Assistant Minister for Education, Senator Anthony Chisholm, officially launched the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE). It is transforming the wastewater industry with a trailblazing, city-scale circular economy of nutrients.
Led by the University of Technology, Sydney, NiCE is commercialising nutrient recovery processing technologies. They are demonstrating the uses of the liquid fertiliser produced from industrial and sewerage wastewater.
Senator Chisholm said the Hub’s outcomes would directly benefit Australia’s water utilities, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors.
“The NiCE Research Hub is doing important work to improve urban resilience and produce environmental benefits by reducing the amount of pollutants discharged into waterways,” Senator Chisholm said.
“The Research Hub’s recycling technologies can save significant sewage treatment costs, and they have successfully produced two nutrient-rich fertilisers.”
Circular economy research provides opportunities for the future
The ARC awarded $2,062,428 in 2021 to the University of Technology Sydney to establish NiCE under the Industrial Transformation Research Program.
The Industrial Transformation Research Program engages Australia’s best researchers with critical industry partners in building national capabilities.
“Research Hubs address the challenges facing the new industrial economies. They build a future workforce that can participate seamlessly across industry and universities,” Senator Chisholm said.
The Hubs support collaborative research, focusing on strategic outcomes that would not be achieved independently.
NiCE works with seven partner Universities and over 20 Industry partners.
The ARC advises the Government on research and administers the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), delivering around $800 million annually to the most dynamic researchers in Australia.
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