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Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering & Environmental Science - Professor Madoc Sheehan (JCU), Prof. Jochen Mueller (UQLD), A. Prof Ellen Arial (JCU), A. Prof Brenda Govan (JCU), Anna Whelan (Townsville City Council)

There are many Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) released in wastewater effluent that have not been measured.  CECs such as PFAS compounds, pesticides and antibiotics among others, may cause adverse effects on the environment. This research focuses on detecting the most critical of these contaminants in the effluent discharged from the Cleveland Bay Purification Plant (CBPP). CECs will be prioritised and their fate in the receiving environment will be tracked in order to predict exposure to CEC's in Cleveland Bay.

Professor Yinghe He

Synthesis and characterisation of novel cathode materials for rechargeable batteries including lithium and magnesium ion batteries; design and development of innovative processes for energy and materials recovery of recycled waste batteries.

Professor Yinghe He

Design and development of innovative extraction processes for the extraction of oil from eucalyptus tree leaves and other biomasses; as well as extraction of metals from their ores and recycled materials.

Chemical Engineering, Microbial Genetics, Environmental Science - Professor Madoc Sheehan (JCU), Dr Robert Kinobe (JCU), AProf Ellen Arial (JCU), Dr Michelle Powers (Macquarie Uni), Anna Whelan (Townsville city council), Dr Roger Huerlimann (JCU)

This study aims to determine the prevalence and distribution patterns of antibiotic resistant genes in the CBPP effluent and in the immediate receiving environment. Resident marine turtles in Cleveland Bay will be used as a sentinel animal species to determine the localized impacts of both antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes. This study will provide valuable insight into the direct effect that antibiotics and ARG’s in WWTP effluent have on ecological health and ecological risk in Cleveland Bay.

Dr. Liyuan Fan

Fuel Cell Technology is a process that generates electricity and heat by a chemical reaction. A ceramic fuel cell can convert multiple fuels to electricity and heat, which is promising for the waste recovery.

Dr George Vamvounis

My research is based on the synthesis and characterisation of novel polymers and organic small molecules to understand their structure-property relationship. The properties that we are interested in are related to Solar Cells, OLEDs, Transistors, Security Inks, and ecotoxicology.

Professor Yinghe He

Synthesis and characterisation of novel electrode materials for rechargeable batteries including lithium and magnesium ion batteries; design and development of innovative processes for energy and materials recovery from recycled spent batteries.

Professor Madoc Sheehan

Drying: multi-scale modelling and experimental validation of drying of particulates including sugar, microalgae and minerals.
Process modelling: development, validation and use of CFD, geometry and process systems models in the multi-scale modelling of particulate drying systems, particularly flighted rotary drying.

Dr Liyuan Fan

Waste-to-Energy is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from various treatments of waste. A community must have a waste to energy facility that treats garbage and transforms chemical energy into usable energy.

Solid wastes can be converted into gas to produce energy. Biomass gasification and methane reforming are specifically investigated.