Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment
Applied Centre for Structural and Synchrotron Studies
Applied Centre for Structural and Synchrotron Studies
Project Duration: 2006-2009
Funding: Rio Tinto / CRC CARE / University Presidents Scholarship
Chief Investigator: Roger Smart, Peter Lesniewski, Meghharaj Mallavarapu
Description:
A postgraduate project in
ACeSSS involves collaboration between the Cooperative Research Centre
for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC
CARE) and the research units of ACeSSS (Applied Centre for Structural
and Synchrotron Studies) and Applied Physics in the Division of ITEE.
It capitalizes on an established collaboration with the company High
Power Ultrasonics P/L and their expertise in ultrasonics applied to
waste stream (e.g. tailings, solids in effluents) consolidation and
dewatering. Initial applications have used low frequency high
power ultrasonics (HPU) (20-100 kHz) in degassing and cavitation modes
to induce structural change in aggregates. This process requires
fundamental research to understand the control parameters and to
optimize the restructuring actions. A second research challenge is
to extend the HPU application to high frequency (>1MHz) to induce mass
(particle) agitation and transport. This mode is expected to
induce restructuring of particles into denser aggregates giving faster
settling, denser beds and releasing water for recovery. This mode
could be applied to a wide variety of waste streams including clay
slurries from contaminated soil remediation, quarrying, construction,
oil and gas drilling and mining.
The CRC CARE was selected in 2004 as the pre-eminent R&D centre in
Australia to create and demonstrate advanced new methods for dealing
with air, land and groundwater contamination. It brings together
Australia's foremost expertise in science, industry and government in a
partnership to develop advanced technologies and methods for: assessing
contamination risks, managing or remediating contamination, and
developing safe options for land use and the reuse of wastes on land.
The student therefore has the opportunity to interact with end-user
companies and the very wide brief of environmental waste management in
CRC CARE. ACeSSS has particular expertise in structural studies of
aggregates, mineral surfaces and advanced methods for their measurement
with projects in control of tailings (with high clay content) disposal
and environmental acidity from mine wastes. Applied Physics has
particular expertise in ultrasonic generation and propagation.
These perspectives will provide a unique addition to the basic research.
