Australian researchers unlock path to scaling gas made from waste

New research has shown how Australian energy companies and waste management firms can safely turn organic waste, such as food scraps, sewage and animal waste, into clean gas for homes and businesses.

University of Melbourne

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From left: Mr Sharin Fernando, Professor Mohsen Talei and Mr Kha Meng Ng.

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Credit: University of Melbourne.

New research has shown how Australian energy companies and waste management firms can safely turn organic waste, such as food scraps, sewage and animal waste, into clean gas for homes and businesses.

Led by Professor Mohsen Talei from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, the research team identified the critical specifications for optimal biomethane quality, making it more cost effective to produce and informing the latest update of Australian Standards for use by energy producers.

The revised standard now recognises biomethane as a natural gas equivalent and introduces new contaminant limits. It gives distributors, manufacturers and regulators a shared foundation to work from and clears the path for biomethane to enter Australia's gas networks safely and at scale.

“Converting waste into renewable energy supports circular-economy principles, reduces methane emissions and capitalises on existing gas infrastructure serving millions of homes and industries,” Professor Talei said.

Funded by Future Fuels CRC, the team used computer modelling and built a custom-made burner to understand how tiny compounds found in biomethane, a renewable gas, affect everyday appliances, in a push to facilitate scaling this repurposed energy source.

Biomethane, or Renewable Natural Gas, is a near-pure source of methane derived from organic waste broken down by microorganisms in oxygen-free tanks, to produce biogas. It can replace fossil natural gas for heating, electricity and transport, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The fuel crisis has put pressure on Australia’s energy system, driving a 42% surge in EV sales during March, but electrification alone cannot replace all fossil fuels, particularly for heavy transport and industry use.

A NSW demonstration project, the Malabar Biomethane Facility, has proved that biomethane can be upgraded and safely injected into Australia’s gas pipelines. According to a Blunomy and Energy Networks Australia study, Australia could potentially recover enough biomethane from waste to offset 96 per cent of the East Coast’s demand for gas, purifying biomethane to scale its use nationally is a demanding process.

“One of the main challenges is fully removing a compound named siloxane, which comes from household products like deodorants and shampoos. When burned in biomethane, siloxane leaves a glass-like coating on appliances, making them less effective and damaging them over time,” Professor Talei said.

“Our research findings help to determine exactly how much siloxane needs to be removed to nationally scale the use of biomethane as an energy source.”

The team simulated how gas flow, temperature and chemical reactions influence the formation of this glass-like coating under a wide range of conditions.

“By combining simulation outcomes and experimental data, we developed a framework to predict how much siloxane can be present for appliances to still run reliably, even at concentrations too low to study experimentally,” he said.

Professor Talei and his team are now in discussions with an industry partner to support further research and a wider adoption of biomethane.

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Journal

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer

DOI

10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2025.128119 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Numerical investigation of silica nanoparticle formation and thermophoretic deposition during siloxane-containing biomethane combustion

Turning waste biomass into hydrogen and value-added chemicals

Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) develop electrochemical system for simultaneous production using waste glycerol

National Research Council of Science & Technology

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Schematic illustration of the 79 cm² large-area anion exchange membrane electrolyzer system developed by the research team, along with performance evaluation results showing Faradaic efficiency toward formate and hydrogen production.

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Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)

# A next-generation electrochemical system has been developed that enables the simultaneous production of hydrogen and value-added chemicals using waste glycerol, with the findings published in the leading energy journal Joule.

# Reduces energy costs for hydrogen production while enabling the co-production of chemical feedstocks, thereby enhancing the economic viability of green hydrogen.

 CHANGWON, South Korea — Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), led by President Chul-jin Choi, announced that a research team led by Juchan Yang, principal researcher at KIMS, in collaboration with Professor Ji-Wook Jang, Hankwon Lim, and Hosik Lee of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), has developed a high-efficiency electrochemical system that simultaneously produces hydrogen and value-added chemicals using glycerol, a low-cost, abundant byproduct of biodiesel production. This study is significant in that it replaces the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key bottleneck in conventional water electrolysis, thereby reducing the overall cell voltage and improving energy efficiency and expanding the scope of electrochemical conversion technologies.

 Hydrogen is gaining attention as a key energy source in the carbon-neutral era, and various water electrolysis technologies have been actively developed for its eco-friendly production. However, conventional electrolysis systems suffer from limitations due to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode, which requires high energy input and exhibits slow kinetics, thereby reducing overall process efficiency and economic feasibility.

