Project title: Microalloyed high strength spring steel for ... Summer Research... · A report is expected at the end ... Pressure oxidation of gold-bearing sulphide ore Project duration:

Project title: Microalloyed high strength spring steel for lightweight automotive

Project duration: 10 weeks

Description: Development of advanced high strength steel is highly important for lightweight automotive in terms of fuel saving and exhaust gas emission. This project aims to develop a long-life spring steel used for automotive suspension spring with higher fatigue strength and sag resistance. The steel composition will be redesigned based on current product and microalloying elements additions. The major work will be focused on the heat treatment of new steels by adjusting the experimental parameters including quenching and tempering temperatures, holding time and cooling rate of tempering.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

The successful applicant can gain independent research skills including literature review, high-temperature experiment, sample preparation and examination. The student will also asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of the project. A publication may be generated depending on the research outcomes.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from students with a background in chemical or materials engineering, 3-4 year undergraduate students or master course students, UQ enrolled students only.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof. Baojun Zhao Dr. Xiaodong Ma

Further info: For any inquiries about the project, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Project title: Surface waves in copper bath smelting furnace


Description: The project is aiming to study the fluid dynamic behaviours in the copper bath smelting furnaces. In side- and bottom-blowing furnaces, high-pressure gas is injected to the bath to generate surface waves. The strong waves wash and consume the refractory linings. The present project is to use water model to simulate the copper smelting furnaces and quantify the surface waves generated by the gas injection. The studies will be used to understand the refractory wears in real bath smelting furnaces as function of bath height, gas flowrate and injection angles.


The experiments will be conducted in the side- and bottom-blowing model furnace developed at UQ. The amplitudes and frequencies of the surface wave will be measured at different positions of the furnaces with multiple lances at different flow rates. A report is expected at the end of the project and a publication may be produced from the results.

Suitable for: This project is suitable for the students from relevant majors in engineering who have completed at least two years undergraduate study.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof Baojun Zhao Dr Mao Chen

Further info: [email protected] or [email protected]



Project title: Process modelling of the bauxite residue sinter-leach and integration with the Bayer process


Description: The Bayer process is the main route to making alumina, an intermediate product in primary aluminium production. The feed to the Bayer process is bauxite. Reactive silica in Bauxite is detrimental to the process as valuable NaOH and Al2O3 is lost to the residue during desilication. The residue sinter-leach process is a way of recovering lost NaOH and Al2O3 and returning it to the Bayer process. The student will using the Syscad steady state process mass and energy balancing software to conduct sensitivity analysis on key parameters using experimentally determined data in order to identify optimal processing conditions. This project is supported by the UQ Rio Tinto Bauxite & Alumina Technology Centre (http://www.chemeng.uq.edu.au/rt/)


The student will gain skills in process mass and energy balancing and process optimisation. There will likely also be an experimental aspect to the project involving sintering and leaching. The student will present project outcomes to the hydrometallurgy research group. The deliverable will be a functioning mass and energy balance model for the process and outcomes of the sensitivity analysis.

Suitable for: This project is most suited to metallurgical/chemical engineering students with an interest in the Bayer process (bauxite and alumina).

Primary Supervisor:

Harrison Hodge ([email protected]) William Hawker ([email protected]) James Vaughan ([email protected])

Further info: If you are interested, please meet with Harrison Hodge ([email protected]) to discuss the project.

Project title: Synthesis of zeolites from raw kaolinite or high silica bauxite ores by thermal activation for heavy metal remediation


Description: Zeolites are widely used for catalytic and ion-exchange reactions. Raw kaolinite have been used as the Al and Si sources for the synthesis of several types of zeolites, although the product most commonly obtained was zeolite LTA. Kaolinite is also the one of the main impurities for many ferrous and non-ferrous ore bodies. For example, the Bayer process which is the main route for producing alumina from bauxite ore. In digestion, kaolinite in bauxite, dissolves into highly alkaline solution, then re-precipitate as insoluble zeolite known as desilication product (DSP). In this study, we utilise the raw kaolinite and high silica bauxite as the original source after thermal activation. By optimisation the reaction kinetics, we aims to synthesis the various types of zeolite phases besides zeolite LTA. Then, these zeolites then will be tested for the heavy metal adsorption in the mining tailings streams. This project is supported by the UQ Rio Tinto Bauxite & Alumina Technology Centre (http://www.chemeng.uq.edu.au/rt/)


The student will gain experimental skills in bauxite activation heat treatments, alkaline leaching and adsorption. There will likely be associated liquid and solid sample characterisation by ICP, XRD, SEM and Accusizer. The student will present project outcomes to the hydrometallurgy research group.

