Recently released cleaner production technologies for industry

This paper describes several, recently released, commercial cleaner production (CP) technologies, mainly from Australia, across a broad industry spectrum. Five technologies are described in some detail, namely: I medical waste reduction and treatment for recovery/reuse without incineration that reduces waste at source and keeps resources in the manufacturing cycle; I refrigeration/air conditioning compressor lubricant to reduce ozone depletion and provide increased energy efficiencies; I simple, cheap, electrolytic water purification for potable water and recovery/reuse of industrial effluents that removes solids, colour, viruses, metals and some anions. I low-cost brick kiln for developing countries that utilises a long, zigzag fire zone for reduced pollution and consistent highquality curing; I non-cyanide, non-mercury, gold extraction technology for low-grade ores and mine tailings as packaged process systems with closed-loop chemistries. Brief statements are also made about: I biological pre-cleaning for metal surfaces to replace solvent and hot alkali methods; I fluidised bed heat treatment and oil impregnation to replace hard chromium plating; I oil spill dispersant for residual clean-up using bacterial activity. These technologies demonstrate how CP research can provide many of the answers to improve the environmental performance and economics of industrial processing.