Recycle and Reuse of Agricultural Wastes
The Recycle and Reuse of Agricultural Wastes research group aims to improve nutrient and resource recovery.
Agricultural and urban waste management is sub-optimal. Materials regarded as wastes are often valuable co-products and an important source of nutrients and organic matter.
This research group investigates nutrient re-use and recycling and the recovery of other valuable resources from agricultural waste by mitigating reactive nitrogen losses from intensive animal industries, retaining the nutrients in these ‘waste’ materials during subsequent composting/processing and ultimately producing stable, pathogen-free, bio-fertilisers and soil amendments to improve sustainability of agricultural production systems and remediate degraded land.
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Agricultural waste
Urban waste
The group’s capabilities include advanced chemical analysis and the production of biochar to understand nutrient cycling and recovery.
We carry out a range of fundamental and applied research with the aim to help policy makers, industry partners and farmers make evidence-based decisions.
Academics and researchers in the Recycle and Reuse of Agricultural Wastes research group.
Group members
Dr Clayton Butterly
Soil organic matter and nutrient cycling, agricultural waste management, soil acidity, soil-plant interactions and climate change in Agricultural systems.
clayton.butterly@unimelb.edu.au +61390354228A/Prof Tony Weatherley
Phosphorous cycling in pasture systems, urban waste management, biochar, soil health and nutrient cycling.
anthony@unimelb.edu.au +61383444642Prof Jim He
Jim He’s research employs advanced bio-molecular and physicochemical approaches to understand the distribution and diversity of microbial communities in soils, and the processes and mechanisms of microbes-mediated C, N and other elemental cycling.
jizheng.he@unimelb.edu.au +61390358890Graduate researchers
Brendon Costello
Brendon Costello’s PhD project is focused on the use of lignite to reduce ammonia emissions from intensive animal agriculture systems and limit nitrogen loss from animal waste.
b.costello@student.unimelb.edu.au