Suitable for: This project is most suited to metallurgical/chemical engineering students with an interest in the silicate chemistry and crystal growth.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Hong Peng ([email protected]) Dr James Vaughan ([email protected])

Further info: If you are interested, please meet with Dr Hong Peng ([email protected]) to discuss the project.

Project title: An investigation of the heterogeneous nucleation of Bayer process desilication product


Description: This test work fits into a broader scope of work focusing on separating Bayer process desilication product (DSP) from other Bayer residue minerals, in order to recover DSP bound alumina and caustic. Currently DSP reports to residue storage (tailings) and as a result contributes significantly to overall Bayer operating cost. One important factor in attempting to separate DSP is understanding how this precipitate interacts with other residue minerals. This project aims to determine if DSP is heterogeneously seeded preferentially onto residue minerals under varying solution conditions. This will be determined by monitoring desilication rate (Si in solution) over time and studying the solids produced using particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The objective is to identify conditions that reduce intermingling of DSP with other minerals to allow for better DSP separation. Fundamental crystallisation nucleation theory will also be used to develop this understanding. This project is supported by the UQ Rio Tinto Bauxite & Alumina Technology Centre (http://www.chemeng.uq.edu.au/rt/)


The student will gain skills in running isothermal bench top, batch reactor tests as well as analysing solution and solids characteristics to draw trends and conclusions. They will also gain knowledge in crystallisation theory and industrial precipitation. The project deliverable will be a set of high quality laboratory data and a short report of the key findings. The student will present project outcomes to the hydrometallurgy research group.

Suitable for: This project is most suited to metallurgical/chemical engineering students with an interest in the Bayer process (bauxite and alumina).

Primary Supervisor:

Dilini Seneviratne ([email protected]) James Vaughan ([email protected])

Further info: If you are interested, please meet with Dilini Seneviratne ([email protected]) to discuss the project.

Project title: Pressure oxidation of gold-bearing sulphide ore


Description: Pressure oxidation (POX) has been used extensively for treating gold-bearing refractory ore. It involves sparging high-purity oxygen into a pressure vessel, known as autoclave, to oxidise the sulphide minerals (mainly pyrite) and hence expose the gold particles for downstream cyanidation. This process is carried out at high temperature and high pressure, typically around 180 - 240°C and 2700 - 3000 kPa respectively. Due to the high operating temperature, the chemistry inside the autoclave is not well understood. The type and stability of aqueous and solid phases remain unclear as there is a lack of relevant chemical thermodynamic data at high temperature. This study will investigate the stability field of hematite, potassium jarosite and basic ferric sulphate, and make a prediction of the phase boundaries conclusively. The student will be performing autoclave experiments on Lihir ore as well as on ferric sulphate solution at 220°C using 1L Parr Titanium Autoclave. The student then need to do a mass balance and solution analysis around the system. This project is supported by Newcrest Mining Limited


The student will gain skills in various experimental techniques and mass balancing. Equipment training on autoclave, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and possible microwave digester will be provided. The student will present project outcomes to the hydrometallurgy research group. The deliverable will be a ferric stability diagram for the Fe3+-K+-SO4

2- - H2O system at 220°C.

Suitable for: This project is most suited to metallurgical/chemical engineering students.

Primary Supervisor:

Ambrosia Ivana ([email protected]) William Hawker ([email protected]) James Vaughan ([email protected])

Further info: If you are interested, please meet with Ambrosia Ivana ([email protected]) to discuss the project.

Project title: The development of a resin-in-pulp process for the recovery of copper and lead from chalcopyrite leach slurries


Description: As chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) ore is the most abundant copper sulphide mineral in the world, there are imperatives to improve hydrometallurgical technologies for the extraction of copper from chalcopyrite. Resin-in-Pulp (RIP) is an advanced continuous extraction process in mining industry, the essence of which is a selective extraction of metals, such as copper, gold, nickel, molybdenum, rare earth elements and uranium, directly from viscous solutions and pulps. The purpose of this project is to develop a new RIP process that can efficiently extract copper and lead from chalcopyrite leach slurries in copper industry. This project based at UQ within the Hydrometallurgy Research Group (http://www.chemeng.uq.edu.au/hydrometallurgy ) and supported by the ARC Cu-U Transformation Hub (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/copper-uranium-research/)


Expected outcomes: A prototype of RIP process for the treatment of chalcopyrite

minerals;

A short technical report.