 To address these challenges, the research team developed an anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) system that utilizes glycerol as an alternative feedstock and applies the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) at the anode as a paired electrolysis strategy. Glycerol, an abundant and low-cost byproduct of biodiesel production, enables the reaction to proceed at lower energy input compared to conventional water electrolysis. The team also employed a copper–cobalt-based non-precious metal catalyst, achieving high catalytic activity and stability without relying on expensive noble metals. The system demonstrated a high current density of 110 mA/cm² at a relatively low cell voltage of 1.31 V.

 Notably, this technology enables the simultaneous production of hydrogen and chemical feedstocks such as formate, distinguishing it from conventional water electrolysis processes that produce only hydrogen. The system achieved a high selectivity of approximately 96% toward the target chemical product (formate), and stable performance was confirmed in a large-area electrolyzer cell of 79 cm², demonstrating its potential for practical industrial applications.

 This technology represents a promising electrochemical platform that simultaneously produces hydrogen and chemical feedstocks using waste bio-resources, offering both reduced production costs for green hydrogen and improved resource utilization efficiency. In particular, it presents a carbon-neutral production strategy that integrates energy and chemical manufacturing processes, with the potential to replace conventional separated production systems. Furthermore, the system is scalable to continuous operation and megawatt (MW)-scale applications, highlighting its potential as a practical technology for industrial deployment.

 “This study demonstrates the large-scale synthesis of low-cost, non-precious metal catalysts and validates their performance in commercially relevant electrolyzer systems for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and chemical feedbacks.” said Juchan Yang, principal researcher at Korea Institute of Materials Science. Professor Ji-Wook Jang of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology added, “Technologies that convert bio-derived byproducts such as glycerol into value-added chemicals represent a key strategy for simultaneously advancing carbon neutrality and the hydrogen economy.”

 This research was supported by national R&D programs funded by the National Research Council of Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, National Research Foundation of Korea, and Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology. Advanced analysis and computational studies were conducted using the supercomputing infrastructure of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information and the synchrotron radiation facilities of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory. The findings were published online on March 18, 2026, in the leading energy journal Joule (Impact Factor: 35.4).

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About Korea Institute of Materials Science(KIMS)

KIMS is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea. As the only institute specializing in comprehensive materials technologies in Korea, KIMS has contributed to Korean industry by carrying out a wide range of activities related to materials science including R&D, inspection, testing&evaluation, and technology support.

 

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Journal

Joule

DOI

10.1016/j.joule.2025.102303 

Article Title

Commercial-scale glycerol valorization using surface-modified copper cobalt oxide catalyst in high-capacity anion exchange membrane electrolyzer

Schematic illustration of the synthesis process of the copper–cobalt oxide catalyst developed by the research team, along with a comparison of electrochemical glycerol conversion performan

Credit

Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)

Post-pandemic cycling boom in major cities, as cyclist safety improved thanks to more and better cycling infrastructure

Findings of new study – released as fuel prices for motor vehicles soar internationally – include fatality rates dropping, per 10 million trips, by 88% in Paris, 82% in London and 62% in New York City

Taylor & Francis Group

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Cycling in some of the world’s largest cities has continued to increase since the pandemic, thanks to safer and improved infrastructure which is also leading to a drop in fatality rates.

Tracking data from 2005 to 2023, the findings document fatality rates falling per-trip by 88% in Paris, 82% in London, 62% in New York City (NYC), and 37% in Berlin, per 10 million bicycle trips.
The cyclist serious injury rate fell by 62% in NYC, 50% in London, and 37% in Berlin.

These results have been achieved amid a historic rise in the percentage of daily trips made by bicycle in all these cities. Paris, for example, witnessed the most dramatic transformation, with the share of journeys made by bicycle surging from 5% in 2019 to 11% by 2023; more than doubling in just four years.

The release of the paper, published earlier this month in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Sustainable Transport, is particularly timely as fuel prices for motor vehicles continue to soar internationally.

“The ‘bike boom’ sparked by COVID-19 lockdowns was not a temporary phase; it has now become a permanent shift in how urban populations move,” explains lead author and internationally renowned expert, Ralph Buehler, Professor in Urban Affairs and Planning, at Virginia Tech. The international team of co-authors included John Pucher, Rutgers University, Marcel Moran, San Jose State University, Rachel Aldred, University of Westminster, and Emmanuel de Lanversin, French Ministry of Transport.

“While cycling levels had been increasing for three decades prior to 2019, the post-pandemic period saw an unprecedented acceleration in Paris and continued increases in the other three cities.

“Our results point to a ‘safety in numbers’ effect where instead of more injuries and fatalities occurring due to more trips, the opposite has occurred.

