QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for Honours, Masters and PhD study. Search to find a topic that interests you or propose your own research topic to a prospective QUT supervisor. You may also ask a prospective supervisor to help you identify or refine a research topic.
Found 31 matching student topics
Displaying 1–12 of 31 results
Development of high value products from mining waste resources
Mining represents one of the largest industry sectors in Australia. It is central to creating 1 million direct or indirect jobs and generates significant wealth to Australia. However, the mining industry produces a substantial amount of waste material which ideally needs to be recycled.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Value-adding waste materials
Many industries generate copious amounts of waste products.Of particular interest are those wastes generated by the mining sector as typically a large fraction of the ore bodies are dumped or the agricultural sector.Potential solutions we are investigating include:converting aluminosilicate waste to zeolitestransforming inorganic waste to catalyst materialscreation of materials for water and wastewater treatmentmaking activated carbonrenewable fuels,
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Green polymer-inorganic composite materials
Composite materials are widely researched and widely used in applications such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, structural components and even the space industry.There is a need to create new composite materials which are environmentally friendly and do not use fossil fuel based products. Moreover, the properties of the composites need to be improved while at the same time minimising the costs involved.Consequently our research group is working on composite materials which not only include inexpensive inorganic fillers from the mining sector …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Developing bio-additives for PFAS waste management
Have you ever wondered how we deal with harmful pollutants like PFAS, the so-called 'forever chemicals'? PFAS are found in everyday items like non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foam, but they don’t break down in the environment. Over time, they build up in water, soil, and even our food, creating serious risks for human health and ecosystems.Managing PFAS is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Traditional methods to remove them are expensive and can produce more …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advanced biosolid treatment: volume reduction and PFAS mitigation
PFAS, often called 'forever chemicals', are among the most persistent and harmful pollutants found in the environment. These substances accumulate in biosolids, a nutrient-rich by-product of wastewater treatment, making it challenging to safely reuse or dispose of them. Biosolid management becomes even more complex due to the large volume produced by treatment facilities, creating a pressing need for innovative solutions that address both PFAS contamination and waste volume reduction.This project focuses on cutting-edge approaches to treat biosolids, reduce their volume, …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Transforming wastewater treatment with anaerobic granular sludge technology
Are you interested in solving real-world environmental challenges? Wastewater treatment is essential for protecting the environment, and anaerobic granular sludge technology is at the forefront of creating sustainable solutions. Think of it as using natural microorganisms to clean water in an energy-efficient way, while also recovering valuable resources like nutrients and energy.In this project, you’ll dive into how anaerobic granular sludge works - tiny but powerful clusters of microbes that improve wastewater treatment by breaking down pollutants. This cutting-edge technology …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Climate change and trustees: powers, duties, responsibilities and liabilities
Trustees have a duty to act in the best interests of beneficiaries. In particular, it has been held that “(w)hen the purpose of the trust is to provide financial benefits for the beneficiaries, as is usually the case, the best interests of the beneficiaries are normally their best financial interests.” (Cowan v Scargill [1985] 1 Ch 270 at 286 per Megarry VC) This may require consideration of not only the economic well-being of the trust fund more generally, but also …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
- Research centre(s)
-
Australian Centre for Health Law Research
Modelling of electrochemical CO2 capture and conversion
Renewable electricity is remarkably cheap, and is only going to get cheaper. However, existing state-of-the-art CO2 capture and conversion processes use thermal energy (typically generated by burning natural gas). This modelling project will investigate electrochemical techniques for capturing CO2 from air (direct air capture) and converting it to useful chemicals and materials.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Understanding public perceptions of the sustainable energy transition: a social network analysis
The challenge to keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, 2023). One major challenge is the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce emissions (Gholami et al., 2016). The share of renewable energy in electricity generation has increased to 28.3%, however, an acceleration of the pace of the transition is required to limit global temperature rise (REN21, 2022).In this project we investigate public …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Data Science
Gamification and serious games to encourage behavioural change in energy consumption
Games have become an integral part of our lives, which is why they are increasingly being used for other purposes than pure entertainment, such as learning, training, informing, or advertising (Degirmenci, 2017). While gamification uses game elements in non-game contexts, serious games are full-fledged games, both aiming to create meaningful engagement and foster desired behaviours (Degirmenci, 2023; Degirmenci and Breitner, 2023).In this project, we investigate how gamification and serious games can help to encourage behavioural change in energy consumption to …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Local sustainable procurement to support a circular local industry in fashion and textiles
The textile industry is one of the world’s largest, with global sales in 2016 of USD 1.5 trillion. It is also one of the most polluting industries, producing 20% of global wastewater, and contributing to 10% of carbon emissions. Fashion generates large amounts of waste, and has negative social and health impacts for workers.According to the European Community Action Plan (ECAP 2019), sustainable procurement has the potential to transform the fashion and textile industry acting as a driver for local …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
- Research centre(s)
-
Design Lab
Exploring the value and potential of hyperlocal gift economies
The Australian federal government has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 to address and reverse the effects of climate change and transition to a circular economy. Achieving net-zero will require a shift in how we use, share and dispose of products, and our relationship to our local communities and planet.In other words, this goal will require an extraordinary shift in the way we ordinarily live. As informal practices of circularity are already happening across Australian neighbourhoods, they have …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
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