Toxicity Testing

Water toxicity is tested using Daphnia sp. and the Algal productivity tests. Daphnia sp. are commonly known as water flea and have been used for many years to assess the acute and chronic effects of single chemicals and complex mixtures in water environments. Certain algae species are used in standard tests for determining the primary productivity of water and testing the toxicity of chemicals present in water.

Algae

Algae are unicellular to multicellular plants that occur in fresh water, marine water and damp terrestrial environments. All algae possess chlorophyll, the pigment essential for photosynthesis. Algae are primary producers of organic matter upon which animals depend either directly or indirectly through the food chain. Test procedures using algae are valuable for determining the primary productivity of water and for testing the toxicity of chemicals present in water.

From Microcosms to Pilot Scale

Microbial Technologies' laboratory facility allows the scale-up of bench-top microcosm experiments to pilot scale level. Examples incude the design and modelling of wetlands for metal removal from mine effluents, the constrution of treatment columns for the removal of toxicity from runoff water from log yards (dry-land sorts) for the forest industry, and the simulation of insitu bioleaching environments for the mining industry. We have the ability to grow bioremediation consortia at medium-scale, ready for transfer to and further scale-up at the client's location.

Culture Collection

Useful microbial consortia, pure type strains, and important environmental samples can be stored indefinately for future research needs at -169 oC in a liquid nitrogen container.