R. J. (Dick) Haynes
The University of Queensland, Australia

 

Biography: Professor Haynes works in the areas of soil and environmental science. His present research interests are in the use and recycling of industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes and minimising their effects on the environment. He has extensive experience having worked as both an applied research scientist and as a university professor and has worked in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. He has published over 170 original research papers in international journals, over 20 review papers in international volumes as well as many conference and extension papers and contract reports. He has been an invited keynote speaker at 7 international conferences and has served on the editorial board of 4 international research journals. He has acted as principal supervisor and co-supervisor of PhD, MSc and honours students in both South Africa and Australia. Professor Haynes has carried out research in commercial horticultural, pastoral, arable and forestry production as well as in small-holder semi subsistence agriculture. He has also worked on bioremediation of soils contaminated with organic pollutants, rehabilitation of mined sites, application of organic and inorganic wastes to soils and the effects of heavy metal contaminants on soil processes. His research has been mainly in the areas of applied soil chemistry and soil microbiology/biology with links to soil physical properties and to pollution of air and water. He has specialised in working on applied problems and maintains strong links with industry. Major areas of research have included the role of grazing animals in the fertility of pastoral soils, N cycling and gaseous and leaching losses from arable and pastoral systems, soil quality and soil degradation under agricultural land use, effects of soil contaminants on soil processes, rehabilitation and remediation of contaminated, degraded and mined sites and use of wastes as soil amendments

 

Speech title "Engineered soil as a bulk use for bauxite processing waste"

Abstract-Bauxite residue is produced in large amounts as a waste product from alumina refineries. It is alkaline and saline-sodic and is normallystockpiled in storage/disposal areas close to the refinery. Indeed, after over 50 years of research and hundreds of patents and publications, global use of residue is estimated to be only 2-3%. A possible bulk use for the residue is in the production of engineered soil for use in landscaping. A project was initiated in association with Emirates Global Aluminium to produce engineered soil from bauxite residue produced at the Al Taweelah reifinery in the UAE. The residue was first acidified and then leached to remove excess salts. Green waste compost was added at a rate of 10% w/w and the product was then dried, crushed and sieved and the chemical, physical and microbial properties of the materials characterized. The procedure resulted in a product with an ECwater of about 1 mS cm-1, a pHwater of about 7.9 and an ESP of 35-45%. Over time the exchangeable Na concentration and ESP declined further as Na was released from Na-containing minerals (e.g. sodalite) and was then removed by leaching and/or plant uptake. The addition of compost during Turba manufacture resulted in an increase in total and soluble organic C and production of a large active soil microbial community. The TCLP-leaching proceedure showed that extractable metal concentrations were an order of magnitude below allowable limits and the material can be considered as a non-hazardous substance. Extensive greenhouse experiments have been carried out which have shown grass yields are consistently greater in Turba than dune sand (the major growth medium in the UAE). A pilot plant is presently being built in the Abu Dhabi so the material can field-tested under UAE conditions

 

 

Sunil Herat
Griffith University, Australia
Program Director of the Master of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control

 

Biography: Sunil Herat is an Associate Professor in Waste Management and Circular Economy at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He is the Program Director of the Master of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control. He is a member of the Expert Subsidiary Group of Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum of Asia and Pacific, managed by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development. A/Prof Herat has over 20 years' experience in waste management, particularly on issues and challenges related to developing economies. He is an expert on training programs in municipal solid waste management, hazardous waste management and cleaner production and eco-efficiency, and circular economy and has extensive experience in training waste management professionals within Australia and around the world. He has conducted training and capacity building programs in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand, and Pacific Islands (Fiji). His latest training programs involve tackling marine pollution issues through plastic waste management and waste to energy for Indonesia's government officials. He is also actively engaged in the revision of environmental regulations in Vietnam.

A/Prof Herat has an active research interest in solid and hazardous waste management, especially in developing countries. He is an adviser to the United Nations on issues related to managing electronic waste (E-waste) in developing countries with a particular focus on policy development and regulatory aspects. He is also researching issues associated with implementing 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) activities in developing countries primarily related to E-waste and plastic waste regarding policy aspects such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). He is also a contributor to the United Nations publication GEO 6.

 

Speech title "Circular economy approach towards solving the E-waste problem"

Abstract-Disposing of used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), also known as E-waste or WEEE, is a significant problem for many countries worldwide. United Nations estimates that the world generated 62 million metric tonnes (Mt) of e-waste in 2022, mainly from Asia. Poor recycling of E-waste in developing countries has led to significant environmental and human health issues due to the toxic compounds contained in E-waste. E-waste also contains valuable metals worth recovering. However, environmentally sound management (ESM) of e-waste is either absent or limited in developing countries due to the dominance of the informal recycling sector and the need for more resources. Many countries are in the process of developing regulations based on extended producer responsibility (EPR) concepts. This presentation aims to review the current status, issues, and challenges faced by Asia Pacific countries and explore the application of the circular economy approach as a way forward for the ESM of e-waste.

