product to our kitchen taps.
It is astonishing how much research they produce from month to month. This month is no exception. Read on to see what they have been up to.
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Industry Innovation and Resilience
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Nature Positive Water
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To achieve a Nature Positive future, it is essential to recognise the interconnectedness of climate, nature, and the circular economy.
This paper includes over 20 insightful case studies from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, showcasing Nature Positive opportunities for water utilities, and providing guidance on reporting and measuring Nature Positive initiatives.
With nature loss impacting our economy and society, understanding these risks and opportunities is essential for ensuring resilient infrastructure and services for our communities and future generations.
Read more at WSAA
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Call for Papers Now Open
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20-22 May 2025, Adelaide Convention Centre
The 2025 theme for Ozwter25,”Looking back, moving forward,” invites us to reflect on the past while embracing a future where water is central to sustainable growth.
The focus will be on valuing water—from sustainable resources to resilient services that nurture healthy, thriving communities.
Find out more at the AWA
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SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater-Based Surveillance Cookbook
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The Global Water Research Coalition have published a high-level overview and best practice guide on how to undertake wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants for practitioners and operators.
The Cookbook has been drafted by a global team of authors and the chapters were then subjected to extensive peer review from an external review group.
The authors hope that the guide will serve as a cornerstone for practitioners worldwide and preparing us for future challenges.
Read the Cookbook here
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2024 U.S. Elections: Implications for the Water Industry
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If water issues in the US seem too complex, this report by Bluefield Research is for you.
This paper examines the potential impacts of the upcoming US elections (i.e. if there is a new Democratic or Republican Government) on the municipal utility service providers and industrial water and wastewater sectors.
It’s more interesting than you thought.
Read the report at Bluefield Report
(It’s open access, but you will have to login and set a password.)
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GWRC PFAS Webinar Series: Analytical Methods for PFAS in Drinking Water
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12th September 2024
9:00 am AEST
Co-organised by the US EPA and the Global Water Research Coalition, this a great opportunity to hear from a range of international experts on PFAS. Presenters include:
Dr. Elvio Amato from the KWR Water Research Institute (Netherlands) “State of the science on PFAS analytical methods”.
Dr. Frank Thomas Lange “Development of technical guidelines for ‘Sum of PFAS’ and ‘PFAS Total’ in the EU Drinking Water Directive”
Jean Van Buren and Dan Tettenhorst from the US EPA Office of Research and Development Standard methods and methods in development and non-targeted analysis.
No registration required. Just click on this link
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Energy and the Circular Economy
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Can Manganese Nanoparticles Double the Availability of the World’s Potable Water
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Researchers from the University of Sharjah in the UAE have introduced manganese ferrite nanoparticles to increase the hydrophilic, anti-fouling characteristics of UF membranes.
The researchers claim that the resultant increase in permeate flux could lead to a substantial surge in the availability of drinking water globally.
It’s a big call, but worth looking at the details.
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Achieving Effective Removal of Caffeine and Painkillers Using Food Waste
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Researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague have achieved a significant breakthrough in water purification by developing low-cost activated carbons derived from biomass waste, specifically artichoke leaves and pomegranate peels.
This innovative effectively removes common pharmaceutical contaminants, caffeine (CFN) and acetaminophen (ACT), from water sources.
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Breakthrough to Combat Microplastics
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Researchers from James Cook University claim to have achieved a significant breakthrough that allows them to convert microplastics to graphene.
The team ground up plastic bottles into microplastics and then used a new Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma synthesis technique to convert the debris to graphene.
Graphene is a one atom thick carbon material that is harder than diamond, 200 times stronger than steel and five times lighter than aluminium – the use of which is burgeoning in several industries.
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Solvent Traps Nanoplastics with 98% Efficiency
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Researchers from the University of Missouri have created a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of microscopic plastic particles from water.
The innovative method uses water-repelling solvents made from natural ingredients.
Initially, the solvent sits on the water’s surface the way oil floats on water. Once mixed with water and allowed to reseparate, the solvent floats back to the surface, carrying the nanoplastics within its molecular structure.
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PFOA removed from water with 3D-printed ceramic ink
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Researchers at the University of Bath claim to have developed a method, using ceramic-infused lattices (or ‘monoliths’), that removes at least 75% of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water.
The researchers hope the method could become an important tool in future efforts to eliminate the chemicals from water supplies.
Read more at SmartWater Magazine
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Carbon Isotopes Help Track Organofluorines
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Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a way to fingerprint Organofluorine compounds (PFAS, PFOA etc) which could help authorities trace their source.
Interestingly, the process uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which measures a molecule’s structure and identifies its isotopes without breaking it apart.
Conventional chemical fingerprinting involves breaking molecules apart in a mass spectrometer, which doesn’t work well with the tough molecular bonds.
Read more at SmatWater Magazine
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Bacteria Break-Down Carbon-Fluorine Bonds in Unsaturated PFAS
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Researchers at the University of California Riverside, working with the University of California Los Angeles, have identified bacteria that consume PFAS in the environment and sever some of the bonds that hold them tightly together.
The researchers also found that adding electroactive materials to water samples that contained PFAS-eating bacteria and applying electric current promoted defluorination, thereby improving efficiency and reducing leftover by-products.
Read more at PhysOrg
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Self-Powered Pump Uses Light and Chemistry to Remove Pollutants
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Researchers from Dartmouth in the US have developed a self-powered pump that uses natural light and chemistry to target and remove chloride and bromide from water.
