The project, funded by the consortium members, will run over three years. Engineers and scientists will investigate the treatment of nitrate and heavy metals, uranium and arsenic, by applying electro-chemical technology to drive oxidation and reduction reactions.
Remote water supply systems are challenging to maintain, with logistics issues causing restricted access to equipment, chemicals, qualified personnel and delaying emergency response times.
The development of this new water treatment technology, which will be specifically designed for remote water supply systems, will drive viable advanced water treatment solutions that can overcome challenges in an economically sustainable way.
This new technology is anticipated to overcome some of the common barriers to practical application in regional communities, such as low efficiency (recovery rates), high operational costs and significant waste streams.
Developing reliable water supply systems that are simple to operate and maintain has the potential to create more robust operations for regional communities with reduced failures and improved efficiency rates.
Power and Water Corporation (NT) and Water Corporation (WA) will lead the research project. Two pilot systems will run at operational sites in the NT and WA to test and improve the process in real field conditions while monitoring and optimising performance.
Two PhD students will also be engaged as part of a scholarship to conduct fundamental engineering and scientific research of the technology during the three-year project. Members are encouraged to share this opportunity with peers – for more information contact:
- Wayne Sharp, Power and Water, [email protected]
- Luke Zappia, Water Corporation, luke.zappia@watercorporation, or
- Professor Jurg Keller, The University of Queensland, [email protected]