 

 

Rouzbeh Abbassi
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Director of Research at the School of Engineering of Macquarie University
 

Biography: Dr Rouzbeh Abbassi is a Professor and Director of Research at the School of Engineering of Macquarie University. Upon completing his PhD at Memorial University in 2009, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Memorial University and a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. Subsequently, he was a senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania. He is a recognized researcher in the field of risk and safety engineering and its applications to complex systems, such as chemical plants and energy facilities. His research interests consist of developing methodologies and models for integrated risk, safety, and environmental management and their applications to offshore and onshore energy facilities. This includes multidisciplinary research on safety, risk management, asset integrity, human reliability engineering, and sustainable engineering processes. He has been a CI/Co-CI on $9M+ research grants from various government and industry sectors. He has published over 200 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings (current citations: 10,665; h-index: 58). He is an editor for the Journal of Process Safety and Environmental Protection, Associate Editor of the Journal of Safety in Extreme Environments, Regional Editor for the International Journal of Reliability and Safety, and a member of the editorial board for Chemical Engineering Journal, and Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries.

Speech title "Insights into Risk and Safety Strategies for Sustainable Energy Facilities"

Abstract-The sustainable expansion of energy facilities requires robust risk and reliability management to provide sufficient confidence in industry and the public for safe deployment and operational procedures, with a strong focus on minimizing environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle. Assessing the risks associated with the operation of these facilities should be an integral part of their entire life cycle, including design, installation, operation, and decommissioning. In this presentation, innovative methodologies based on multi-criteria decision-making and quantitative risk analysis will be discussed to systematically evaluate and manage the risks throughout the lifecycle of energy facilities. These approaches aim to identify potential hazards, quantify associated risks, and support decision-making processes that enhance the safety, reliability, and sustainability of energy systems. Specific case studies from the energy industry, such as offshore wind and hydrogen facilities, will illustrate how these methodologies can be applied to ensure robust risk management from design to decommissioning, addressing both technical and operational challenges.

 

 

 

Kaimin Shih
The University of Hong Kong

 

Biography: Kaimin Shih is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning - UG) of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. He received his Ph.D. and postdoctoral training in the Environmental Engineering and Science program at Stanford University. After joining the University of Hong Kong, Professor Shih established and led the “Environmental Materials Research Group” in 2007. Their work primarily involves engineering and employing material properties for innovative environmental and energy applications. Professor Shih is particularly interested in exploring waste-to-resources strategies, new environmentally-friendly products, electronic waste and its recycling, pollutant behavior at solution-solid interfaces, advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment, and the fate and transport of environmentally persistent pollutants. Professor Shih has published 300+ SCI journal articles with 15,000+ citations (h-index 69), authored 8 book chapters, and edited 2 books. He is ranked as the Top 1% Researcher worldwide by Clarivate Analytics in his research field. Professor Shih is currently the Editor of the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering (Impact Factor: 7.4), and Associate Editors of Waste Management (Impact Factor: 7.1), and Sustainable Environment Research (Impact Factor: 4.6). Professor Shih was the President of the Overseas Chinese Environmental Engineers and Scientists Association (OCEESA), Chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association (HKWMA), and President of the American Society of Civil Engineers - Greater China Section (ASCE-GCS). Professor Shih also received the University of Hong Kong 2014 Outstanding Teaching Award for contributing to environmental engineering and sustainability education.

 

Speech title "Reliable Waste Stabilization and Resource Recovery Strategies Assisted by Quantitative Mineral Phase Analysis Technique"

Abstract-Substantial material resource recovery opportunities from waste exist in the urban environment to support more sustainable developments. However, reliably producing safe and quality recoverable requires in-depth environmental materials studies and state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization technologies. For example, the quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) technique can accurately monitor the transformation of mineral phases during the beneficial use of waste sludge and ashes for ceramic products in the construction industry. The quantitative mineral phase analysis technique in such an application can quantitatively describe the behavior and outcome of the concerned hazardous metals in their waste stabilization effects. The work of recovering metallic lead from waste cathode ray tube (CRT) glass also serves as an excellent example to reflect how the quantitative mineral phase analysis technique assisted in the strategy of transforming urban electronic waste into new metal resources. Lastly, the demonstration of recovering phosphorus from wastewater streams as quality slow-releasing fertilizer for agriculture applications leads to new solutions to tackle critical resource challenges with the fast-developing waste-to-resource strategies worldwide.