Construction for bioreactor trials underway
17 July 2018
Queensland Government:
Earthworks have begun on a cane farm near Giru
where a
bioreactor are being constructed as part of a trial to help
improve
water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner
said the trial would test if bioreactors in a tropical
environment could stop excess nitrates in
water leaving farms and flowing into the Great Barrier Reef.
“Denitrification bioreactors are a low cost, practical solution to water
quality problems,” the Minister said.
“Similar bioreactors operating on horticulture farms in south-east
Queensland have been able to significantly reduce nitrate levels in
shallow groundwater.
“The site chosen for this first bioreactor is a cane farm adjoining the
Haughton River near Giru.
“Excavation is underway at this first trial site, with a further two
bioreactors to be trialled at other sites likely to be in the Haughton
River and Brandon areas.
“It will take a couple of days to excavate the trench, fill it with
woodchips and install the covering to secure the bioreactor.
“It will then start operating after the first irrigation or rainfall
event. We’ll monitor the water quality entering and leaving the
bioreactors over the next couple of years to determine how just much
nitrate they are removing from the water.
“By tackling these challenges today we can ensure they don’t become an
even larger problem for future generations to deal with.
“The government can’t solve these problems acting alone. That’s why we
work in partnership with the community, business and industry. In this
case we have partnered with the
Queensland University of
Technology (QUT).”
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said
improving water quality would provide great benefits to the Great
Barrier Reef.
“The Great Barrier Reef is Queensland’s greatest natural asset and it is
vital we support innovative new ways to protect this natural wonder,” Ms
Enoch said.
“The Palaszczuk Government has committed $261 million over five years
for the
Queensland Reef Water Quality Program, which invests in on-ground
water quality improvement projects.
“A strong focus of this program is innovation and working with
landholders to reduce pollutant run off into local waterways.
“It is great to see technology, such as these bioreactors, being used as
practical solutions to help improve water quality for our valuable
Reef.”
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries project leader Carla Wegscheidl
said bioreactors were trenches filled with either softwood or hardwood
chips, which intercept ground or surface water.
“They enhance the natural denitrification process by converting nitrate
into inert nitrogen gas, which is lost to the atmosphere, and stop
nitrates entering the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.
“The bioreactor trials are a collaboration between the Department of
Agriculture and Fisheries and the Queensland University of Technology
(QUT).
“QUT is leading the design and monitoring components of the project.”
The project is funded by the Queensland Government’s Great Barrier Reef
Innovation Fund under the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.
--ENDS--
Source: Queensland Government - www.statements.qld.gov.au
Contact: Media: Brock Taylor – 0427 018 178
External Links: N/A
Recent news by: Queensland Government