Toxic water 'cleaned' by bacteria

Industries use the toxic white liquid to keep machinery cool

A company in Oxfordshire is claiming to have found a way to use bacterian to "clean" toxic water used by industry to cool machinery.

Microbial Solutions in Upper Heyford is using bugs to consume the harmful chemicals found in industrial waste.

Once the bacteria has done its job the water is added to a solution to test its oxygen levels.

When it is no longer toxic the water can be poured into the sewage system without contaminating the supply.

Industry uses the toxic white liquid, made up of water, chemicals and oil, to keep machinery cool but it is difficult to dispose of and is usually boiled and dumped in landfill.

Now the Oxfordshire laboratory, which was set up at the start of the year, says it has found an environmentally-friendly solution.

Dr Duane Ager, Microbial's chief scientific officer, said: "We are currently trialling the process with several major manufacturers, including the automotive and aerospace industries.

"We will be looking at rolling this out to other waste streams.

"Things like oily waste from forecourts or disused petrol tankers could all benefit from this idea."