Cleaning up at international awards

18 October 2006

A system developed by UNSW researchers to remove oil from water to protect the environment, has been awarded a major innovation prize from the International Water Association.

The Extended Gravity Oil Water Separation (EGOWS) project, developed at the Water Research Laboratory in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, allows almost complete separation of oil from water. It produces clean water suitable for recycling and keeps spilled oil out of the environment. NewSouth Innovations, UNSW’s technology transfer company, has patented the EGOWS technology internationally.

There are already more than 70 EGOWS installations in Australia. The Caltex Kurnell Oil Refinery successfully uses the system to prevent any oil release to the wetlands of Botany Bay, and it was this installation that was recognised by the International Water Assoication as the Regional (Australasia and South-East Asia) winner in the Applied Research category. The awards were presented recently at a ceremony in Beijing.

David Tolmie, who developed EGOWS with colleague Peter Stone, said winning the award was “satisfying at the personal level. It brings valuable publicity worldwide – endorsing the technical and commercial viability of the EGOWS concept.”