The student will gain skills as follow:

Conducting hydrometallurgical experiments (leaching, ion exchange,

filtration, etc);

Operating analytical equipment (Atomic absorption spectroscopy,

optical microscope, bottle roller, etc);

Processing experimental data, including mass and energy balance;

Presenting and discussing the outcomes;

Writing the scientific report.

Suitable for: This project is most suited to chemical/metallurgical engineering students with an interest in mining industry.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Weng Fu ([email protected]) Dr James Vaughan ([email protected])

Further info: If you are interested, please meet with Weng Fu ([email protected]) to discuss the project.

http://www.chemeng.uq.edu.au/hydrometallurgy

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/copper-uranium-research/

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/copper-uranium-research/

Project title: Micromechanics and rheology of dairy foods and beverages


Description: The project will develop and utilise novel rheological-based techniques to measure the micromechanics of various soft food systems and microgel suspensions. Micromechanics is the analysis of heterogeneous materials on the level of the individual constituents that constitute these materials. This project aims to establish this emerging measurement technique as critical to rational design of dairy foods. The project will be conducted within the ‘Rheology, Tribology and

Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes, and is aligned to an

industrial project with a major NZ dairy company.


Students will gain practical research skills in planning and conducting

experiments, collecting and analysing data, and interpreting the results.

The work conducted by the student may also have the opportunity to be

published. Students will be asked to deliver a report or oral presentation at

the end of their project.

Suitable for: Students with a background in chemical engineering, interest in rheology,

and good attention to detail.

Students who are engaged by industrially relevant real world applications

of fundamental science and engineering.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Heather Shewan Professor Jason Stokes

Further info: Contact: [email protected] Alternative: [email protected]



Project title: Lubrication of model chocolate emulsions


Description: Texture plays a key role in determining consumer appreciation for chocolate products, and is related to the physical changes that occur to its structure during chewing. Chewing transforms chocolate from an oil-continuous composite solid to a multiphase water-continuous fluid emulsion that can be easily swallowed. Consequently, the rheological and tribological properties of chocolate change after it is chewed or diluted with an aqueous buffer. Previous work on the lubrication of chocolate-buffer mixtures has suggested preferential entrainment of certain phases. In the case of oil-in-water emulsions, the dominating phase is known to depend on the viscosity ratio of the two phases. This project aims to identify if the same is true for emulsion systems with insoluble solids present, and will involve testing the tribology and rheology of ternary multiphase systems composed of core ingredients from chocolate. The project will be conducted within the ‘Rheology, Tribology and

Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes. The findings from this

study will contribute towards gaining a deeper understanding of the

mechanisms that dominate lubrication in dark, milk and white chocolate.


Students will gain practical research skills in planning and conducting experiments, collecting and analysing data, and interpreting the results. The work conducted by the student may also have the opportunity to be published. Students will be asked to deliver a report or oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitable for: Students with a background in chemical engineering, interest in rheology and biolubrication, and good attention to detail.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Sophia Rodrigues Professor Jason Stokes




Project title: Use of Gap dependant rheology to study micromechanics of plant cells


Description: Gap-dependent rheology (GDR) on particle suspensions has previously shown that a reduction in gap causes an increase in elastic and viscous moduli (G’, G”), normal force (Fn) and viscosity (η). We have previously developed a rheological-based ‘multi-scale’ technique to measure and utilize a population based particle contact model to quantify the dynamics of complex materials in narrow gaps. This project plans to utilize this technique to study suspensions of a variety of different plant cells and extract information such as the particle size distribution (PSD) and modulus (Gp) from GDR.

The project will be conducted within the ‘Rheology, Tribology and

Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes. The method has

potential applications in a variety of complex soft particle suspensions

ranging from foods and pharmaceuticals to animal and plant cells.


Applicants will get good exposure to rheological measurements as well as other characterisation methods such as the particle size measurement. Applicants are expected to analyse the results using a MATLAB based routine. Possibility of the work being converted into a high quality journal publication.

