15 July 2014
The University of South Australia’s commercialisation company ITEK Ventures Pty Ltd (ITEK) has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with Hyflux International Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based Hyflux Ltd, to apply and eventually commercialise its unique coating technology in the global water treatment market.
The unique coating technology transforms a standard stainless steel or plastic mesh into a highly effective separator of fluids. For a liquid containing both oil and water components, a mixture which is typically found in many contaminated water treatment situations, the water passes easily through the mesh while preventing the progress of the oil component.
“This technology can be used to separate oil and water at very low pressures,” says Professor Dayang Wang, a Professor at UniSA’s Ian Wark Research Institute and one of the inventors of the technology.
“The mesh filters are produced through an easily accessible coating process, which allows large-scale production.”
Hyflux intends to further develop this coating technology, integrate it with their water treatment membrane manufacturing processes, and market the end products globally.
ITEK CEO Dr Stephen Rodda says the effectiveness of the technology has attracted the attention of several global water companies.
“It is also another great example of UniSA research being targeted at finding solutions for industry”, Dr Rodda says.
ITEK is also seeking industry partners to apply the underlying technology to oil spill remediation, so it could ultimately be used in situations such as the 2010 BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
About Hyflux
Hyflux is one of the world’s leading fully-integrated water solutions companies, with operations and projects in South East Asia, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa. Hyflux is committed to providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions in seawater desalination, water recycling, wastewater treatment, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and potable water treatment. Hyflux’s track record includes Singapore’s first water recycling plant and two seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants, and some of the world’s largest SWRO desalination plants in China and Algeria.
About ITEK Ventures
ITEK’s mission is to facilitate the translation of outcomes from research into products and services that create a commercial return and have a positive impact on society. ITEK is an important conduit linking UniSA to industry whereby industry needs can be addressed using the world-class expertise and capabilities within the University.
Contact for interview:
Peter Harriss, Commercial Manager, ITEK office (08) 8302 5180 email peter.harriss@itek.com.au
Media contact: Kelly Stone office 8302 0963 mobile 0417 861 832 email Kelly.stone@unisa.edu.au