“In all four cities, the cornerstone for this achievement has been made through the expansion and improvement of cycling infrastructure, especially a focus on cycleways separated from motor vehicle traffic.

“As experience in these cities shows, it is crucial that cycling infrastructure be integrated into a continuous network.

“Traffic calming of residential neighbourhoods has been a key measure to reduce the volumes and speeds of motor vehicle traffic, thus making cycling less dangerous and more pleasant. That has been extensively implemented in London, Paris, and Berlin, while New York City has relied instead on reduced overall speed limits.

“Long-term political support as well as cycling advocacy organisations have been critical to the introduction and continuation of pro-bike policies and the necessary financial investments.”

A deeper dive into each city’s results and actions

• London’s results were supported by the rapid expansion of the Cycleway Network. The implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) was associated with a 35% decrease in all injuries and a 37% decrease in people killed or seriously Injured (KSI). The data suggests that the expansion of protected bike lanes – which separate cyclists from motor vehicles – has been the cornerstone of these safety gains.
• Berlin remains the leader among the four – with nearly one in five trips (19%) now taken by bicycle. In the reunified Berlin, bikeways expanded by 30% during the 1990s, reaching 895 km in 2002. By 2015, bikeways had expanded by another 50%, reaching 1350 km. In 2018, Berlin adopted a new Mobility Law to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the city’s transport system. This spurred more expansion. Between 2020 and 2023, the city built 134 km of new bikeways, including 25 km of protected bike lanes and paths.
• The cycling network in NYC was greatly expanded from 2006 to 2024, and its quality was improved. The most important improvement in NYC’s cycling infrastructure has been the expansion of protected bike lanes since 2007 reaching 223 km in 2019 and 413 km by 2023. This connected network has contributed to a “steady climb” in bike rides, reaching a 3% mode share in 2023, up from 2.2% pre-pandemic and just 0.6% in 1990.
• Paris, from 2005 to the end of 2020, installed 503 km of bike lanes. In addition, 77% of the new “pop-up” lanes created during the pandemic were built with high-quality protection, making them significantly safer than the pre-COVID network. As the percentage of trips by bike in Paris rose to 11%, the percentage of car trips fell to only 9%, the lowest of any of the four cities.  Even in Paris’s inner suburbs, the bike share of trips rose to 10%.

 

Lockdown’s influence
 

It has been noted in previous research that the pandemic led to the introduction of several innovative measures in cities throughout the world that proved to be so successful that they were made permanent and continued after COVID – and that is true for each of these four studied cities; for example, ‘pop-up’ (provisional) bike lanes were installed in each.

“The data show that building high-quality, interconnecting cycling infrastructure is key to attracting not only more cyclists, but a greater demographic diversity of cyclists, including women, children, and older adults,” adds co-author, John Pucher, Professor Emeritus, at Rutgers University.

“The transition from emergency pandemic measures to permanent, high-quality cycling networks has fundamentally altered the safety profile of these cities. We are seeing a virtuous cycle: safer roads encourage more people to bike, and more people biking makes the roads even safer.”

 

Lessons learned and going forwards
 

Whilst the results are positive, the authors say more can still be done to make our roads and cities safer for cyclists

And this is true for the four studied cities.

The article emphasises ”that in all four cities, cycling transformations remain incomplete, with spatial and social inequalities in cycling rates persisting.

“One key lesson from the four cities is that pro-cycling measures such as improved cycling infrastructure must be accompanied by car-restrictive measures that make driving more expensive, slower, and less convenient, especially compared to cycling.

“Pro-cycling measures alone will not be nearly as effective as when combined with car restrictions.”
 

Do global “superstar” cities tell the story of smaller places too?
 

While the findings provide a positive outlook for urban mobility, the researchers noted several limitations to the study.

For example, trip purpose definitions and travel survey methodologies vary by city.

While the correlation between new infrastructure and increased cycling is strong, the authors acknowledge the difficulty in conclusively proving a direct causal link due to other shifting factors during the pandemic, such as changes in work-from-home habits.

The study focuses on four global “superstar” cities with significant resources. The results may not be directly applicable to smaller cities or those with different economic and political climates.

Like many urban mobility studies, the research relies on automated counters and travel surveys, which can sometimes undercount short, practical trips or trips made in areas without permanent sensors.

