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12 November 1998 |
Ref 98/265 |
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Bacteria and atom-scale nanomachines are poised to help turn Australia's waste streams into virtual gold mines, a National Science Briefing heard in Federal Parliament today.
Ian Kiernan, Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Waste Management and Pollution Control (CRC Waste), says the new technology is going to make solid and liquid wastes a valuable commodity.
"We are entering a new era in waste management. The new technologies will help the environment, create valuable products, and cut the energy we currently use in treating waste," he says.
Ian Kiernan is the Foundation Chairman of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World.
Director of CRC Waste, Dr David Garman, says new technology developed for use in wastewater treatment plants will be one of the first applications of the new nanotechnology in Australia, using sensors so tiny that thousands could fit on the head of a pin.
"We estimate the total benefits of the new technology at hundreds of millions of dollars a year, through energy savings, the recovery of valuable chemical products and a huge saving in avoided pollution and waste discharge. Australia will also benefit from the sale of these technologies world wide," he adds.
Dr Garman describes 'three waves of technology' that will progressively transform the treatment of waste and pollution, as they are released over the next five years. He says the first wave is available off-the-shelf now, with a second wave being developed and released over the next two years.
The first wave includes pollution detection equipment and monitors which will improve the operation of wastewater treatment plants. The second wave will allow direct monitoring of the processes in treatment plants, and will change lengthy detection processes into rapid specific analyses.
"The third wave consists of the technologies of tomorrow. They will be available to industry within five years, and used in combination to make industries both more profitable and more sustainable," he says.
"The new approaches will allow industry to work more intensively, and generate more throughput from existing treatment plants. They will lead to lower operating and maintenance costs through higher levels of efficiency.
"The third wave will create a new waste biotechnology. Instead of releasing our waste products as harmful greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, we can recover these and other chemicals as valuable resources," Dr Garman says.
"This is due to brilliant research in waste biotechnology which will enable industry to control the biological processes which break down waste."
Normal processes send wastewater to ponds or reactors, where bacteria gradually convert the energy-rich nutrients into methane and carbon dioxide. Both of these are potent greenhouse gases.
But if conditions are changed to encourage different bacteria, valuable products can be extracted. The secret lies in identifying and controlling the bacteria that produce them. Dr Garman says the new processes will require only minor modifications to existing treatment plant for treatment of waste products.
He identifies six major potential products from waste:
- clean water (water mining from sewage and wastewater)
- methanol and ethanol (transport fuels)
- methane (as domestic and industrial fuel)
- sugar-like compounds (or polysaccharides)
- proteins to make pharmaceuticals, fertilisers and feedstock
- glycols, such as hydraulic fluids, antifreeze and lubricants.
Media are invited to Senate Committee Room 2S3, Parliament House, Canberra at 12 noon on Thursday November 12. Mr Ian Kiernan, Dr David Garman and Dr Phil Hugenholtz will address the National Science Briefing.
Broadcast quality footage of three spectacular technologies is available at the briefing, or from Jenni Metcalfe ph (07) 3846 7111; 040 855 1866
More information:
Dr David Garman 02 9385 4886
mobile 0412 280 135
Jenni Metcalfe 07 3846 7111
mobile 040 855 1866
(Australia's largest scientific research organisation)
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