A sustainable solution to secure water supplies
As the world’s population continues to increase and the effects of climate change become more severe, stress on existing natural water supplies will escalate. Whilst water covers most of Earth’s surface, not all the water available is fresh or drinkable. There are many parts of the world currently experiencing water shortages and drought conditions combined with water supplies that are unfit for human consumption.
Alternative water sources are needed to ensure water quality for communities, industry and agriculture is sustainable. Water treatment and seawater desalination can provide an alternate source of drinking water by reducing water contamination and removing salt and impurities to produce fresh water.
Associated schools, institutes & centres
Impact
Due to energy consumption, converting sea or brackish water into potable water is more costly than obtaining fresh water from surface water, water recycling or water conservation. However, these alternatives are not always available.
We are playing a key role in protecting and increasing one of Australia’s most valuable resources by developing several new treatment technologies that use renewable energy and are environmentally friendly and inexpensive, including techniques for:
- seawater desalination
- water treatment processes and wastewater sterilisation
- selective removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater
- efficient concentration of wastewater slimes to recycle water
- the prevention of water cavitation to enable much cheaper transport.
Other new techniques like high-temperature reactions achieved in low-temperature water and low energy desalination are also being developed.
Competitive advantage
We've developed several new water technologies based on improved desalination processes and efficient wastewater treatment processes. We have also produced several international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications and submitted several provisional patent applications, which have led to the establishment of a new local company: ‘Breakthrough Water Technologies’.
We've also produced many international journal articles. During this time Professor Barry Ninham AO FAA, who works closely with our group, was awarded the Academy of Sciences’ 2017 Matthew Flinders Medal.
Our researchers
-
R. Wei, R. M. Pashley, ‘An improved evaporation process with helium inlet in a bubble column evaporator for seawater desalination, opens in a new window.’ Desalination 479, 114329 (2020).
M. Taseidifar, A. G. Sanchis, R. M. Pashley and B.W. Ninham, ‘Novel water treatment processes, opens in a new window.’, Substantia 3(2), 11-17 (2019).
M. Taseidifar, M. Ziaee, R. M. Pashley and B.W. Ninham, ‘Ion flotation removal of a range of contaminant ions from drinking water, opens in a new window.’, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 7, 103263, (2019).
A. Garrido, R.M. Pashley and B.W. Ninham, ‘Virus and bacteria inactivation by CO2 bubbles in solution, opens in a new window.’ , NPJ Clean Water (2:5, 2019).
F. Makavipour, R.M. Pashley and A.F.M. Mokhlesur Rahman, ‘Low-Level Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water, opens in a new window.’, Global Challenges. 3(3), 1-8 (2019).
R.M. Pashley, J. J. Antony and M. Taseidifar, ‘The prevention of fluid cavitation’, PCT application Published 25 October 2018, WO 2018/191790 A1.
F. Makavipour, M. Taseidifar, R.M Pashley and Rahman A.F. M. Mohklesur., Method for removing heavy metals from an aqueous solution, opens in a new window.’ PCT/AU2017/051145.
R.M. Pashley, A. S. Garrido and B.W. Ninham, ‘Sterilization method’, PCT: Published: WO 2019/104383 A1. 6 June 2019.
R.M. Pashley, M. Taseidifar and T. Gettongsong, ‘Resin for Desalination and Process of Regeneration’, PCT: WO 2020/118371 A1. 18 June 2020.
-
- Heavy metal ion removal from mining wastewater
- Improved ion-exchange desalination technology
- Novel de-watering process for mining wastewater slime treatment
- Propeller cavitation prevention
- Developing building coatings for protection against bushfire ember attack
- Hot CO2 bubbling for water sterilisation
- Novel solar array for high-temperature processes
-
We have several new technologies that are expected to have widespread applications for both community and industrial development in Australia and overseas including:
- propeller cavitation prevention
- copper ion removal from mining wastewater, funded by Newcrest Mining
- carbon dioxide (CO2) industrial wastewater sterilisation applied to piggeries funded by Australia Pork Ltd.
- fire suppressant coatings - using solar energy to produce carbon fibres and a new coating to prevent ember attack during bushfires
- improved seawater desalination processes aimed at improving energy efficiency.
We have successfully extended the hot air bubble process to a range of other gases, which are shown to offer a range of different properties. For example, CO2 can sterilise solutes (even viruses) even at low temperatures. Hot oxygen (O2) bubbles can oxidise solutes and can kill bacterial cells. We have also discovered hot helium (He) bubbles can reduce the hydrogen (H) bonding in seawater, enhancing vaporisation.