Australian Government sells IP for water cleansing technology

Groundbreaking water cleansing technology, developed by Australian Government scientists, has been successfully commercialised and sold to the private sector.

BioGill Environmental, a clean-tech manufacturing company based in Sydney, purchased the intellectual property for state-of-the-art BioGill water cleansing technology. The technology was originally developed in the research laboratories of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and was a winning entry in the ABC’s ‘The New Inventors’ program in 2006.

BioGills are purpose-built bioreactors that work to cleanse wastewater and grey water by gravity feeding it over aboveground nanoceramic membranes. Bacteria and fungi in these membranes ‘eat’ waste out of the water and ‘breathe’ in air. The result of this approach is a treating biomass of 10-15 times that of conventional biological wastewater treatment systems, using considerably less energy.

The system has numerous industrial and environmental applications including the treatment of grey water, sewage and wastewater from aquaculture and food and beverage processing. The technology is also considered to have great potential for cleaning water on ships, offshore platforms and remote islands, where protecting sensitive environments is essential.

In 2007, the CEO of BioGill Environmental, John West, took part in an industry event at ANSTO and attended a presentation on a new nanoparticulate membrane technology. He was so impressed, he stayed on to meet the research team and learn more about the invention.

“Over the ensuing two years, we negotiated with ANSTO for the exclusive rights to license and commercialise the technology which is now known as BioGill. ANSTO first licensed the technology to us in 2009 and we have now purchased all rights for the intellectual property,” explained West.

Minister for Science and Research, Senator Chris Evans, said the sale is a great example of how the Australian Government fosters ingenuity then works to get good inventions out into the commercial marketplace, where they belong.

“Selling the intellectual property allows this company to continue to grow and attract substantial overseas interest and investment,” he said.

“This technology is a success story and is now the centrepiece of BioGill Environmental.

“Congratulations to the ANSTO scientists whose innovative research is already being used by industry around the world.”

ANSTO’s General Manager Business Development and Commercialisation, Doug Cubbin, said he looked forward to seeing the technology’s expansion in the marketplace.

“This is an excellent example of the diverse research we do here at ANSTO and how that research can be applied to deliver both environmental and business gains,” said Cubbin.

“Through the existing arrangements, BioGills have already been successfully used to treat effluents from breweries, wineries and food manufacturing plants.

“Passing on the intellectual property will give the company security for further investment and expansion.”

The wastewater market is a growing, multibillion-dollar industry. BioGill Environmental has already supplied BioGills to companies in Australia, New Zealand, India, Fiji and Canada and has secured significant investment capital to help take the technology to the global marketplace. Worldwide patents are also in place for both the gill technology and the wastewater treatment process.

“Using BioGill for maintaining clean ponds in prawn and fish farming is the next logical step in our product development,” said West.