Author Editor
Date 22 July, 2022 – Updated 3 September 2022

Registrations have now closed for this event that commences on Monday 5 September 2022.

The 2nd Annual Symposium for the ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource  starts this Monday 5 September 2022. This year we are partnering with ANZBP and aim to bring you an interesting and varied program.

Program: 

• The Symposium Program can be viewed HERE.

For all those registrants wishing to join online, the Teams link to the Symposium can be found here:

TEAMS link

Sponsorship:

• Please see HERE for opportunities to support our event.

Program format: Hybrid

• The MS Teams link has been provided to Registrants who cannot attend in person.
• In line with University policies, all attendees in person must be fully vaccinated to attend on-campus events. We strongly advise all attendees to take a rapid COVID test before attending, and join online if necessary.

DIRECTIONS

Symposium Location:

• Ainsworth Building J17 – Ground level G03, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Sydney campus, Kensington SYDNEY
• Conference dinner location – Scientia Building H19
• Car Parking – Barker Street Car Park

– see Campus Map

• Public transport map

Directions to UNSW:

• Taxis from the Airport – Direct them to go to Gate 14, Barker Street, Kensington via Gardener Road
• Driving to UNSW – enter Gate 14, Parking in the Barker Street Car Park

Dates:

• 5th and 6th September – a varied program of national and international speakers, and updates on the Centre’s research program
• 7 September – a half day of operational activities reserved for industry partners and Centre researchers on research and training outcomes.

Registration is required to attend this event.

Registrants – you can CLICK HERE to access Eventbrite for information on how to get to the venue

• The deadline for all registrations was 31 August 2022 (in person) and 2 September 2022 (Online).

Many thanks to our Sponsors!

We are also looking forward to the opportunity to continue discussions with our industry partners attending this event. Thank you for your help and support.

Author Editor
Date March 29, 2022

The Australian Water Authority (AWA)  celebrated the winners of the VIC Water Awards at their Gala night on 28 March 2022. The annual VIC Water Awards recognise contributions to industry leadership, innovative research, programs and infrastructure projects.

Congratulations to members of our Centre at RMIT and our industry partners for winning the Research and Development Excellence Award this year. The citation by the AWA notes the following:-

“The R&D Excellence award recognised that the new pilot scale biosolids pyrolysis technology, developed by RMIT University in collaboration with South East Water, Intelligent Water Network and Greater Western Water, is the first of its kind in Australia. The technology removes pathogens and emerging contaminants from biosolids creating biochar, a product which is safer to use.”

[Photo and citation courtesy of AWA]

Author Editor
Date January 20, 2022

RMIT University is advertising a PhD role for a researcher to join the team working on Project 1C.

(See details on Project 1C , go to our website page HERE.)

Based at the Bundoora West campus, the role will investigate the following project topic:

“Exploiting microbial ecology of municipal anaerobic digesters to improve operational efficiency”.

Interested students need to be successful in securing their own primary scholarship via a Research Training Program (RTP) –  domestic or international post graduate award, or equivalent. Alternatively, a full scholarship may be available for outstanding domestic candidates.

Applications close on 31 March 2022.

Project Details are available HERE.

See our Training Page and scroll down to the OPPORTUNITIES section for additional information and links on this and other PhD opportunities available at our partner universities.

For information on this position, contact Dist. Professor Andy Ball by email –  andy.ball@rmit.edu.au

Author Dr Ruth Fisher
Date December 17, 2021

Codigestion of food waste is emerging as an increasingly popular method to recover additional energy while using existing wastewater treatment infrastructure.  However, the addition of substrates will also influence the quality of downstream biosolids, potentially affecting re-use opportunities.

In a new paper published in Science of the Total Environment, the impact of codigestion on downstream biosolids quality was investigated by measuring the concentrations of trace organic compounds and metals in the digested sludge following codigestion.  Article link – see HERE

The paper showed concentrations were dependent on the type of food waste added, with significant differences in concentrations compared to the control for compounds such as caffeine and Bisphenol A which were found in high levels from beverage wastes.  Caffeine, diuron, triclosan and triclocarban were found to present a potential high risk of impacts on the soil ecosystems as judged with environmental risk assessment.

