Associate ProfessorWill Gates

Associate Professor Will P Gates is an internationally recognised clay mineralogist with 30+ years’ experience and expertise in developing functional materials from clay minerals and other poorly crystalline materials. He has recognised national (e.g. Vic EPA, Environmental Protection Australia) and international (e.g., South Africa, U.S.A.) expertise in landfill barrier function and design for handling new and emerging contaminants. 

Low Embodied Carbon Cements and Sustainable Concretes
Gates leads a team of Research Fellows and PhD students with active research in using calcined clays from a variety of sources, including bentonite and kaolin deposits, for use in low-embodied carbon cements and concretes. Since 2020, his team has focused on how mineral chemistry, reactions and phases formed impact performance of cement formulations using supplementary cementitious materials, primarily calcined clays but also waste resources, in concrete. His research team holds two patents for cement formulations using alternative calcined clay mineral enriched materials. Building on that research, his team has continued engagement with industry and government for the efficient utilisation of carbon-capture and circular economy additives in cement formulations that reduce net emissions, enhance carbon budgets and maintain strength and performance attributes of the concrete industry.

Emerging Contaminants in Urban Environments

Gates also undertakes scholarly assessments (using physical-chemical, chemical and geotechnical approaches) of pollution from emerging contaminants in urban environments associated with infrastructure. His research students examine the impact of microplastics on engineered landfill barrier systems and recycled plastic aggregate replacements in concrete and how these impact the fate (binding, breakdown, migration and co-contamination) of phthalate esters or per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). 

Enhancing Reactive Clay-based Barriers

With colleagues in Australia, Denmark and the United States of America, Gates has continued his career-long research to probe fundamental reactions at the surfaces of smectite clay minerals that have been suitably modified for specific purposes.  Modifications include using acid and alkali activation or organic modification, in the latter case, using food safe choline or process derived biomolecules such as sericin or fibroin.  A combination of partial acid activation and choline-functionalisation of smectite was found to enhance ethylene adsorption and retention with potential for use in climateric fruit packaging.

Mineral and Metal Resources in a Circular Economy

Other research activities within IFM depend on his expertise in mineralogy, physical chemistry, geochemistry and industry-scale mineral processing targeting recovery of value and critical metals from legacy tailings in SE Australia. This research builds on a holistic framework to include tailings stabilisation and alternative uses for tailings in remediation and construction.

Fundamental Studies of Water in Clays

He continues strong international collaborations on the study of clay-pore-water dynamics, organoclay and other clay mineral composits as sorbetns, catalysts or bariers for improved industrial, environmental or consumer outcomes.  He routinely applies X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, thermal gravimetric analysis, as well as neutron scattering and X-ray spectroscopy at National facilities.