The ETC's research
program includes projects in the areas of water, food, energy, shelter,
and material resources, with an emphasis on the interactions between
these areas. Current projects include research into:
-
appropriate
sustainable technology for developing countries (eg. Indonesia);
-
desalination
by reverse osmosis using solar energy;
-
processes
for testing the quality of drinking water;
-
removal
of nutrients from sewage effluent;
-
water
conservation;
-
production
of high quality art paper by recycling waste paper;
-
bush
products and revegetation techniques via ethnobotanical analysis;
-
waste
water treatment by wet composting.
» browse selected
etc projects
The proposed research
program has two elements: basic research initiated and conducted at
ETC by staff; and research collaboration with industry and other organisations.
The ETC has a strong track record of research and development collaboration
with industry. Many of the ETC's industry partners are small to medium
sized local companies who have provided research and development funding
and collaborated to commercialise the results of research projects.
A number of these projects have resulted in new products and services.
These include:
-
the SOLARFLOW solar-powered reverse-osmosis desalination unit, now
under manufacture by Venco Products;
-
an
evapotranspiration wastewater disposal system, now widely used by
remote communities in WA; and
-
an
on-site bacteriological water quality test kit, presently being
trialled by thirty communities.
The etc is a partner
of the following Australian Cooperative Research Centres:
» Desert
Knowledge CRC
» Sustainable
Tourism CRC
» Environmental
Biotechnology CRC
Cooperative Research
Centres (CRCs) bring together researchers and research users in industry,
universities and government to carry out collaborative research in
new, cross disciplinary areas. They apply the results for the benefit
of their participants, and the Australian economy. CRCs receive about
25% of their funding from the Australian Government thus significantly
leveraging industry research funds. At present there are about 65
CRCs researching fields as diverse as agriculture, mining, health,
the environment and information technology.