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Journal

International Journal of Sustainable Transportation

DOI

10.1080/15568318.2026.2649315 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Cycling in New York, London, Paris, and Berlin before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Article Publication Date

26-Apr-2026

Finding the best dietary supplements for cycling performance – and recovery

Flinders University

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Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Andrew Rowland, back left, with coauthors Associate Professor Ashley Hopkins, front left, and visiting sport nutritionist Dr Robyn Jones and coauthor Bradley Menz, with pro cyclist and Flinders med student Sophie Edwards

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Credit: Flinders University

Focusing on the rigours of elite cycling, Flinders University experts have put performance-enhancing and other dietary supplements under the microscope, rating some more highly than others.

From carbs, beetroot juice and the latest sports gels, the new research highlights how a range of dietary supplements may help improve cycling performance, working to support the body’s energy systems and reducing fatigue during exercise.

The research team – including Australian Olympic cyclist Sophie Edwards, who is studying Medicine at Flinders University – found the strongest evidence for beta-alanine, caffeine, carbohydrates (such as sports gels), creatine monohydrate, dietary nitrates (such as beetroot juice), electrolytes and sodium bicarbonate as ergogenic supplements to support cycling performance.

“They influence how muscles produce and use energy, which is crucial for high-performance athletes,” says Flinders Professor in Clinical Pharmacology Andrew Rowland, from the College of Medicine and Public Health, who led the study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

During exercise, the body continuously regenerates energy through several pathways that support different types of effort – from short, explosive bursts to longer endurance activity.

“We found the strongest evidence for these performance supplements was in supporting the body’s energy systems by improving fuel use, increasing buffering capacity, enhancing energy availability and delaying fatigue,” says Professor Rowland.

In addition to supplements that directly enhance performance, the research also found support for other medical and recovery focussed supplements which can play an important indirect role by supporting bone health, connective integrity, inflammation management, micronutrient status, muscle repair and gut function.

The research found evidence to support the use of calcium, cherry juice, collagen, curcumin, iron, multivitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, pickle juice, probiotics, protein, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc for other medical and recovery issues.

“The relationship between nutrition, training and performance optimisation in elite cyclists depends on individualised supplementation strategies tailored to training demands and competitive goals, to either improve recovery, support immunity or promote long-term physiological adaptation,” says Professor Rowland.

“In practice, effective supplementation should be viewed as an adjunct and not a replacement for training, nutrition and recovery.

“Evidence-based, individualised, and ethically sound strategies are essential to maximise both performance outcomes and athlete wellbeing,” he says.

To broadly guide the safe and effective use of ergogenic and medical supplements in sport, classification systems such as the four-tier Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) framework provide evidence-based recommendations for athletes and practitioners. These range from Group A supplements with strong scientific support, through those with limited or emerging benefits, to Group D supplements which are banned.

“Within the broad guidance provided by the Australian Institute of Sport framework, there is a need to personalise supplement strategies based on individual factors such as sex, age, hormonal status, genetic predispositions and gut microbiota composition, which may influence both efficacy and safety,” Professor Rowland adds.

“Optimising supplementation requires aligning individual metabolic demands with targeted compounds that support key pathways involved in energy production, buffering, recovery and resilience.”

Supplements with strong evidence in cycling include: Beta-alanine, caffeine, carbohydrates, creatine monohydrate, dietary nitrates, electrolytes, glycerol and sodium bicarbonate. These supplements are supported by high-quality evidence and can provide meaningful performance benefits when used appropriately.

Individualisation of supplement programs is essential: Supplement strategies should be tailored to the athlete’s characteristics and context, including sex, age, training status, and environmental conditions such as heat and altitude. Physiological testing of such aspects as VO₂max, lactate threshold, sweat sodium concentration, micronutrient status can help guide the selection and timing of these supplements.

Health, safety and anti-doping considerations must apply: The researchers emphasise that only supplements tested by cycling populations and screened by independent third-party programs should be used, to minimise health risks and inadvertent doping violations. They warn that athletes who take supplements must remain vigilant under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) strict liability principle, which places full responsibility for all substances in their system on the competitor.

The research – ‘A comprehensive review of the physiology and evidence base to guide the use of ergogenic and medical supplements for enhanced cycling performance’ (2026) by Andrew Rowland, Sophie Edwards, Gorka Prieto-Bellver, Bradley Menz, Angela Rowland, Erik Cornelisse, Christos Karapetis, Matthew Wallen and Ashley Hopkins – has been published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. DOI: 10.1080/15502783.2026.2630487

 

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Journal

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

DOI

10.1080/15502783.2026.2630487 

Method of Research

Systematic review

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

A comprehensive review of the physiology and evidence base to guide the use of ergogenic and medical supplements for enhanced cycling performance’

 

Roman shipwreck reveals fascinating history of repairs throughout the Adriatic 2,200 years ago

Researchers analyzing pollen trapped in the waterproofing layers of long sunken Roman Republic ship find proof that it may have been patched up successively at different locations throughout the Adriatic Sea

Frontiers

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View of the excavation of the bow area of the Ilovik-Paržine 1 shipwreck. In the foreground, the cargo of logs and amphoras can be seen. Archaeologists are working near the structure of the bow complex.

