QUT is celebrating the success of four research teams who have received $1.9 million in ARC Linkage project grants.
The projects are:
QUT researchers have received $382,118 for a project titled Fully sustainable polymer construction materials from hydrothermal treatment of agricultural waste.
Chief investigator Dr Laleh Moghaddam, from the QUT Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, said a growing demand for sustainable, bio-based materials has made replacements for petrochemical-based resins and composite materials urgently needed.
“Our aim is to harness thermochemical conversion technologies to convert Australia’s abundant biomass waste at a commercial scale into resins, adhesives, and coatings equivalent to fossil-fuel counterparts with the current chemical components facing greater regulation due to environmental concerns and their potential detrimental effects on human health,” Dr Moghaddam said.
The team comprises chief investigators: Dr Moghaddam and Professor Leonie Barner from the QUT Centre for a Waste-free World, Dr Michael O’Shea, Dr Marguerite Renouf (QUT) and Professor Peter Halley (University of Queensland) and partner investigator Dr William Rowlands (Licella Holdings Limited).
A Queensland research team has received a $126,839 ARC Linkage grant for the project A real-time traffic signal system for safe and efficient intersections.
Professor Shimul Haque, from QUT’s School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, said the team aimed to integrate safety, efficiency, reduced energy consumption and emissions to transform the design of traffic signals for safe, efficient and green intersections.
“Conflicting vehicle movements from different directions make intersections crash-prone – 21 per cent of deaths and 43 per cent of total injury crashes in Queensland in 2019 occurred at intersections – and add to congestion and energy consumption. Our system could significantly reduce the $29.7 billion cost of road deaths and hospitalisations in Australia every year while cutting vehicle emissions,” Professor Haque said.
The team comprises chief investigators: Professor Haque, Professor Alexander Paz, Dr Yasir Ali, Associate Professor Ashish Bhaskar (QUT); Associate Professor Zuduo Zheng (University of Queensland); with partners Dr Andrew Burbridge, (Department of Transport and Main Roads) and Professor Simon Washington (Advanced Mobility Analytics Group).
A team of QUT researchers has received $637,287 for the project titled Thermoelectric devices for high-performing localised coolers.
The project, led by Professor Zhi-Gang Chen from the QUT Centre for Material Sciences and School of Chemistry and Physics, aims to design a lightweight, low-energy-consumption, and high-durability wearable thermoelectric cooler for people such as construction workers who spend long hours in hot and uncomfortable conditions.
“This project will create a wearable technology that offers localised cooling using a novel industry-led approach, coupled with device design and materials engineering strategies,” Professor Chen said.
The team comprises chief investigators Professor Chen and Dr Xiaolei Shi, with industry partners Maple Development Group.
A team of QUT researchers has received $764,081 for the project titled Australia’s first Green Biopharm.
Protein-based medicines, vaccines and therapeutics are one of the fastest growing sectors of the pharmaceutical market. This project aims to develop advanced methods for making these products using an amazing Australian native plant, which has the rare capacity to understand instructions from externally applied DNA.
Chief investigator Dr Julia Bally, from the QUT Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, said QUT researchers had been developing this technology for a number of years and now was the time to put this expertise to work.
The team includes Dr Julia Bally, Professor Peter Waterhouse, Professor Martin Sillence, Dr Melody de Laat, Dr Zach Le Blanc, Dr Kathi Holt and partners from International Animal Health Products (IAHP) and Cytiva.
Media contact:
Rod Chester, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, rod.chester@qut.edu.au
After hours: 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