Currently much of Australia’s biosolids are applied to agricultural land providing nutrients as well as improvements in water retention.  This paper support that care should be taken to protect biosolids quality, through careful monitoring and source control to ensure that biosolids land application provides benefits without potential impacts due to contamination.

See article for Diagram.

If you are interested in helping map how codigestion can be integrated sustainably and more widely in biosolids management in Australia – we are currently advertising for a PhD student in this area.  See HERE.

Author Editor
Date September 28, 2021

Today the Royal Society of Victoria has recognised the outstanding work of Centre Director, Distinguished Professor Andy Ball as the recipient of the RSV’s prestigious 2021 Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research.

The medal recognises Andy’s work in ‘Restoring ecosystems and recovering resources‘, citing his extensive research expertise in environmental microbiology and biotechnology, and his focus on

“developing clean, sustainable technologies to remediate environmental contamination, looking for ways of removing contaminants – particularly petroleum hydro-carbons (oil), but also other organic pollutants – from soils, groundwater and water bodies.”

To see the RSV’s full article, refer HERE

Andy will be presenting his work to the Society at a public lecture on 9 December 2021, where he will be presented with the 2021 Medal by the Governor of Victoria.

Congratulations Andy!

Author Editor
Date September 15, 2021

The University of Queensland is offering the following positions to further the work of the Biosolids Training Centre:

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW/ RESEARCH FELLOW – Job No 516261

This is a full time, fixed term appointment based at the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB). Applications close SOON on 28 September 2021.

The Position Description is available here.  Applicants can apply here on the UQ website.

THREE (3) PhD POSITIONS

Three PhD positions are also available within the ACWEB  and the ARC Biosolids Training Centre working on projects in Theme 1 and Theme 2 (click on these links for theme & project details).

Application deadline: Rolling (current round closes 30 September 2021)

Details of these positions are available here.

 

For information on all these positions, contact Professor Damien Batstone by email –  d.batstone@uq.edu.au

 

See our Training page for additional information.

Author Editor
Date August 20, 2021

Recently our new partner – Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) – published this great profile on our Centre’s Deputy Director – Industry, Dr Aravind Surapaneni, which we wanted to share with you here.

In addition to the multiple roles he plays in industry and for the Centre, Aravind also chairs the Centre’s Annual Symposium Organising Committee and, in that role, he largely determined the program for the 2021 2-day event.

Our recent first Symposium held in July 2021 clearly demonstrates the wide networks and valuable industry support and knowledge that Aravind brings to the Centre, along with his enthusiasm for progressing the biosolids industry and for getting things done!

Author Editor
Date August 20, 2021

In 2020, Melbourne Water challenged the water community to help them meet their zero emissions target through their Scope 1 Emissions Innovation Competition.

RMIT University, pH2O Consulting and Cranfield University made up the winning team.

The RMIT team, led by Prof Felicity Roddick and A/Prof Kalpit Shah (our Centre’s deputy director), were subsequently engaged by Melbourne Water as a result. Their project has focused on demonstrating a circular economy approach and reducing Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions in the treatment of wastewater.

Details of the project are published in  “The future of wastewater in a circular economy.”  See the Future Water: Australian Water Management Handbook –  here

 

Author Editor
Date July 7, 2021

The ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource is presenting the first Annual Symposium on 15 & 16 July 2021.

The program for this event can be found here.

The event is being held as a hybrid event with registrants both on-line and attending in-person at the RMIT University campus in Bundoora West.

See the Campus Map for the location of Building 224 and nearby parking:

Campus Map

Google Maps

The Centre’s formal launch will take place on the morning of 15 July with the Symposium program commencing immediately after at 11.45am.

Anyone interested in attending the 2-day Symposium, that has not yet registered, should contact the Centre Manager for Registration details and the detailed Program. See contact details below.

Author Editor
Date July 7, 2021

The ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource will be officially launched on 15 July 2021 prior to the commencement of the First Annual Symposium.

The event is being held as a hybrid event with attendees both on-line and attending in-person at the RMIT University campus in Bundoora West.

A Welcome to Country at 10.30am, followed by comments from key supporters of the Centre at 11.00am will proceed the formal launch ceremony.

Anyone interested in attending this Launch, that has not yet registered, should contact the Centre Manager. See contact details below.