As water enters the pump, a wavelength of light activates a synthetic molecular receptor designed to bond to negatively charged ions, or anion. A second wavelength deactivates the receptors as water exits the pump and causes them to release the pollutants,
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New Research into Antibiotic-Resistant Genes in Wastewater
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New research facilitated by Water Research Australia and South East Water, and led by Professor Qilin Wang from the University of Technology Sydney, has analysed how anaerobic digestion influences the fate and removal of resistant bacteria in sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).
The researchers have tested the fate of antibiotic resistance genes in temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) and found that the first part of the process – thermophilic anaerobic digestion – reduces antibiotic-resistant genes by around 60%, and the second part of the process – mesophilic anaerobic digestion – reduces antibiotic-resistant genes by a further 30%.
Read more at the AWA
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Lens-Free Fluorescence Instrument Detects Deadly Microorganisms In Drinking Water
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Researchers from the Phutung Research Institute in Nepal hope a new method for low-cost, real-time water quality monitoring will meet the needs of developing countries, disaster areas and rapid testing needs at events like the Paris Olympics.
The method uses a water monitoring fluorometer that can detect fluorescent proteins from bacteria in water down to levels of less than one part per billion, without using any lenses.
This sensitivity meets the World Health Organization’s criteria for detecting faecal contamination in drinking water.
Read more at WaterOnline
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Understanding Microplastics – With High-Speed Cameras
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Researchers at TU Wien (Vienna) have succeeded in characterising the behaviour of microplastic fibres in experiments in a channel flow, with the help of high-speed cameras.
The team installed six special cameras just above the surface of the water: at a frequency of 2000 images per second and collected high-resolution images of the microplastic particles in the current.
It is hoped that the research can now form the basis for new models that can be used to predict the spread of microplastics globally.
Read more at WaterOnline
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New Membrane Supports More Effective and Efficient Water Purification Systems
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Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed a novel approach using microwaves to more easily synthesise and fine-tune a new type of membrane which effectively purifies water from a wide range of contaminants.
The new dual-faced membrane with superhydrophilic and near-hydrophobic surfaces can remove contaminants like oils and dyes from water. The dual functions not only enhance the filtration process but also endow the membranes with strong antibacterial properties, crucial for long-term usability and effectiveness.
Read more at WaterOnline
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Plant-Inspired Polymers for Water Purification
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Researchers from a German-Japanese University Network have created a polymer that selectively removes toxic heavy metal ions from water.
The polymer uses Phytochelatin, a protein that specifically binds to heavy-metal ions and then moves them to the cellular compartment where they are unable to cause harm.
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WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY
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Portable Air-to-Drinking Water Converter Fits in a Bag
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Researchers in South Korea have achieved a ground-breaking feat with the development of an eco-friendly portable moisture-harvesting system.
Inspired by plant and animal mechanisms, this portable system, which can easily fit in a backpack, is capable of collecting, purifying, and transforming atmospheric moisture into clean drinking water.
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Three of the Strangest Paradoxes in Mathematics
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If you are mathematically inclined, or just dipping in your toes, this is a really interesting article that explains some of mathematics’ most interesting paradoxes.
Paradoxes are scenarios that may appear contradictory at first glance but can be explained. They are not errors but rather reminders that we should not rely too heavily on our intuition in mathematics.
This article explains Hilbert’s Hotel, the Birthday Paradox and Russell’s Antinomy.
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Voices from the Bush Conference 2024
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10 – 11 September 2024, Alice Springs
This conference has been created as a dedicated space for open dialogue on the pressing matters affecting regional and remote Australian communities. The focus is on sharing, connecting, and promoting thought leadership, acknowledging the particular significance and challenges relating to water in the lives and livelihoods of our rural and remote communities.
Read more here
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International Cleanup Conference – Adelaide 2024
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15 – 19 September 2024, Adelaide
The 10th International Contaminated Site Remediation Conference incorporating the 4th International PFAS Conference.
Join delegates from Australia and around the world to help build professional skills on PFAS management, human health risk assessment, bioremediation and more.
More Information Here
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Circular Economy for Climate and Environment
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Sep 29 – Oct 2, University of Technology Sydney
This conference aims to serve as a dynamic platform, bringing together researchers from academia, industries, government, and NGOs on a global scale.
The conference’s thematic scope extends across circular economy applications in water, energy, environment, waste, resource recovery, and climate change.
Read more here
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Global Nature Positive Summit
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8-10 October 2024, International Convention Centre, Sydney
Australia will host the first Global Nature Positive Summit at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on 8-10 October 2024.
The Summit will bring together delegates from around the world including ministers, environment groups, Aboriginal peoples, business, scientists and community leaders, to consider how to supercharge investment in projects that repair nature.
The Global Nature Positive Summit is an invitation-only event.
Click here to register your interest
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Save the date for Next Water 2025!
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21-22 October, 2025, Melbourne
Water Research Australia is excited to announce that Australia’s premier scientific and technical conference on water research and innovation will return in 2025!
Join them in Melbourne in for two days of ground-breaking discussions, inspiring presentations, and networking opportunities.
Find out more here
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If you see any interesting articles, projects or news about new research that others might be interested in, please send to [email protected] – it could even make the next newsletter due in October 2024. |
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Research Data Australia
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Find, access, and re-use data from over one hundred Australian research organisations
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Australian Government – GrantConnect
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Forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities
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