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Anyone who has sampled a drop of Scotland's national
drink knows that it can have some sizable side-effects.
However, they are unlikely to be aware that, besides
the hangover, one of the lesser known byproducts of
whisky production could soon be the ability to clean
contaminated brownfield sites.
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That is the discovery of a group of researchers at the University
of Aberdeen who have announced that they have pioneered
an innovative new way of cleaning contaminated ground and
waste water using a byproduct from Glenfiddich's Speyside
distillery.
The imaginatively-titled Device for the Remediation and
Attenuation of Multiple pollutants - or DRAM - is capable
of removing a number of different pollutants from the ground
at the same time, making clean-up operations quicker and more
cost-effective.
The researchers behind the device are remaining cagey about
exactly what the by-product used in the process is - citing
commercial factors, as they consider launching a spin-out
company to license the device to firms involved in brownfield
development.
However, one of the researchers behind the device, Dr Graeme
Paton, said that the process could also utilise other byproducts
from the food and beverage industry. "The clean-up of
contaminated groundwater is an absolutely massive global market"
- he added. "The technology that we have developed here
at Aberdeen is environmentally friendly, sustainable and has
the potential to put Scotland at the forefront for remediation
technologies."
The University of Aberdeen claims that there are up to 330,000
contaminated sites in the UK alone that could feasibly benefit
from the new technology.
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