Sustainable reuse of storm/waste-water resources : a review on solar photocatalytic purification processes

In recent years, there has been a significant amount of research and development in the area of solar photocatalysis. This paper reviews and summarizes the mechanism of photocatalytic oxidation process, types of photocatalyst, and the factors influencing the photoreactor efficiency and the most recent findings related to solar detoxification and disinfection of water contaminants. Various solar reactors for photocatlytic water purification are also briefly described. The future potential of solar photocatlysis for storm water treatment and reuse is also discussed to ensure sustainable use of solar energy and storm water resources.

CFD Simulation of turbulence promoters in a water treatment reactor

A new immobilized flat plate photocatalytic reactor for wastewater treatment has been proposed in this study to avoid subsequent catalyst removal from the treated water. The reactor consists of an inlet, reactive section where catalyst is coated and an outlet parts. In order to optimize the fluid mixing and reactor design, this study aims to investigate the influence of baffles and its arrangement on the flat plate reactor hydrodynamics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. For simulation, an array of baffles acting as turbulence promoters is inserted in the reactive zone of the reactor. In this regard, results obtained from the simulation of a baffled- flat plate photoreactor hydrodynamics for different baffle positions, heights and intervals are presented utilizing RNG k-ε turbulence model. Under the conditions simulated, the qualitative flow features, such as the development and separation of boundary layers, vortex formation, the presence of high shear regions and recirculation zones, and the underlying mechanism are examined. The influence of various baffle sizes on the distribution of pollutant concentration is also highlighted. The results presented here indicate that the spanning of recirculation increases the degree of interfacial distortion with a larger interfacial area between fluids which results in substantial enhancement in fluid mixing. The simulation results suggest that the qualitative and quantitative properties of fluid dynamics in a baffled reactor can be obtained which provides valuable insight to fully understand the effect of baffles and its arrangements on the flow pattern, behaviour, and feature.

Noir and the urban imaginary

Noir and the Urban Imaginary is creative practice based PhD research comprising critical analysis (40%) exegesis (10%) and a twenty-six minute film, The Brisbane Line (50%). The research investigates intersection of four elements; the city, the cinema, history and postmodernity. The thesis discusses relationships between each of the four elements and what cinematic representation of cities reveals about modern and postmodern urban experience and historicisation. Key concepts in the research include, 'urbanism', 'historiography', 'modernity', 'postmodernity', 'neo-noir'.

Atmospheric deposition as a source of stormwater pollution in Gold Coast, Australia

Atmospheric deposition is one of the most important pollutant pathways for urban stormwater pollution. Atmospheric deposition can be in the form of dry and wet depositions which have distinct characteristics in terms of pollutant types, pollutant sources and influential parameters. This paper discusses the outcomes of a comprehensive study undertaken to identify the characteristics of wet and dry deposition of pollutants. Sample collection was undertaken at eight study sites with distinct characteristics. Four sites were close to road sites with varying traffic characteristics, whilst the other four sites had different land use characteristics. Dry deposition samples were collected for different antecedent dry days and wet deposition samples were collected immediately after rainfall events. The dry deposition was found to increase with the antecedent dry days and consisted of relatively coarser particles (greater than 1 µm) when compared to wet deposition. The wet deposition showed a strong affinity to rainfall depth, but was not related to the antecedent dry period. It was also found that smaller size particles (less than 1 µm) travel much longer distances from the source and deposit mainly with the wet deposition

Stiffness and damping coefficients of 3-axial groove water lubricated bearing using perturbation technique

A Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is used to model fluid flow in a journal bearing with three equi-spaced axial grooves and supplied with water from one end. Water is subjected to both velocity (Couette) & pressure induced (Poiseuille) flow. The working fluid passing through the bearing clearance generates driving force components that may increase the unstable vibration of the rotor. It is important to know the accurate rotor dynamic force component for predicting the instability of rotor bearing systems. In this paper a study has been made to obtain the stiffness and damping coefficients of 3 axial groove bearing using Perturbation technique.

Water rights and water governance : a cautionary tale and the case for interdisciplinary governance

Although Australia is the world’s driest continent without the complication of international borders and a generally good governance reputation, its record of water governance is very poor. This chapter considers some of the potentially general lessons that might be derived for water governance. These include: the difficulties of delineatingwater rights; the apparent preference for creating property rights in unsustainable uses of water while failing to deliver basic water rights; the inter twining of carbon and water crises; the dangers of privatising networks that form natural monopolies; the dangers of disciplinary hubris where interdisciplinary understanding is critical. It concludes by starting to address some of the water governance issues raised by globalisation.

Urban informatics, ubiquitous computing and social media for healthy cities

The increasing ubiquity of digital technology, internet services and location-aware applications in our everyday lives allows for a seamless transitioning between the visible and the invisible infrastructure of cities: road systems, building complexes, information and communication technology, and people networks create a buzzing environment that is alive and exciting. Driven by curiosity, initiative and interdisciplinary exchange, the Urban Informatics Research Lab at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia, is an emerging cluster of people interested in research and development at the intersection of people, place and technology with a focus on cities, locative media and mobile technology. This paper introduces urban informatics as a transdisciplinary practice across people, place and technology that can aid local governments, urban designers and planners in creating responsive and inclusive urban spaces and nurturing healthy cities. Three challenges are being discussed. First, people, and the challenge of creativity explores the opportunities and challenges of urban informatics that can lead to the design and development of new tools, methods and applications fostering participation, the democratisation of knowledge, and new creative practices. Second, technology, and the challenge of innovation examines how urban informatics can be applied to support user-led innovation with a view to promote entrepreneurial ideas and creative industries. Third, place, and the challenge of engagement discusses the potential to establish places within cities that are dedicated to place-based applications of urban informatics with a view to deliver community and civic engagement strategies.

An evaluation of alternative media for pebble matrix filtration using clay balls and recycled crushed glass

Protecting slow sand filters (SSFs) from high-turbidity waters by pretreatment using pebble matrix filtration (PMF) has previously been studied in the laboratory at University College London, followed by pilot field trials in Papua New Guinea and Serbia. The first full-scale PMF plant was completed at a water-treatment plant in Sri Lanka in 2008, and during its construction, problems were encountered in sourcing the required size of pebbles and sand as filter media. Because sourcing of uniform-sized pebbles may be problematic in many countries, the performance of alternative media has been investigated for the sustainability of the PMF system. Hand-formed clay balls made at a 100-yearold brick factory in the United Kingdom appear to have satisfied the role of pebbles, and a laboratory filter column was operated by using these clay balls together with recycled crushed glass as an alternative to sand media in the PMF. Results showed that in countries where uniform-sized pebbles are difficult to obtain, clay balls are an effective and feasible alternative to natural pebbles. Also, recycled crushed glass performed as well as or better than silica sand as an alternative fine media in the clarification process, although cleaning by drainage was more effective with sand media. In the tested filtration velocity range of ð0:72–1:33Þ m=h and inlet turbidity range of (78–589) NTU, both sand and glass produced above 95% removal efficiencies. The head loss development during clogging was about 30% higher in sand than in glass media.