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Credit: Adriboats © L. Damelet, CNRS/CCJ

Ever since humans have embarked on sea voyages, they needed to ensure vessels were waterproof, resistant to salty seawater, and could withstand microorganisms or sea-dwellers like worms. Until the mid-20th century, however, the study of non-wood materials used to build ships was overlooked. Even today little work has been done on materials used for waterproofing.

Now, in a new Frontiers in Materials study, researchers in France and Croatia have examined the protective coating of the Roman Republic shipwreck Ilovik–Paržine 1 that sank around 2,200 years ago off the coast of what is now Croatia.

“In archaeology little attention is paid to organic waterproofing materials. Yet they are essential for navigation at sea or on rivers and are true witnesses of past naval technologies,” said first author Dr Armelle Charrié, an archaeometrist at the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry of Interactions and Systems in Strasbourg. “Studying the coatings, we found two different kinds on this vessel: one made of pine tar, also called pitch, and the other of a mixture of pine tar and beeswax. Analysis of pollen in the coating made it possible to identify the plant taxa present in the immediate environment during the construction or repairs of the ship.”

Resin and wax

The wreck was discovered in 2016 and since then the ship itself and its cargo has been examined multiple times. The current study, however, is the first to combine pollen and molecular analyses to characterize the ship’s coating and vegetation present during its production and application on the hull. The work is a collaboration between the Department for Underwater Archaeology of the Croatian Conservation Institute and the ‘ADRIBOATS’ program of the Centre Camille Jullian at Aix-Marseille University in France.

“Some regions throughout the Adriatic have particular characteristics that led local populations to develop a specific shipbuilding style,” said Charrié. “Only studies like ours offer an overview into these traditions which bear witness to genuine know-how and diverse traditions.”

To examine the coatings, researchers carried out structural, molecular, and pollen analyses using techniques that identify and quantify unknown components in an organic mixture such as mass spectrometry.

Using 10 coating samples, the team identified the biological origin of natural substances used for the ship’s coating by molecular analysis. This ‘molecular fingerprint’ analysis showed molecules characteristic of pine trees, indicating that the main component of all coating samples was heated coniferous resin or coniferous tar, also called pitch. One sample, however, showed that at least some of the coating was made from a different composition of materials, namely beeswax and tar. This mixture – known to Greek shipbuilders as zopissa – improves the adhesive’s flexibility and is easier to apply when hot.

Trapped in pitch

Pitch is adhesive by nature and can trap and preserve pollen from the surrounding landscapes. Analyzing these traces and their respective abundances allowed the researchers to narrow down possible regions where the pitch could have been produced and re-applied during refurbishments.

Pollen from coating samples from the Ilovik–Paržine 1 reflected a high diversity of environments. The identified landscapes included those characteristic of the Mediterranean and Adriatic coasts and valleys, with forests of holly oak and pine as well as matorral – a kind of Mediterranean shrubland – where olive and hazel trees grow. The presence of alder and ash points to vegetation growing close to river- and seashores, which can be found near the coast or in the nearby hinterland. Fir and beech were present in small proportions, too. This vegetation is found in mountainous regions and typical of the north-eastern coastal regions of the Adriatic Sea where the mountain ranges of Istria and Dalmatia are not far.

The team’s findings also indicated that the ship likely underwent four to five distinct batches of coatings. The ship’s stern and central part was covered by the same coating, whereas three batches at the bow were distinct from one another. This, too, could indicate that the ship was patched up successively using materials sourced from various locations throughout the Mediterranean.

Previous research using the ship’s ballast identified Brundisium – today Brindisi – on the south-eastern coast of Italy as the ship’s place of construction. Pollen analysis also suggests that some of the coatings were applied close to there. Other coating layers, however, could have been applied on the north-eastern Adriatic coast, where the shipwreck was discovered.

“While it seems obvious that ships sailing long distances need repairs, it’s simply not easy to demonstrate this,” concluded Charrié. “Pollen has been very useful in identifying different coatings where the molecular profiles were identical.”

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Journal

Frontiers in Materials

DOI

10.3389/fmats.2026.1758862 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Adhesive coatings in naval archaeology: molecular and palynological investigations on materials from the Roman Republican wreck Ilovik– Paržine 1 (Croatia)

Article Publication Date

24-Apr-2026