Suitable for: Anyone with a keen interest in research is welcome. Some background in fluid mechanics and rheology is preferred but not mandatory. Programming skills esp. in MATLAB are preferred but not mandatory.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr. Omkar Deshmukh Professor Jason Stokes




Project title: Mechanical and Friction Behaviour between Poroelastic Gels with Controlled Surface Roughness and Contact Angle


Description: Poroviscoelasticity determines the friction and mechanical properties of

polysaccharide gels, which are key for the performance in biomaterial or

food structuring applications (Dolan, Yakubov et al., Soft Matter, 2017).

However, the effect of surface roughness on these properties remains

elusive. In this work we aim to produce model hydrogels with controlled

roughness and surface contact angle to explore fundamental effects of

poroviscoelastic deformation on friction and lubricating properties.


Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes, and will utilise novel

processing methods such as micro-scale surface patterning.







Suitable for: Students with a background in chemical engineering, interest in biomedical

engineering, and good attention to detail.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Gleb Yakubov Ms Yading Wang Professor Jason Stokes




Project title: Adsorption and Lubrication Behaviour of Polysaccharides in aqueous and Ionic-Liquid/Water Mixed Solvents


Description: This project aims to mimic natural lubricants and engineer low-friction load-

bearing (anti-wear) micro-gel suspensions and emulsions systems in

aqueous media with innovative use of ionic liquids (ILs) as ‘green’ additives.

By exploiting fundamental physicochemical mechanisms of lubrication in

soft systems, the project will tackle the problem of enhanced lubrication

performance though the use of water-ILs soluble polysaccharides with

tuneable surface interactions that mediate mass transfer at the surface and

enable in-situ formation of surface coatings (Yakubov et al., Carbohydrate

Polymers, 2015).


Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes, and its outcomes are

envisaged to be translatable to benefit food processing, pharmaceutical,

and biofuel industries.









Primary Supervisor:

Dr Gleb Yakubov Mr Long Yu Professor Jason Stokes




Project title: Interaction of Complex Mucin Glycoproteins and Saliva Mimics with Dietary Components


Description: A key element influencing food oral processing and oral sensory perception

is the mixing of food and beverages with saliva and the modification of the

mucosal film coating oral surfaces (Yakubov, Saliva Lubrication in Saliva:

secretion and functions, 2014). However, relatively little is known about the

types of interactions that regulate the binding of saliva to substrates, and

the interplay between binding to the oral epithelium and food particles,

including dietary polysaccharides such as cellulose-rich plant cell walls and

starch. Here we focus on unravelling the effect of molecular interactions on

the structural, nano-rheological and tribological properties of glycoprotein

and polysaccharide surface films. The newly uncovered insights will be used

to rationally design surface films consisting of multiple proteins and

polysaccharides, with consideration for their potential utilisation in

modulating film formation at oral surfaces.


Biointerfaces’ laboratory led by Prof. Jason Stokes. The strategies developed

will have the potential to enable superior control over film formation at oral

surface and their tribological properties for treatments of dry mouth and

dysphagia.









Primary Supervisor:

Dr Gleb Yakubov Ms Alicia Ragan Professor Jason Stokes




Project title: Iron Ore Sintering Fundamentals - Kinetics and Thermodynamics


Description:

A huge amount of iron and steel is produced worldwide, 1.61 billion tonnes in 2017. A small improvement in the production of this commodity has a huge impact on our global footprint and economy. The focus of this project is the sintering process, where little fundamental research has been performed previously. Work is being performed on both the kinetics and thermodynamics. The kinetic research will tell us what is happening in sintering and thermodynamics will tell us what we can hope to achieve.


Students can expect to contribute to projects funded by steelmaking operations worldwide. Through the work, they can expect to further their understanding of inorganic chemistry, crystallisation fundamentals and thermodynamics. They will perform experimental research for pyrometallurgy, which is done in only a few laboratorys worldwide.

Suitable for: Undergraduate students with an understanding of thermodynamics and inorganic chemistry.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof. Peter Hayes

Further info: Mr Stuart Nicol; [email protected]


Project title: Investigating the experience of chemical engineering students in BE/ME professional placements.


Description: The goal of the overall project is to investigate the learning experiences of students undertaking the industry placement for their Bachelor of Engineering / Master of Engineering (BE/ME) in the School of Chemical Engineering. This study will enable us to paint a rich and thorough picture of students’ experiences during their mandatory placement, which in turn will allow us to further enhance the experience of future students and provide evidence of the usefulness and value of such types of activities for students, academics, and employers. For the summer research program, we are looking for a student to help with the following tasks:

- setting up online survey forms , - conducting pre-test/post-test statistical data analysis with R or

similar statistical software, - performing qualitative data analysis using NVivo or similar text

analysis software - conducting a literature review of relevant work-integrated learning

practices.


