Two exciting new ANSTO technologies, focussing on waste water treatment and the encapsulation and controlled release of active materials, like pharmaceuticals, will be showcased at the next bi-annual, independently facilitated, community discussion to be held on 13 September at the Hazelhurst Gallery, Gymea at 5.45pm.
“ANSTO has continued its strong interaction with industry in the past year, undertaking over 2,100 industry based projects and collaborations. This discussion will provide the community with an opportunity to learn more about our work in this area, and in particular these two new technologies,” said ANSTO Executive Director Dr Ian Smith.
"We know that many local residents have asked to know more about what ANSTO does," Dr Smith continued. "The Community Discussions are one of the ways in which we are addressing this need."
The waste water treatment technology, soon to be featured on the ABC’s New Inventors show, has been recently patented. It can cheaply make sewage and waste water clean enough to be recycled, and could cut water use by 60 per cent. The system literally eats waste matter and breathes air, so is selfperpetuating.
It’s also cheap, and could be used in houses, unit complexes and municipal treatment plants.
The encapsulation and controlled release technology has the potential to significantly impact in the medical field. Designed to hold active materials inside ceramic nanoparticles, the technology could be used to deliver drugs at a controlled rate within the body.
The patient would either inject or swallow the particles, which are smaller than the human eye can see. The technology also has applications in a variety of other industries such as detergent manufacture.
“These two major technological developments indicate the innovations ANSTO has to offer,” said Dr Smith. “ANSTO is also actively encouraging scientists to develop new ideas through its innovation forum, which meets every month. Some of those ideas will become new research projects within ANSTO.
“This particular community discussion is an opportunity for the community to find out more about how innovations develop from doing good science.”
Published: 05/09/2006