HoS Professor Nasser Khalili is delighted to report that the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering has secured three new ARC Linkage Projects (LPs), to the value of $1.47M, commencing in 2026.
This good news follows closely upon our outstanding success in the latest round of ARC Discovery Projects (DPs).
In addition, School academics are CIs in another successful Linkage Project led by UNSW School of Minerals & Energy Resources Engineering (MERE).
Congratulations to all our School researchers: Martin Andersen, Danial Khojasteh, Mike Manefield, Bing-Jie (Bruce) Ni, Kristen Splinter, and Min Zheng.
Details of our successful Linkage projects are below:
LP250100409: Maximising Renewable Liquid Energy Production from Sewage Sludge. $485,737.00
Professor Bing-Jie Ni; Dr Wei Wei; Dr Xuran Liu
Transforming sewage sludge into valuable products presents a significant opportunity to enhance sludge treatment and unlock Australia’s resource potential. This project builds on our recent groundbreaking discoveries to develop and demonstrate revolutionary biotechnology that overcomes key barriers in waste-to-resource conversion, maximising renewable liquid energy production. This technology leverages anaerobic fungi from cow manure to specifically deconstruct the complex extracellular structure of sludge and reestablish metabolic networks towards high-value liquids. Intended outcome will deliver new scientific insights and technological solutions, upgrading sludge treatment platforms to benefit both the environment and the water industry.
Partner Organisations: CSD Water Service; South East Water Corporation; MK Collect PTY LTD
LP250100246: Estimating Coastal Topographic Change from Space. $655,070.00
Associate Professor Kristen Splinter; Associate Professor Javier Leon; Professor Stuart Phinn; Associate Professor Matthieu de Schipper; Professor Bruno Castelle; Dr Danial Khojasteh.
This project aims to address a significant need held by our Partners to understand coastal dune processes at the timescales of individual storm events to decadal-scale changes in sediment storage. This project will develop new tools to map 3D topography from space and use this data to develop new predictive decision support tools for our Partners. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity to manage vital coastal ecosystems, including dune management and natural coastal protection efforts. This should provide significant benefits to coastal communities, including tourism and storm preparedness, through improved management decisions and adaptive thinking, as well as improved coastal management programs.
Partner Organisations: NSW Department Of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; Northern Beaches Council; Noosa Shire Council; Sunshine Coast Regional Council; French National Centre for Scientific Research; Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.
LP250100438: A novel integrated chemical solution for water purification. $326,846.00
Associate Professor Min Zheng; Associate Professor Xiaoguang Duan
This project aims to develop a novel treatment solution to remove key contaminants prior to water reuse. This solution simplifies conventional water purification processes and enables coagulation, adsorption, disinfection and removal of micropollutants in a single treatment unit. This will reduce the complexity and cost of water treatment, making it more accessible for regional and remote communities. By combining laboratory studies with testing in real-world conditions, the research will enhance efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. This project will benefit water utilities, industry and communities, strengthen Australia’s leadership in water research innovation and contribute to global efforts in sustainable water management.
Partner Organisation: Originwater International Pty Ltd
LP250100009: Lab to Field Bio-Engineered Carbon Mineralisation and Hydrogen Production. $393,016.00
Professor Hamid Roshan; Professor Michael Manefield; Associate Professor Martin Andersen; Associate Professor Hossein Masoumi; Mr Michael Rezaei; Mr Biswachetan Saha.
Our recent breakthrough using the bio-catalyst siderophore has significantly enhanced carbon mineralisation and hydrogen production through the serpentinization of olivine-rich mafic and ultramafic rocks. By optimising environmental conditions and bio-catalyst concentrations, we aim to maximise hydrogen yield and CO2 mineralisation of industry-provided samples through advanced experimental and numerical modelling. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis will support the first field trial, paving the way for large-scale industrial adoption of this game-changing technology to produce green hydrogen while reducing carbon emissions.
Partner Organisations: Geoengineering Solutions & Services Pty Ltd; MMG Dugald River.