By participating in this project, the student will gain experience in conducting an educational research project and more awareness about the reality of engineering practice. The student will be asked to present their work in a final written report and oral presentations during and at the end of the project. Depending on commitment and quality of analysis performed, there could be an opportunity to co-author a conference or a journal manuscript.

Suitable for: Qualities that we are looking for: - enthusiasm for work-integrated-learning - interest in educational research - 3rd or 4th year chemical engineering student - UQ enrolled students only.

Primary Supervisor:

Bev Coulter, Industry Engagement Academic, UQ School of Chemical Engineering Email: [email protected]

Further info: This work will be eligible for EAIT Professional Practice days.

Project title: Enhancing technical writing skills of undergraduate engineering students


Description: The goal of the overall project is to strengthen the writing skills of UQ engineering undergraduate students with a view of improving the performance and employability of our graduates. We have commenced a pilot program of writing instruction embedded across different courses in the School of Chemical Engineering. We will continue to develop these resources and make them available to other Schools in the EAIT Faculty. For the summer research program, we are looking for a student to help with the following tasks:

- Evaluating student feedback data on the value of writing tuition in several chemical engineering courses,

- Reviewing marking rubrics across different chemical engineering courses with a view to improving consistency of message,

- Curating the key technical writing resources from the different courses in Chemical Engineering,

- Making these resources available in a shared platform across EAIT faculty,

- Offering input for further development of technical writing instruction in engineering courses.


By participating in this project, the student will gain experience in the process of engineering curriculum development. They students will also gain more awareness about the value of effective communication in the workplace. The student will be asked to document their work in a written report and an oral presentation at the end of the project.

Suitable for: Qualities that we are looking for: - interest in technical writing - interest in engineering education - 3rd or 4th year chemical engineering student - UQ enrolled students only.

Primary Supervisor:

Bev Coulter, Industry Engagement Academic, UQ School of Chemical Engineering Email: [email protected]

Further info: This work will be eligible for EAIT Professional Practice days.

Project title: Carbon nanotube-based Polymer Nanocomposites by Microwave Irradiation Processing


Description: An alternative and new approach to the fabrication of CNT/polymer composites utilises electromagnetic radiation to generate localised bonding [1]. Several studies over the last seventeen years have shown that when CNTs are exposed to microwaves, strong energy absorption is observed, producing intense heating, outgassing and light emission [2, 3]. In 2003, Imholt et al. first quantified the heat released when they found that a single-walled CNT exposed to microwave irradiation caused a heat release reaching temperatures close to 2000°C [4]. The findings by Imholt et al. has led to studies being conducted on CNT/polymer bonding by microwave irradiation. Theoretically, if CNTs release such intense heat upon microwave irradiation, this heat can be harnessed to prepare CNT/polymer composites by localised heating. Studies around the topic of CNT/polymer bonding by microwave irradiation were first done in 2005 by Zhang et al., and then by Wang et al. in 2007 and Wu et al. in 2012 [5-7]. Zhang et al. demonstrated the feasibility for multiwalled CNTs to weld polymer materials when microwaved. The two subsequent studies optimised simple methods to weld thermoplastics using CNT/polymer composite fillers with microwave irradiation [5]. To date, at UQ, our research team has been able to demonstrate the feasibility of the fabricating CNT/polymer composites by microwave irradiation, the resulting nanocomposites have displayed significant performance [8]. However, much remains to be done on the optimisation of the fabrication process as well as on the physicochemical nature of the CNT-polymer interactions and other fundamental phenomena accompanying the CNTs’ response to the microwaves. Thus, the influence of the processing and intrinsic material parameters on the mechanical and electrical properties of the nanocomposites will be studied in this project. Given the high microwave irradiation energy efficiency and fastness of the irradiation method, polymer nanocomposites by these novel fabrication approach would be suitable competitors to conventional polymer processing methods. References

1. G. &. N. K. Terife, “Properties of carbon nanotube reinforced linear low density polyethylene nanocomposites fabricated by cryogenic ball-milling,” Polymer Composites, vol. 32, no. 12, pp. 2101 - 2109, 2011.

