Thai Navy and BIOTEC Join Forces to Combat Oil Pollution

The Royal Thai Navy and the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) have launched a collaborative research and development project to address the issue of wastewater contaminated with fuel and lubricants. 

Announced in a press release on Wednesday, the partnership will focus on creating innovative treatment solutions to support the Navy’s “Green Navy” initiative.

A formal agreement was signed by Rear Admiral Krit Khantha-ubon, chief of the Naval Science Department, and Professor Dr Chukij Limpijamnong, director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), which oversees BIOTEC. 

This initiative will bring together the expertise of the Navy’s Science Department, the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry, NSTDA and BIOTEC. 
 

Krit highlighted the significance of the partnership in supporting the Navy’s commitment to promoting environmental sustainability. The “Green Navy” initiative is a key part of the Navy’s 2017-2037, aimed at fostering environmental responsibility through renewable energy, waste management and pollution reduction. The ultimate goal is to achieve a demonstrably sustainable and environmentally conscious Navy by 2037. 

Prof Chukij, meanwhile, emphasised the project’s focus on developing technologies to treat wastewater contaminated with fuel and lubricants. He noted that the initiative aligns with NSTDA’s broader strategy for "Science and Technology Implementation for Sustainable Thailand" and underscores the importance of applying biotechnology to address pressing environmental challenges. 

BIOTEC’s Biorefinery and Bioproduct Technology Research Group has already made significant strides in identifying and isolating microorganisms that can degrade oil and petroleum compounds.
 

Working with the Naval Science Department, the team has collected samples from ship engine rooms and other naval sites to cultivate these microorganisms. Initial results have been promising, with several microorganisms exhibiting strong oil-degrading potential, which could be further developed to support the Green Navy initiative. 

Future research will focus on enhancing these microorganisms using advanced BIOTEC technologies and conducting physical and chemical analysis of samples in collaboration with the Naval Science Department's laboratories. The goal is to develop effective, readily deployable products to support the Green Navy’s mission. 

BIOTEC has a proven track record in developing environmental management technologies, including:

• Tidy Bio Plus: A highly effective microbial waste treatment product using indigenous Thai microorganisms.
• ENZease: A smart enzyme for single-step starch removal and cotton cleaning.
• Serizyme: An enzyme for degumming silk in the textile and cosmetics industries.
• Cotton Pro: A multi-enzyme for environmentally friendly cotton production.
• RETTizyme: A multi-enzyme for processing pineapple leaf fibres.

BIOTEC has also developed prototypes, such as MEL Biosurfactant (a yeast-derived biosurfactant) and MES-Green (a bio-detergent from vegetable oils and waste fatty acids), which could be adapted for use in treating oil spills and contaminated wastewater. These represent just a few of the potential solutions that this collaboration will explore.