Auckland University of Technology Smart Ideas funded projects

Our team is investigating an innovative solution to one of the most significant environmental and health challenges of our time—arsenic contamination. Building on years of ground-breaking research, this project focuses on our discovery of a unique microbial symbiosis that naturally transforms arsenic into forms that prevent bioaccumulation by their host, enabling safe excretion.This discovery has potential for New Zealand’s rapidly growing seaweed industry, which faces challenges from international regulations on arsenic levels in seaweed-derived products like biostimulants, fertilisers, and food items. By developing a biotechnological solution based on these bacterial systems, the research could ensure that New Zealand’s seaweed products meet global safety standards, opening up high-value export markets and fostering industry growth.The impact extends beyond economics. The research supports environmental sustainability by offering a natural and chemical-free approach to arsenic remediation. It also aligns with Vision Mātauranga principles, fostering partnerships with Māori organisations to create culturally grounded, Māori-led opportunities in seaweed farming and marine resource management.With potential applications in seaweed products and other areas of arsenic remediation, this project positions New Zealand as a global leader in innovative, sustainable biotechnologies. For more information or media inquiries, please contact lwhite@aut.ac.nz

When not enough blood flows to the limbs, it can result in serious problems that may eventually require amputation of toes or the lower legs. This condition affects about 3% of the population and is particularly common in Māori and people with diabetes.  Existing methods to detect problems with blood flow miss about one quarter of cases.

In intensive care, problems affecting blood flow into the major organs occur in nearly 1 in 10 patients resulting in death in nearly 40% of cases. There are no suitable methods to routinely measure blood flow in intensive care.

Our research will develop a new method to accurately measure blood flow in these, and other, situations. Our method is low cost and can be easily applied in community and hospital settings.

Our team includes clinicians experienced in caring for patients with blood flow conditions, scientists who specialise in measuring blood flow and developing medical technologies, and technologists with experience commercialising health-tech and medical devices.

Fresh seafood is notorious for its very short shelf life and spoils quickly. Besides food wastage and associated greenhouse gas emissions, this can also lead to serious food-borne diseases. To protect the worldwide reputation of New Zealand’s seafood sector, uphold seafood quality and further reduce waste, it is important to monitor seafood freshness.

Existing solutions have challenges, for example, sensor integration with thin and flexible packaging materials and end-of-life e-waste/pollution issues. Our research will enable a novel sensor concept to detect volatile amines based on a fully biodegradable chipless RFID tag. Our real-time monitoring system can prevent the consumption of spoiled food, providing information during the early stages of decay and enabling countermeasures to prevent fresh seafood from becoming food waste.

We will design functional polymer composites to sense volatile amines and print a passive chipless RFID tag directly on the polymer composite substrate. The main scientific stretch and the technological challenge is controlling the polymer composite structure to sense volatile amines and then produce a detectable change in electrical properties. This can be translated by a chipless RFID antenna pattern into the shift of resonant frequency, upon receiving the interrogation signal from an RFID reader.

We have identified three industry sectors that will benefit directly from the early adoption of biodegradable chipless RFID tags: food supply-chain management, where the proposed tag can sense vapours from fruits, vegetables, and seafood; toxic gas detection in chemical plants, and oxygen detection for worker safety. Successful execution of our research project will enable a new class of fully biodegradable chipless RFID sensors with the potential to disrupt a multibillion-dollar market.

Emulsification is an integral part of industrial processes but can become an expensive liability. The surfactants added to stabilise emulsions also cause foaming. Excessive foaming artificially raises the batch volume and can result in product loss, damage to equipment, factory downtime and environmental pollution. Entrapped air from foam that remains in the finished product can cause clouding, voids and compromise the structural integrity of the product. Companies deal with these problems by spending an estimated US $3 billion a year on chemical additives called defoamers. Apart from their high cost, defoamers can contaminate the final product and are often considered environmental pollutants.

We propose an entirely new class of surfactants where the emulsification/foaming properties can be switched on and off on demand. This technology would be particularly useful in cases where emulsification is important in one part of a manufacturing process but becomes problematic further along the process when emulsification and foaming are undesired. Examples include froth flotation apparatus that are in the pulp and paper industry for recycling, in wastewater treatment and in numerous industries for cleaning of the effluent before discharge. The ability to control when emulsions are formed will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing processes and reduce the production of contaminated effluent. Utilising cellulose as a feedstock also provides a unique opportunity to turn low-value products, and waste from our primary industry into a value-added commodity.