Welcome to the website for the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology, UNSW

The UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology is located in
the School of Chemical Engineering
at the University of New South Wales

News

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00119164/283

 

Associate Professor Greg Leslie from the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology shared the 2010 National Water Commission Professor Peter Cullen Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation with Professor Bruce Sutton from the faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney. Their work "Salt-Free Farming: The Reverse Osmosis Capable Drip Irrigation System" was described as the most significant irrigation innovation based on theoretical science in at least a decade.

Eureka awards are Australia's most prestigious science awards, presented annually by the Australian Museum to reward excellence in the fields of scientific research & innovation, science leadership, school science and science journalism & communication. The winners of 2010 received their awards at a prestigious ceremony on August 17^th attended by more than 800 of the country's top scientists, politicians and celebrities in the Randwick Pavilion at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Their reverse osmosis capable drip irrigation system lets plants draw water through salt filters in irrigation pipes at their roots, using tiny amounts of energy naturally created by evaporation at their leaves. Described as the most significant irrigation innovation based on theoretical science in at least a decade, this work may soon be providing a lifeline for farms across Australia. It means that in future droughts it may be possible for farmers to efficiently tap into groundwater that would otherwise have remained out of bounds.

 

A new section has been added to this website, detailing the Membrane Autopsy services provided by the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology. For more details visit the Membrane Autopsy section.

 

In 2008, our Centre moved to newly refurbished laboratories on the second floor of the Chemical Sciences Building from our temporary quarters on the 8th floor as part of a multi-million dollar facilities project at UNSW. These laboratories incorporated newly acquired membrane characterisation and fabrication facilities as well as bench scale units for filtration and gas separation experiments. The move required enormous effort and patience by our staff and students to keep the projects running smoothly during the transition.

The Centre has also acquired as part of ARC-LIEF grants access to LCD-OCD Liquid Chromatography – organic carbon and nitrogen detectors (LC-OCND) and other state of the art analysis for water and wastewater treatment. These facilities have enhanced our ability to carry out a growing number of membrane autopsies for industry as well as support research projects.

We have expanded the portfolio of research activities in the area of membrane synthesis and fabrication for mitigation of membrane fouling as well as development of enhanced membranes for carbon dioxide removal from natural gas. Our work in desalination now ranges from studies of biofouling, energy analysis, and pretreatment in reverse osmosis to potential applications to drip irrigation. Our membrane bioreactor work continues to expand in the direction of anaerobic systems as well as advanced foulant characterization. We expect that alternative membrane technologies in desalination and water treatment and greenhouse gas capture will provide further opportunities for the Centre as energy issues expand in importance.
 

Prof. Vicki Chen
Director

 

The Membrane Research Environment is a collaborative project aimed at providing a comprehensive resource for researchers in the area of separation membrane materials and in particular those related to desalination membrane processes. The Membrane library website is now accessible here.

 

Many research projects based on Membrane Bioreactors are currently carried out in The UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology. More details about this technology and the work done at UNSW could be found here.

 

Direct observation of the fouling formation and removal during the filtration of an alginate-bentonite mixture was presented during the Euromembrane Conference, Italy. The videos can be viewed by clicking here. More details about this project will be published soon.

 

Sydney Morning Herald Article 19th April 2004 by Associate Professor Greg Leslie
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Contact Information

	Mail:	The UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology School of Chemical Engineering The University of New South Wales UNSW Sydney, 2052, Australia
	Tel:	+61-2 9385 4813
	Fax:	+61-2 9385 5966
	E-mail:	Click here
	URL:	http://www.membrane.unsw.edu.au/

Links

• Cooperative Research Centres (CRC)
• The Cooperative Research Centre for Green House Gas Technologies (CO2CRC)
• The Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW
• UNSW Water Research Centre
• School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW
• Membrane Society of Australasia (MSA)
• Water Quality Research Australia (WQRA)
• Membrane-Based Desalination: An Integrated Approach (MEDINA)
• Singapore Membrane Technology Centre
• Membrane technology group, University of Twente, The Netherlands

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