An innovation that allows highly-contaminated waste water to be cleaned has won Innovic’s International Next Big Thing Award 2009 in the Green/Environmental category, after receiving serious interest from overseas importers.
The desalination technology received various bids of interest from overseas and local water companies and authorities after the technology was announced to be in the finals for the awards program.
Victorian inventor Stephen Shelly conceived the idea of Creative Water Technology which can clean waste water with contaminant levels of more than 300,000ppm.
Traditionally waste contaminated at that extent would otherwise have to be stored or chemically treated at ten times the cost of the Creative Water Technology process, says Innovic.
Innovic CEO, Joss Evans, said the not-for-profit organisation that runs the International Next Big Thing Award said there was strong export potential for Creative Water Technology and interest had been received from China, India, Africa, the USA and the Middle East.
“We were impressed by the simplicity as well as the cost-effectiveness of the system,” she said.
“For $1 per tonne Creative Water Technology can produce clean water, and the extracted contaminants can be sold or re-used.”
The award attracted hundreds of applicants including entrants from 18 overseas countries – from Iceland to Brazil.
“The winners this year represent the best of the best new Australian and international innovations in the vital areas of medicine, water, recycling, communications and technology,” said Evans.
“All finalists are highly original and smart innovations developed by people who are creating the new technologies and businesses of the future.
“Past winners and finalists have gone onto reap enormous success in Australia and globally. They employ over 514 people, export to over 42 countries and generate sales of over AUD$119 million a year.”
Innovic was established in 1986 to provide a range of practical services to help commercialise new ideas.