INNOVATIVE
Synthetic
DNA trace systems
The washing of crude-carrying cargo tanks at sea causes damage to marine ecosystems and provides legitimate concern for protest groups and governments alike. Whilst MARPOL (73/78) seeks to control discharge of oily waste into the oceans, deliberate rogue discharges of heavy oil still persist from the bilges of all vessels.
Forecast Technology’s synthetic DNA tracer technology is designed to support the management of operational shipping activity to more effectively protect the marine environment. The unique, patent-protected product, uses single stranded oligonucleotides as tracer molecules to mark all on-board fluids, effectively adding a “fingerprint”. Should any oil or oily waste find its way into the ocean, the offending vessel could be easily identified, held accountable and ultimately prosecuted.
Forests play a fundamental role in sustaining life, from managing carbon dioxide levels to providing nutrition and shelter for more than half of the world’s land-based species, but they are being depleted at an alarming rate. Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost some 129 million hectares of forest, an area the size of South Africa.
Whilst the existing Chain of Custody certification system attempts to provide a means of proving that the sourced timber is legal and sustainable, even the best certification schemes are not immune to abuse and fraud. Forecast Technology’s patented DNA marking system verifies the source of timber at any point in the supply chain, therefore enabling procurers to have full confidence they are buying legally and sustainably produced timber.
As the network of oil pipelines increases, so does the risk of pipeline leaks. The accidental release of crude oil or petroleum products to the environment can cause significant problems to both wildlife and human health.
It is considerably difficult to prove how long oil has been leaking from a pipeline when a spill is confirmed. Most pipelines are underground, where oil can seep into surrounding soils and potentially groundwater. Forecast Technology has developed and patented a synthetic DNA tracer which, when added into oil transported in a pipeline, can play a role in providing evidence of source and a timeline of events.