Report shows activated carbon industry an option for the South-West

6/3/95

Opportunities exist for the South-West to further develop a growing industry involved with a wide range of uses from wine filtration to gold extraction, water purification to dry cleaning.

Resources Development Minister Colin Barnett today released a report which indicated that an activated carbon industry, used for filtration or the separation of compounds, could successfully be developed in the South-West using jarrah sawdust as a main source.

The introduction of such an industry would save the nation more than $13 million on imports and would generate millions more dollars in exports for the State.

The Minister said the Department of Resources Development report stated that Western Australia consumed about half Australia's imports, about 12,000 tonnes each year of activated carbon due to the State's gold industry, which used the material as a part of the gold extraction process.

The report highlighted two major projects under consideration for activated carbon.

Wittakers at Greenbushes and Simcoa were investigating ways to develop activated carbon from mill sawdust generated as a part of the industrial process.

A small facility existed in Bunbury and produces activated carbon for the food and waste water industries.

"Activated carbon can be produced using wood, coal and even peach and apricot stones and rice husks," Mr Barnett said.

"A prominent method in the gold industry is to import activated carbon in the form of chemically treated coconut shells to extract gold.

"If an industry was developed using jarrah sawdust, it would rule out the need to import these materials and would actually utilise what was otherwise a by product with limited use."

In the wine industry, activated carbon is used to filter unwanted colour and sediment prior to bottling.  It is also used to purify water and similar filter applications.

"The use of these types of materials to extract and filter is an age-old process, which would provide a useful and local support to the State's premium wine and gold industry as well as its wealth of other uses," Mr Barnett said.

Media contact: Carolyn Vicars 222 9699