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Auniversity start-up based in Adelaide, Baleen Filters Pty Limited, has been gaining widespread recognition for its innovation inspired by nature – a robust, self-cleaning wastewater technology which separates waste and filters water in just one step.Baleen Filters (technology of same name) was established in 1999, and after a five-year research and development programme at the University of South Australia successfully commercialised an innovative fine-screening technology for export markets in 2004.The word baleen is an anatomical description for the whalebone that belongs to a group of filter-feeding whales. Baleen is essentially the filter mechanism which enables the whale to collect plankton, small fish, and other marine organisms from the water during feeding. The combination of a sweeping action of the tongue and the reversing of the water flows as the whale dives and re-surfaces during feeding, enables it to capture and strain food, and keep its baleen clean.The Baleen filter technology (Baleen) is an engineered adaptation of the natural technique used by whales, based upon an internationally patented combination of clearing fluid dynamics and mechanical principles to instantly separate fine suspended solids from any process or wastewater stream in a far more effective way than that provided by conventional sedimentation, centrifugal and flotation methods.Baleen is manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia, and product design has been critically approved for use in numerous industries by several leading multi-national companies (including Coca Cola, Peabody, Chevron, Tyson Foods, and Fonterra to name a few). Baleen is in full-time operation with more than 200 installations internationally, delivering cost-savings and environmental benefits to its users.“Wastewater treatment is the elephant in the room for 21st century water sustainability. Current treatment techniques devour electricity by the megawatt-hour for aeration and leave behind mountains of noxious sludge.” Lux Research, 2014Baleen’s performance is unmatched, resulting in a concentrated sludge recovered as value-added byproduct or used for anaerobic digestion together with a lean filtrate suitable for water re-use, and leaving a carbon neutral footprint. BALEEN FILTERS, AUSTRALIAWHALE BIOMIMICRY FINDS GLOBAL NEEDwww.baleen.com084 OCEANS