2. U. Mendez and O. &. R. M. Kharissova, “Synthesis and Morphology of Nanostructuresvia Microwave Heating,” Reviews on Advanced Materials Science, vol. 5, pp. 398 - 402, 2003.

3. A. Egar, B. Vladimir and A. &. C. M. Dwight, “Microwave irradiation of pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes in vacuum,” Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 448 - 455, 2010.

4. T. Imholt, C. Dyke, B. Hasslacher, J. Perez, D. Price, J. Roberts, J. Scott, A. Wadhawan and Z. &. T. J. Ye, “Nanotubes in Microwave Fields: Light Emission, Intense Heat, Outgassing and Reconstruction,” Chemistry of Materials, vol. 15, no. 21, pp. 3969 - 3970, 2003.

5. T. Wu, Y. Pan and E. &. L. L. Liu, “Carbon Nanotube/Polypropylene Composite Particles for Microwave Welding,” Jounal of Applied Polymer Science, vol. 126, no. S2, pp. E283 -E289, 2012.

6. C. Wang, T. Chen, S. Chang and S. &. C. T. Cheng, “Strong Carbon-Nanotube-Polymer Bonding by Microwave Irradiation,” Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 1979 - 1983, 2007.

7. M. Zhang, S. Fang, A. Zakhidov, S. Lee, A. Aliev, C. Williams and K. &. B. R. Atkinson,“Strong, transparent, multifunctional carbon nanotube sheets,” Science, vol. 309, no. 5738, pp. 1215 - 1219, 2005.

8. E. Ryan. “Feasibility Assessment and Optimisation of CNT/polyolefin Composites using Microwave Irradiation”, University of Queensland Thesis, Dec 2015.


The scholar will be introduced to the basics of scientific research, and will likely have an opportunity of participating in the publication of an article. The student will write a research report or give an oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitable for: Chemical or Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students, including honours, who have completed at least one year of study at the time of application, as well as Masters Students by coursework.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Byron Villacorta A/Prof Rowan Truss Prof John Zhu

Further info: If interested, please contact [email protected] to discuss the project.


Project title: Strength of Bentonite Plugs under Saline Hydration


Description: Continue work already commenced of strength of hydrated bentonite plugs hydrated in saline waters to understand the pH changes that occur and its effect on plug strength

Suitable for: Best suited for students currently students Chemical Engineering.

Primary Supervisor:

Brian Towler and Heinz-Gerd Holl

Further info: [email protected]

Project title: Strength of Bentonite Plugs with Protective Coatings


Description: Continue work already commenced of strength of hydrated bentonite plugs that have been coated with material designed to maintain integrity during transportation to measure its effect on plug strength

Suitable for: Best suited for students currently students Chemical Engineering.

Primary Supervisor:

Brian Towler and Heinz-Gerd Holl


Project title: Marine degradation of biodegradable polymers (with a specific focus on polyhydroxyalkanoates and thermoplastic starch).

Project

duration: Full-time 6 weeks prior to the start of semester. 1 day per week during semester (approx. 6 months January to July)

Description: The replacement of conventional plastics with marine biodegradable plastics could reduce the issues associated with recalcitrant litter, particularly in the marine environment. However, it is unclear to what extent many biodegradable plastics are actually marine biodegradable. Research in this area is minimal and often does not discuss the fundamental processes involved with marine biodegradation. This means there is the opportunity for research that will offer valuable insight. The aim of this work is to investigate the marine degradability of two biodegradable plastics of interest to our research group – polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and thermoplastic starch (TPS). The project will investigate factors of significance in the marine biodegradation process and try to understand these in terms of fundamental knowledge (as opposed to simply deciding whether the material is/isn’t marine biodegradable). Factors such as thickness of the material, crystallinity of the material, temperature of the water, exposure to light, presence of sand, and presence of different microorganisms could be investigated. The project can take a number of avenues depending on the student’s interest and prior knowledge base and the student will help to develop the direction of the project. Proposed structure of the project: Week 1-2 (Jan): Literature review and discussion of the project. Development of clear aims and a timeline for the project. Week 3-4 (Jan): Laboratory inductions and development of the methodology. Week 5-6 (Feb): Equipment sourcing and production of test materials. During semester: Monitoring of experiments, data collection and data interpretation

Expected

outcomes and

deliverables:

The student would be expected to: In the first 6 weeks (full-time) of the project:

- Complete a literature review upon commencement, highlighting relevant literature;

- Intellectually contribute to development of the experimental methods; - Participate in the design and construction of experimental apparatus;

During semester (1 day per week): - Collect and store all required data and perform some interpretation of

results.

