News

Destroying Forever Chemicals

September 19, 2025

Elucidating high-temperature chemical reactions to safeguard thermal destruction technologies for PFAS. Figure (AI-generated): Hazardous waste incinerator. The challenge Absent natural […]

waste

The Safe Waste Initiative

September 19, 2025

The Challenge The key focus of the Safe Waste Initiative is to provide safe and secure pathways to manage and […]

CSIRO scientists celebrate official launch

New TRIFIN and ICR facilities opened

September 6, 2025

CSIRO opens state-of-the-art lab facilities to accelerate environmental protection and groundwater management at the Waite Campus in Adelaide

off shore oil rig

Offshore oil and gas decommissioning and resource recovery

December 9, 2024

We have investigated the challenges, regional opportunities and social acceptability for the multi-billion-dollar decommissioning of obsolete offshore oil and gas infrastructure in Australia.

The study is one of the first of its kind to investigate how exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impact Australian wildlife. © Leanne White/Queensland Government

CSIRO and DETSI uncover health impacts of ‘forever chemicals’ on freshwater turtles

November 12, 2024

CSIRO and DETSI uncover health impacts of ‘forever chemicals’ on freshwater turtles

Plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems is a significant global challenge. Researchers are examining the microbial communities in these environments to find novel solutions to the plastic problem.

The microbiome of plastic contaminated aquatic environments – bioprospecting for a solution to the plastic problem.

April 22, 2024

The challenge CSIRO has been working with industry partners to clean up contaminated sites through the use of microbes (Bioremediation). Our studies of contaminated sites are increasing our understanding of the role microorganisms play in contaminant removal. However, the following challenges have limited the success of bioremediation strategies: Not all organic wastes and contaminants can currently be biodegraded using existing bioremediation technologies. Without intelligent delivery systems, introduced microorganisms often fail to persist. Treatment performance varies often due to unknown factors which hinders commercialisation and adoption.

Designer microbiomes for bioremediation of PFAS

October 25, 2022

Designer microbiomes for bioremediation of PFAS

For better and for worse, consumption of plastic goods is a widespread feature of human activities. Plastics are highly customisable and durable materials, which leads to both their extensive applications and their enormous contribution to landfill sites. In 2018, the estimated mass of waste plastics produced in Australia alone was 3.41 million tonnes: only 4 % of this was recycled, while a whopping 65 % went to landfill (Schandl et al. 2020).

Plastic munching microbes for biorecycling

September 11, 2022

We bioprospect microbial catalysts from various environments, such as this acidic stream, to develop bioprocesses that can operate in extreme conditions.

Mining biotechnology

September 1, 2020

A sustainable mining industry