Research

Research areas

The objective of this group is to investigate ways to provide secure urban water supplies through integrated planning and management. Population growth in urban areas is increasing the demand for water, while climate change is reducing the availability of supplies from traditional fresh water sources.

We focus on integrating the whole water cycle in urban communities, developing diversified supply and treatment technologies to increase water security and develop integrated water systems model to understand the demand and supply, optimal water mix, water-energy nexus and interactions between various parts of water cycle. We also work to reclaim valuable resources from ‘waste’, including the water itself, and to eliminate contaminants from industrial, surface and groundwater sources.

This group is quite unique in the sense that 50% of members, both academics and students, are part of Department of Chemical Engineering. This is due to the need to consider water availability and water quality together in urban context for water supply as well as wastewater management.

Lab capabilities

Water and wastewater treatment technologies

• Solid-liquid separation of particulate suspensions
• Chemical removal from contaminated water supplies
• Water and wastewater treatment sludge handling
• Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis
• Forward osmosis, membrane distillation, electrodialysis, electrophoresis

Integrated urban water system modelling

• Modelling centralised-decentralised systems and their interactions
• Demand forecasting, water–energy–greenhouse gas nexus
• Contaminant, transport and remediation
• Stream water quality modelling

Facilities

• Soils Lab (Department of Infrastructure Engineering)
• Chemical Engineering Labs including wet labs and analytical labs (water toxicity, sludge rheology, solid-liquid separation, particle and surface characterisation).
• We are negotiating a ‘Living lab’ at the Fishermans Bend campus to enable a fully integrated water system that allows for stormwater harvesting and sewage to potable demonstration for utilities and communities and presents several research opportunities for academics and students.

Networks and partnerships

• Melbourne Water
• Yarra Valley Water
• South-East Water
• City West Water
• Western Water
• Barwon Water
• Sydney Water

Research focus

The group will focus on developing and implementing an Integrated Urban Water Management approach to urban water systems, in which processes are viewed through a water productivity lens that captures all economic, environmental and social aspects. This theme brings together the diverse research capabilities of the individual academics.

PhD students

• 
  Abolfazl Poozan, PhD candidate, Department of Infrastructure Engineering
• 
  Hongjiao Pang, PhD candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering
• 
  Marzieh Niksefat, PhD candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering