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A UNSW researcher has received $1 million to investigate the conversion of fly ash into advanced material for paint filler and pigment materials.

UNSW Sydney Associate Professor Pramod Koshy has secured more than $1.07 million from the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Mid-Career Industry Fellowships program for his waste reutilisation project.

The ARC funding will enable A/Prof. Koshy’s team to continue their work with industry partner Vecor Technologies to convert fly ash – a major by-product from power stations – into a new material that can be used in many products, such as paints, plastics, rubbers, composites and powder coatings. 

"This project has the ability to transform this low-value raw material into an advanced ceramic product for numerous industrial products,” said A/Prof. Koshy, joint-leader of the Novel Engineered Materials for Conventional and Advanced Technologies (NEMCAT) at UNSW.

“It further extends our group's long-term partnership with Vecor, now spanning 15 years, on the development of advanced products and technologies for environmental and energy applications.”

UNSW Acting Dean of Science, Associate Professor Alison Beavis, congratulated A/Prof. Koshy.

“I’m thrilled Pramod has received funding under the ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships program to continue his long-standing working relationship with Vecor. I look forward to seeing their research progress in the dedicated research laboratories at UNSW,” said A/Prof. Beavis.

The paint industry uses large quantities of titanium dioxide owing to its inherent white colour.

“Recent supply chain disruption and depletion of high-quality reserves have made sourcing titanium dioxide and other minerals harder, and this is where fly ash comes in,” A/Prof. Koshy said. “A ceramic pigment using fly ash as the feedstock can act as a partial replacement for titanium dioxide as well as other mineral fillers, and we expect to achieve the replacement at lower costs without sacrificing performance and quality.”

The new material derived from fly ash also offers environmental benefits in that it is replacing a mined material with a recycled waste product.

“The new technology resulting from this project has the potential to create new products with improved environmental sustainability and lower costs,” A/Prof. Koshy said.

The research will be conducted in partnership with the industry partner, Vecor Technologies, led by Mr Mark Ramsey and Mr Stephen Blanks. Professor Chris Sorrell, co-lead of the NEMCAT group, will provide technical support for the project activities.  

The ARC Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Johnson, said the Mid-Career Industry Fellowships would drive research collaboration, translation and commercialisation outcomes across a range of industry settings.

“In its second year, the Industry Fellowships Program has created pathways for academic researchers to establish careers in industry and industry-based researchers to work in university settings, with the aim of increasing two-way mobility and skill-building.

“Through these collaborations, the ARC supports the transfer of skills, knowledge and ideas as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research, and delivering significant outcomes for industry partners and end-users,” Dr Johnson said.

For a full list of the awarded Mid-Career Industry Fellowships, and more on Industry Fellowships, please visit the .