BioGill and Singapore Polytechnic collaborate on innovative project for cleaner seawater
Mikael Krogh (L), Managing Director BioGill Asia and Lance Lim, Executive Director Maritime Institute, Singapore Polytechnic, announce the PortClean project.
Cleaner water in our ports and harbours is a step closer today with the announcement of BioGill and Singapore Polytechnic’s joint collaboration to clean seawater. Known as PortClean, the aim of the research project is to develop and commercialise a low cost, turnkey solution to remove oil slicks and debris from seawater in ports, harbours and marinas around the world.
The project will be led by a joint Singapore Polytechnic (SP) research team comprising researchers from School of Chemical & Life Sciences, School of Architecture and the Built Environment and Advanced Material Technology Centre in collaboration with BioGill Asia, BioGill Australia and Dolphin Wave Energy.
The project is estimated to take a total of three years with the support of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) at SP under a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), BW Ventures, and SMI.
The first phase of the project will commence on 4th January 2016 and is expected to last eighteen months. During this period a lab-scale prototype will be developed and tested, with a full-scale demonstration system to follow, dependent on the research outcomes of the first phase.
“Sewage, fuel, chemical runoff, dust and paint chips from ship maintenance along with garbage and litter are currently polluting the seawater in ports and harbours. The PortClean project aims to be a versatile, effective and fast clean up solution as compared to current clean up methods which can be manual or costly,” shared SP’s project leader, Dr Cheng Zuolian.
The PortClean project will apply biological water treatment to remove oil slicks from surface seawater that harnesses the power of microorganisms, Nature’s best recyclers and decomposers, and wave energy to create a low-energy, low-cost water cleaning solution.
The two breakthrough technologies to be utilised are BioGill above ground, attached growth Nano ceramic membranes™ used to remove nutrients and hydrocarbons from contaminated seawater, and the Dolphin Wave Energy Converter to supply renewable energy.
PortClean combines BioGill & Dolphin wave energy technologies
Speaking at the announcement, Mikael Krogh, Managing Director at BioGill Asia, said, “Governments and shipping companies all have a responsibility to care for the world’s oceans and I believe that PortClean can provide an environmentally sustainable solution to improve water quality for port and coastal communities across the world.”