The student will be expected to be capable of working independently with regular communication. At the end of the project, it is expected that you would be capable of completing a formal handover - describing the project in detail and handing over well documented results. If the student has contributed sufficiently to the project (i.e. contributed to the tasks outlined above) they would be included as a co-author on any publications resulting from this research. It is envisioned that a publication relating to this research will be submitted by mid-2018.

Suitable for: UQ enrolled students only, entering at least 3rd year in 2017, with continuing availability during the first half of 2017. A background in chemistry, chemical engineering or marine biology is desired.

Primary

Supervisor: Main point of contact – Leela Dilkes-Hoffman (PhD student) Leela’s supervisors – Dr. Bronwyn Laycock; Dr. Steven Pratt; Prof. Paul Lant.

Further info: Leela Dilkes-Hoffman, [email protected]

Project title: Optimised preparation of lignin based polyol precursors


Description: The development of sustainable and low-cost rigid polyurethane foam is very important for the modern and innovative insulation materials. In this regard, this project aims to prepare the polyol precursors based on the renewable polymers like lignin and/or natural oil polyols. This will be achieved by dispersing lignin at low to industrially operatable temperature range and screening through rheological properties measurements. This will be achieved by studying the dissolution temperature range by thermal analysis, incorporating lignin in various loading in to the specific mixture polyhydric alcohols, screening the blends by rheological measurements.


From this research, the hypothesis of polyhydric alcohol-assisted dispersion of lignin will be understood as a major outcome. The student/intern may gain skills in the laboratory wet-chemical preparative methods, thermal analysis, rheological measurements, data collection and research reports. He/she has a great opportunity to generate publications from his/her research. He/she will require to present the research results in the form of either report or oral group presentation.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from 4th year UQ students or International students with a background on Chemical or Materials Engineering, Chemistry.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof. Darren Martin Dr. Pratheep Kumar Annamalai

Further info: [email protected] [email protected]



Project title: Optimising High Performance Low-temperature Solid Oxide Button Fuel Cell Construction Processes


Description: Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) operating below 500˚C is a very promising energy solution to bridge the current economy driven by fossil fuels to future hydrogen economy because of its high fuel flexibility and high energy efficiency. A high-performance cell requires to consist of a very thin (<10 microns) dense layer of ceria-based electrolyte and electrodes with optimised pore structures and high electroactivity. This project aims to optimise the existing processes to fabricate single button SOFC cells to further improve cell performance through enhancing the coating technique, sealing methods, sintering procedures and milling conditions.


Scholars may gain skills in fuel cell fabrication, electro-material engineering, thin film coating, and have an opportunity to generate publications from their research. Students may also be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitable for: Please highlight any particular qualities that individual supervisors are looking for in applicants to assist with the selection process. This project is open to applications from students with a background in chemical engineering or material engineering, 3-4 year students, UQ enrolled students only.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof. John Zhu, Mengran Li

Further info: Please contact Mengran Li ([email protected]) for more details about this project prior to application submission.


Project title: Mathematical modelling of feedbacks and alternative states in seagrass ecosystems


Description: Seagrass is a threatened ecosystem worldwide due primarily to reduction in water clarity. Once seagrass is lost, several feedbacks may prevent the seagrass from recovering. For example, seagrass reduces sediment resuspension and therefore increases the light availability for its growth in a positive feedback loop. However, once seagrass is lost, the resuspended sediment blocks out the light making it difficult for seagrass to recolonise. Identifying where and when these feedbacks occur is important for informing environmental managers of the true “state” of the seagrass so that suitable actions can be taken to preserve this ecosystem for future generations. However, measuring feedbacks experimentally is very challenging, so model predictions of where and when these feedbacks occur can help to fill this knowledge gap. This project involves ordinary and partial differential equation modelling of feedbacks in seagrass ecosystems, to determine how the local environmental conditions drive the presence, absence or strength of feedbacks in these ecosystems. It is best suited to a highly motivated third or fourth year student who has experience with ordinary and partial differential equation modelling in MATLAB and/or Stella, and is keen to learn how to apply their modelling skills to answer ecological questions. There is no need for fieldwork in this project. A structured and high-quality report of the modelling results is expected at the completion of the project.


