Professor Paul Munroe and Dr Sara Tahery, a Research Fellow in Materials Science and Engineering, successfully applied for a grant entitled “Engineering Novel Carbon Amendments” as part of The Soil Science Challenge.
The Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment (DAWE), and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have co-invested a sum of $1,395,000 in this project to improve Australia’s soil carbon sequestration, with only 10% of grant applications being successful.
As a resource, soil is the backbone of 98.8% of all human foods. UNSW, in collaboration with the University of Newcastle (UON), and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) are aiming to utilise the applications of novel amendments to soils as a means to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide to reduce the environmental effects of greenhouse gasses.
Professor Munroe and Dr Tahery are the Chief Investigators of this research project at UNSW. They will investigate minerals, such as lime, together with carbon-based materials to create surface-functionalised high-efficiency nanocomposites which if added to soil can act to accelerate plant growth and capture atmospheric CO2. Alongside other collaborators from UON and NSW DPI, preliminary studies supporting this multidisciplinary collaboration have yielded amazing results in accelerating crop growth, harbouring outstanding potential in Australia’s food production and security.
So, congratulations to Professor Munroe, Dr Tahery and their team for their brilliant work for the future of Australia’s agriculture.