The Australian Furnishing Association (AFA) has the support of industry leaders, representing all areas of furnishing, to help tackle the problem of excessive waste, product contamination and unsustainability in the sector. The Australian Furnishing Industry Product Stewardship Taskforce was convened earlier this year, in support of Australian Government initiatives aimed at establishing a Centre of [...]
Engineers at Monash University have come up with an improved method to remove potentially deadly bacteria, such as E. coli, from water using graphitic carbon nitride and sunlight. The international team, led by Professor Xiwang Zhang in Monash University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, combined graphitic carbon nitride with polyethylenimine (PEI) to destroy harmful pathogens [...]
Adelaide aerial mapping specialist, Aerometrex, has developed what is believed to be a world-breakthrough in new technology able to determine, in three dimensions, the exact fuel load densities in any bushfire prone region. The move is expected to bring a critical new pre-emptive fire-fighting tool in time for emergency and government authorities to use during [...]
The average cost of a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell—used to power electric vehicles and to provide flexibility in the power grid as more renewables, such as solar and wind, are added—will fall below $100 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in the next three years, according to a new analysis by IHS Markit. The average cost of [...]
Volvo Group’s American subsidiary Mack Trucks has announced plans to commercialize the Mack® LR Electric, its revolutionary refuse model equipped with a fully electric integrated Mack drivetrain. Orders for the Mack LR Electric will open in Q4 2020, with deliveries beginning in 2021. “Mack’s leadership in the refuse segment goes back more than a [...]
Researchers from RMIT University have developed an eco-friendly zero-cement concrete, which all but eliminates corrosion. Concrete corrosion and fatbergs plague sewage systems around the world, leading to costly and disruptive maintenance. But now RMIT engineers have developed concrete that can withstand the corrosive acidic environment found in sewage pipes, while greatly reducing residual lime [...]
In the midst of Australia’s ongoing bushfire crisis, we would like to use this opportunity to ask you, our many thousands of readers, to join us and do what you can to help those who have been impacted by the fires – many of whom have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their stock, their crops… [...]
Leading Australian wheelie bin manufacturer Mastec is seeking unspecified damages against Trident Plastics, following the recent Federal Court ruling which found Trident guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct. The Federal Court action, which was launched by Mastec in 2016, was centred around Trident’s unlawful use of confidential drawings owned by Mastec to produce its own [...]
Stantec, a global engineering, consulting and construction firm, along with joint venture partner GHD has been awarded a $14.5 million design services contract by WaterNSW for the Warragamba Dam Raise west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The Warragamba Dam Raising Concept Design will look to increase the height of the existing dam, allowing [...]
New research by Washington-based Orb Media, a non-profit journalism organization, has indicated that a single litre of bottled water can contain thousands of micro-plastic particles. Exclusive tests by Orb Media on more than 250 bottles from 11 leading brands worldwide reveal widespread contamination with plastic debris including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), according to [...]