The student will learn how to apply their mathematical modelling skills to answer ecological questions, and how to write up their results for scientific dissemination. The student will also gain multidisciplinary experience from working with a team of engineers, modellers and ecologists. Two reports will be required: (1) after 5 weeks, a progress report describing the specific objectives of the modelling and initial results obtained, and (2) after 10 weeks, a structured and high-quality report of the modelling results.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from students with experience in mathematical modelling using ordinary and partial differential equations, especially using MATLAB and/or Stella, and an interest in developing these skills and applying these models to answer real world problems. This would suit a third or fourth year student with a strong mathematics background, but students from earlier years may also be considered based on experience.

Primary supervisor:

Dr Matthew Adams

Further info: For queries prior to submitting an application, email [email protected].


Project title: Human Factors & Industrial Risks


Description: The vision for UQ R!SK is to be a world leader in developing practical and innovative, human-centred operational risk management approaches that deliver real improvements in performance and sustainable competitiveness for hazardous industries. In particular we are interested human-centred risk in the hazardous industries. The specific nature of the project is broad will be determined by the summer scholar based on their areas of interest and through consultation with UQ R!SK leadership and (possibly) an industrial partner.


Literature review

Research proposal

Execution of research (data gathering as per proposal)

Analysis and write-up

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from students with a background in engineering who have completed their 3rd year or beyond. Preference will be given to applicants who have completed either CHEE4002 or MINE4200

Primary Supervisor:

Mr Christopher Lilburne

Further info: For more information please contact both

Chris Lilburne [email protected]

Maureen Hassall [email protected]



Project title: Experimental study of flow behaviour of counter-current multiphase flows in an annulus


Description: This project aims to investigate the dynamic behavior of counter-current gas-liquid flows in the annular geometry of a coal seam gas (CSG) well. The experimental equipment was designed and constructed by mimicking the production zone of a CSG well. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: 1. Identifying flow regimes and transition between regimes of counter-current gas-water flows in an annuls; 2. Measurement of pressure gradient and liquid holdup associated with each flow regime under different operating conditions. For further information on the project please check out http://research.ccsg.uq.edu.au/projects/mathematical-modelling-wellbore-pressure-profiles-csg-pumped-wells


Scholars will gain skills in conducting experiments, collating data and analysing/interpreting the data

Scholars are expected to attend the project weekly meetings and industry update meeting to discuss the experimental findings

Scholars are expected to write a report and present their work to the group at the end of the work

Suitable for: UQ enrolled, 3-4 year engineering students with a background in fluid mechanics.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Mahshid Firouzi

Further info: For further information please contact the supervisor via: [email protected]

http://research.ccsg.uq.edu.au/projects/mathematical-modelling-wellbore-pressure-profiles-csg-pumped-wells

http://research.ccsg.uq.edu.au/projects/mathematical-modelling-wellbore-pressure-profiles-csg-pumped-wells

Project title: Nested Amphiphilic Polymer Coating for Self-cleaning Applications


Description: Current self-cleaning surface treatments mostly use passive approaches based on promoting the removal of dirt either by water droplets rolling off a very hydrophobic surface or water-film sheeting over a very hydrophilic one. This project aims to develop a novel approach for active self-cleaning coatings based on a new class of amphiphilic copolymers. These coatings are engineered to have easy-to-clean features based on the nested amphiphilic structure.


Scholars will gain skills in polymer synthesis and characterisation, wetting and de-wetting phenomena, and have an opportunity to generate publications from their research.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from students with a background in chemistry and chemical engineering.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof Simon Biggs and Dr Tuan Nguyen


Project title: Developing Durable Polymeric Coating Using Mussel-inspired Poly-dopamine Functions


Description: A broad commercial roll-out of current self-cleaning approaches has been restricted mainly because of the poor coating durability of polymer materials. This project aims to develop a new class of amphiphilic copolymers bearing mussel-inspired poly-dopamine functions along their backbones. These newly-developed materials are expected to have durable coating; thus, allowing more diverse applications under harsh conditions, such as desert area, in arid to semi-arid climates (i.e. Australia).


Scholars will gain skills in polymer synthesis and characterisation, and have an opportunity to generate publications from their research.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from students with a background in chemistry and chemical engineering.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof Simon Biggs and Dr Tuan Nguyen


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Project title: Microalloyed high strength spring steel for ... Summer Research... · A report is expected at the end ... Pressure oxidation of gold-bearing sulphide ore Project duration: