Dramatic Drunk

A team of researchers from the University of Aberdeen might have a new technique to clean contaminated ground and waste water. Their secret ingredient? A by-product of whiskey, called DRAM (Device for the Remediation and Attenuation of Multiple pollutants). The Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside has helped researchers through donations.

There are an estimated 330,000 contaminate sites in the UK, mostly in former industrial areas. The UK's annual estimated spend on land remediation or clean up is £1.2 billion. Until now there has been no single solution for treating contaminated groundwater, since different pollutants require different clean up methods that can be costly and take time.

Early test results suggest that DRAM removes pollutants more quickly and more cost effectively than current methods.

Dr. Graeme Paton said "Currently we are using the by-product of Scotland's most famous export but our technology can utilize other by-products from the food and beverage industry."

"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."