PBCRC is investing in the development of amorphous silica for the non-chemical control of insects in food storages.

1. Amorphous silica – a commercial path to impact
David Eagling -
on behalf of the 40+ contributors
Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre

2. biosecurity built on science
What would it mean if you could control insects without chemicals?
Food security - FAO: “given many smallholder
farmers live on the margins of food insecurity, a
reduction in food losses could have an immediate
and significant impact on their livelihoods”
Global consumers
- Strong market demand for non-
chemical options e.g. organics
- Non-regulatory supermarket drivers
e.g. EU is decreasing residue
tolerances for chemicals
Biosecurity - Insects affect grain quality and Australia trades grain on the concept of
“nil tolerance for live insects”

3. biosecurity built on science
Research – We have been “rediscovering” silica
Red flour beetle
Tribolium castaneum
Lesser grain borer
Rhyzopertha dominica
Rice weevil
Sitophilus oryzae
5 days
exposure
10 days
exposure
5 days
exposure
10 days
exposure
5 days
exposure
10 days
exposure
Silica No.1 100 100 99 100 100 100
Silica No. 2 99 100 99 100 100 100
Silica No. 3 100 100 100 100 100 100
Dryacide 0 5 40 75 49 79
Absorbacide 1 7 36 68 51 78
Diafil 610 3 7 42 74 53 70
Percentage mortality of various grain storage pests to both “new” amorphous silica
products and existing commercial silica products

4. biosecurity built on science
Invention – How to optimise and deliver an amorphous silica product
Image copyright: Fumed silica process.svg

5. biosecurity built on science
PBCRC / PBIP agree – impact requires a commercial path to market
Impact - Small business and start-ups are
important to the economy:
The majority of businesses in Australia are
small - accounting for 97 percent of all
businesses
More than 60 percent of small businesses
cease operating within the first three years
of starting
Success can be profound:
- Glaxo (worlds 6th largest pharmaceutical company) was founded in the 1850s in rural
New Zealand as a general trading company
Australia and innovation – The “top 5” countries for supporting business start-ups are
(1) Singapore (2) HK (3) China (4) NZ (5) US - But where is Australia?

6. biosecurity built on science
Innovation - We continue to move forward to market
1. Research and Invention - navigating both scientific and commercial literature
5. People and Structures – the PBCRC provides in-principle support for
a “spin-out”
3. Innovation - building a business plan and
explaining how everyone will make money
“The value of an idea lies in the using of it” —Thomas Edison
4. Markets – opportunities
everywhere but the business plan
provides the required focus
2. To get to market we require product registration