Our Research
The Fermentation and Wastewater Laboratory brings together a team of researchers with a range of interdisciplinary backgrounds that are pertinent to fermentation, water and wastewater treatment.
In particular, we focus on the following areas of research:
- Process integration and process optimisation in effluent treatment plants
- Advanced tertiary treatment technologies
- Fermentation Optimisation and Kinetics
Grants for Our Research - Current Projects
- ARC Linkage - Yield Improvement in Large-scale Bubble Column Fermenters
Prof Geoffrey W Barton, Dr John M Kavanagh and Adjunct Prof David Fletcher - ARC Linkage - New Fermentation and Purification Production Technologies for Menaquinone-7 for Promoting Bone and Cardiovascular Health
A/Prof Fariba Dehghani, Dr John M Kavanagh - ARC Linkage - Measurement and Prevention of Membrane Fouling for Water Reuse in Biorefineries
Prof Hans G Coster, Prof Geoffrey W Barton, Dr Daniel R Ryan, Dr Cormac O'Cleirigh, Dr John M Kavanagh
Recent Field Work
February 2008 - India
Dr Ryan visited NEERI and attended the Water Crisis – Challenges and Opportunities conference in Nagpur.
December 2007 - Vietnam
Assisted electrocoagulation pilot trials for organic wastewater treatment.
August 2007 - India
Visited prominent research groups at the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), ICT Mumbai (formerly UICT) and IIT Mumbai.
Future Projects
- Cellulosic Ethanol Wastewater
Past Projects
- ARC Linkage Grant - Electrocoagulation
The purpose of this ARC Linkage Project was to develop a conceptual framework and a phenomenological model that describes the electrocoagulation of aqueous organic pollutants.