The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is delighted to announce that Queensland University of Technology’s plasma scientist, Dr. Kateryna (Katia) Bazaka, is the AMPC award recipient for this year’s 2019 Science and Innovation Awards.
Katia’s research looks at new ways to remove dirty wastewater from meat processing facilities while producing value-added and by-products along the way. Katia is working on what results when dirty water is exposed to plasma treatments which then break down the waste products to small molecules, carbon dioxide, water, and other products.
This technique has already been proven to work on pesticide breakdown on fruit as well as other waste product conversion and recycling materials.
Solar panels will generate a large amount of energy needed for the process, and Katia hopes that this project will create a useful device for the industry, as well as reduce environmental costs and business costs.
With wastewater identified as a Top 10 priority by Australian red meat processors, AMPC is excited to see Katia’s progress, results, and impact on maintaining and growing the sustainability of the red meat processing sector.
The Science and Innovation Awards are run by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to encourage young scientists, researchers, and innovators with original projects that aim to keep Australia’s rural industries sustainable and profitable. The Awards will be presented at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Outlook 2019 conference in Canberra next week.
Find out more information about Katia’s project, the Science and Innovation Awards, Katia’s fellow award recipients here.
