In Australia, around 1.4 million tonnes of biosolids were produced in 2021. Land application of biosolids can promote environmental benefits such as: improve soil structure, carbon sequestration, cycling of nutrients as well as realising economic benefits through conserved landfill space, increased crop production and reduced demand for fertilizers. However, biosolids can have negative impacts on the environment if not properly managed.  Currently there is a lack of data on volatile emissions from biosolids when applied to land in Australia. Volatile emissions as well as impacting the environment can contribute to odours which reduce the community acceptance. Variations in volatile emissions can occur due to wastewater origins, biosolids processing, application methods and local conditions. This project aims to 1) identify and collate data from literature and industry on biosolids land application practices in Australia, and 2) measure volatile emissions from different biosolids, biosolids-amended soils and land application methods to inform best practice.

PhD Thesis underway by Thais Nunes Guerrero.

This research considered whether urban water governance, environmental regulation and recreational water quality management impact decisions to either reuse urban wastewater or dispose of it to the environment, and identifies opportunities for reform. Broader outcomes from the research included results being used to inform and support the establishment of a National Outfall Database as part of research by the Marine Biodiversity Hub under the National Environmental Science Programme (NESP).

PhD Thesis completed by Simon Clifford Perraton in June 2015.

This project investigated the relationship between disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in drinking water and the molecular weight distribution of its natural organic matter precursors (NOM) to help increase our understanding of how NOM properties such as size, aromaticity and structure affect DBP formation and toxicity of the formed DBPs.

Honours Thesis completed by Sophie Day in 2012.

This project characterised the acute cytotoxicity of a hydraulic fracturing fluid using a human gastrointestinal cell line and, using this data, contribute to the understanding of potential human health risks posed by Coal Seam Gas (CSG) extraction in Queensland.

Honours Thesis completed by Madeleine Payne in October 2012.

This project developed more sophisticated ways in which to study dissolved organic matter (DOM) from a variety of different water sources (wastewater, dam water etc). To do this, a number of novel techniques were developed and compared to identify how and when these techniques can be used together and what technique is best to use when seeking out specific information of DOM.

PhD Thesis completed by Emma Louise Plant in October 2013.

This project determined the decay rates of E. coli, S. typhimurium, bacteriophage (MS2) and adenovirus in biosolids-amended soil used in agriculture. The die off rates of these pathogens were tested over the duration of the growing season in a wheat crop at sites in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia and in South Australia.

PhD Thesis completed by Karen Rosemary Schwarz in March 2012.

This project aims to better understand chemical and biological hazards in Australia through long-term collection and analysis of wastewater and biosolids. Samples collected during the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Census 2021 will form the basis of a rich and unique databank that describes how communities are exposed to chemical and biological hazards, and how these chemicals/biological agents are released into the environment following wastewater treatment. The previous ARC-funded SewAus Census 2016 project (LP150100364), successfully established the first, globally unique nationwide program for wastewater-based monitoring of chemicals. SewAus Census 2016, demonstrated the utility of integrating wastewater-based monitoring with detailed, accurate data on the population that contributed to the sample from the Census. Demographic and socioeconomic data, such as age or occupation, were used to explain patterns of drug use and other chemical exposure in the population. A wide recognition of the value of this work forms the basis of this new proposal.

Together with existing and new stakeholders and end-users, a follow-up project has been developed to build on the outcomes of SewAus Census 2016 and address a new set of aims. This research has three overarching goals founded on:

• Advancing sampling and analytical methodologies to expand the scope and reach of wastewater-based monitoring in Australia;
• Measuring and understanding spatial and (long-term) temporal trends for chemical and biological hazards, and;
• Improving quantitative understanding of the sources and fate of chemical and biological hazards released to the environment from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

The aim of Project 1127 was to help the water industry better manage and understand contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), through:

• The creation of a CEC database
• The development of a classification system based on source, treatment and effects to facilitate management of CEC by the water industry
• The development of risk assessment approaches based on different classifications (i.e., source, treatment and effects) and integrate this functionality into the database as a prioritisation tool
• Guidance on including CEC into current water quality risk management plans/frameworks (e.g. ADWG, AGWR)

New satellites and drones have the capacity to provide higher resolution images, of larger areas, more often than ever before, but how can water managers and scientists access or use this data, and what will they need to incorporate remotely sensed information into analysis, planning and other decision-making processes? This is a desk-top study to review peer-refereed literature and service providers technical information, with a focus on the remote sensing of parameters relevant to optically complex inland waters.