This project investigated Metabolomics-based applications (LC-MS and GC-MS) to advance cyanobacterial toxin detection and analysis in water to:
• Understand the biochemical triggers for cyanobacterial blooms.
• Identification of any new potential toxins produced from blooms.
• Assess the application of metabolomics  for the rapid detection of cyanobacterial toxins and identification of unknown toxins.
• Asses the cost effectiveness and time efficient technique.
• Characterise the biomolecules present in bloom as toxins are produced.

Thesis underway.

Viruses are responsible for more than 50% of all health-care associated gastroenteritis. Of those, norovirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis and adenovirus which  can cause a wide range of clinical diseases. Molecular surveillance of these viruses is essential to identifying prevalent strains that link to epidemics. This is the first Australian study to assess population-level epidemiology of norovirus and adneovirus, highlighting the benefits of using both clinical and environmental samples for surveillance of viruses circulation within the population. A better understanding of the viral strains’ distribution enhances the development of successful vaccines.

PhD Thesis completed by Jennifer Hoi Yin Lun in August 2018.

This research identified and validated the impacts of particle-pathogen association on the disinfection of various microorganisms in the treated wastewater effluents.

PhD Thesis completed by Charndeep Chahal in April 2020.

Anabaena circinalis, is a commonly occurring cyanobacterial species in Australian source waters. Its presence poses a number of health and aesthetic issues for drinking water quality due to its production of secondary metabolites. This project isolated and characterised a novel toxic fraction from the Anabaena culture.

Honours Thesis completed by Stefania Sotora in November 2012.

This project addressed the removal rate of ammonia by microorganisms and designed a pathogen survey to establish the level of contaminants present within influent water at the Aquifer storage and recovery site at the Aldinga Aquifer.

Honours Thesis completed by Kimberly A. Sieburn in November 2011.

Wastewater must be treated to remove four classes of pollutants to levels that regulators consider safe for discharge to the environment: these are nutrients, micropollutants, total suspended solids and pathogens. Utilities are granted licenses to discharge based on the performance of their wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and legislation-derived guidelines which consider the social, economic, and environmental impacts of wastewater discharge. The problem is that there are substantial interpretative differences between States and jurisdictions. This research established a standard risk assessment framework that provides a transparent method for assessing the relative benefits of different disposal and treatment options, and which can be applied uniformly across Australia.

Water treatment by micro- or ultrafiltration, or reverse osmosis is applied to a range of purposes, including recycling wastewater or reducing contamination sufficiently to make it safe for discharge to the environment. The problem is that membranes age, foul, are blocked by compounds in the feedwater and stop working. Ceramic membranes last longer and are more resistant to cleaning and defouling processes than other types of membranes. This research used a 25m2 ceramic microfiltration membrane pilot plant installed downstream of an ozone disinfection process to examine the effect of the integrated combination of these two units on turbid (3-5 NTU), highly fouling secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant. Adding coagulation with ‘PAC’ to the process stream more than doubled (flux) flows through the membrane. The pathogen indicators E. coli and MS2 were used to calculate Log Removal Values of >3.2 and 4 for protozoans and viruses respectively. It was concluded that the hybrid ozone-PAC – ceramic membrane treatment process was highly effective for treating and recycling challenging wastewaters.