Three University of Adelaide projects have received grants under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grants scheme.
The University of Adelaide will collaborate with industrial partners to develop new styles of wine, explore renewable natural hydrogen, and recover critical minerals.
“This funding will help University of Adelaide researchers to collaborate with key industry partners on research that will benefit Australia’s wine, mining and renewable energy sectors,” Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Laura Parry said.
“By working in tandem with industry, we can make a tangible difference to the future sustainability of our planet and the well-being of its people,” Professor Parry stated.
Advancement of Australian lifestyle wines
A roughly $3 million grant will support an Australian Vintage Ltd project to make wines with lower alcohol and calorie content than classic varieties. An interdisciplinary team led by Professor Kerry Wilkinson and Dr Armando Corsi from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and the Adelaide Business School will collaborate on the study with colleagues from the Australian Wine Research Institute. Wine industry partners include Drinkwise Australia Limited, Flavourtech Pty Ltd, Tarac Technologies Pty Ltd, S. Smith & Son Pty Ltd, Treasury Wine Estates Vintners Limited, Danstar Ferment AG, Mauri Yeast Australia Pty Limited, and Chr. A/S Hansen.
According to the University, the Australian wine industry has the potential to be a global leader in producing these new “lifestyle wines.” To realise this goal, industry-focused research is required to manufacture, promote, and sell no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) wines that surpass customer expectations.
This CRC-P will draw on the resources and skills of a consortium of industry stakeholders and world-renowned researchers to solve critical NOLO winemaking challenges such as microbial stability and shelf-life, flavour capture and re-use, mouthfeel and textural deficiencies, and NOLO wine image.
The University noted that the approach will deliver growth in global markets and, as a result, economic benefits for the wine sector.
Accelerating exploration and extraction of renewable natural hydrogen
As a partner on a project to boost the exploration and development of renewable natural hydrogen, Professor Graham Heinson, Professor Simon Holford, and Associate Professor Rosalind King from the School of Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Resources received a $863,000 grant.
This initiative, led by Australian-owned renewable natural hydrogen technology company H2EX, will enable green and passive exploration approaches to speed up the discovery of natural hydrogen.
The extraction solutions research will present a clear path to drill and extract the lowest-cost hydrogen, which is projected to be up to 75% cheaper than developing hydrogen.
This CRC-P project, which includes the Australian National University and engineering consultancy Black & Veatch as partners, will help Australia maintain its competitive advantage and highly regarded technical and engineering expertise while creating significant export opportunities.
In-Place Recovery: Solution mining of critical minerals
The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources and the School of Chemical Engineering’s Associate Professor Chaoshui Xu and Professor Peter Dowd will collaborate on a $2,415,000 grant-funded project with the mining and mining-services companies Orica Australia Pty Ltd, OZ Minerals Limited, and Core Resources Pty Ltd.
The University said mining companies must adopt innovative technology to tackle the difficult challenge of rising demand for critical minerals while committed to sustainability.
In-place recovery allows for mineral extraction without bringing the rock mass to the surface, resulting in increased safety, cheaper costs, less energy and water usage, and no tailings.
Through laboratory testing, the creation of an accurate modelling tool, and proof of concept via in-field demonstration, the project will study the possibility of in-place recovery as an environmentally-friendly solution.
According to the University, all partners will benefit from the established collaboration under the CRC-P framework and develop their capacities for emerging sustainable mining methods.
