Commercialising technologies to convert wastes
Congratulations to CIES Top Researcher A/Prof Ailar Hajimohammadi!
A CIES project creating construction materials from thermal treatment facility wastes has been awarded $2.7 million in the latest round of the federal government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) funding.
The CRC-P Program supports collaborations between industry, researchers, and the community. The focus is on linking researchers with industry to develop products with commercial uses.
UNSW in collaboration with Enviropacific and Flexiroc Australia will commercialise technologies to convert wastes from thermal treatment facilities and soil washing residues into value-added products for construction.
UNSW Engineering Associate Professor Ailar Hajimohammadi at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering will lead the UNSW research, contributing to a move towards a circular economy in Australia. Her CIES research colleagues are Dr Ali Kashani, Dr Taehwan Kim, and Scientia & PSM Professor Nasser Khalili.
‘Australia is facing a shortage of landfill space, prompting a shift towards Energy from Waste technologies’, A/Prof Hajimohammadi said.
‘This project aims to explore the potential of these wastes as supplementary cementitious materials. Success of this collaboration will lead to new industries, increased productivity, and alignment with the circular economy.’
Professor Nicholas Fisk, UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research & Enterprise, said he was thrilled to see UNSW leading the way in Australia alongside the University of Melbourne, in this round of CRC-P projects. ‘This program enables Australia’s top researchers to work with innovative industry partners to take new technologies to market,’ Prof Fisk said.
About A/Prof Hajimohammadi:
Dr Hajimohammadi received her PhD on sustainable construction materials from the University of Melbourne in 2011. She worked in an international company for four years as a consultant and did three years of postdoctoral research before joining the faculty at UNSW Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2019.
Ailar’s research examines the chemistry of materials to develop innovative construction elements with attractive properties. She investigates waste management and resource recovering strategies towards circular economy.
She is particularly interested in and research active in sustainable and resilient construction materials, waste minimization and resource recovery in civil and construction, and advanced materials for sustainable infrastructure.
