Our Team Members

Group Development Manager

Andrew Green

Andrew started his career as an Apprentice Fitter and Machinist with the CSIRO. Andrews benefited from the quality training provided encompassing multi-disciplinary trades. The structured training included secondments in the Machine shop, Electrical workshop, Sheet metal shop, Boiler makers shop, Plumber’s workshop, Carpentry and the Site Maintenance workshop facilitating a diverse and well-rounded knowledge base. Not satisfied with this Andrew undertook further studies and attained formal welding qualifications, Mechanical Engineering Diploma and Restricted Electrical Licence ticket.

Andrews thirst for knowledge seen him move to the pharmaceutical industry learning about high speed packaging equipment, progressing head of maintenance and engineering at Biotech Australia a research and development company operating in the food and Pet care markets. While at Biotech Andrew developed and manufactured bespoke equipment required by the scientific staff and worked on high end laboratory and analytical equipment. During this time become very familiar with the ancillary equipment utilised including water treatment equipment ranging from High quality cleanroom supply, Wastewater, trade waste, Cooling towers and Boiler systems. Andrew was also served as a OH&S consultant and head of Safety and Security.

After 11 years at Biotech Andrew followed his passion for sustainability and moved into the Water Industry as a Project Engineer and then later moved into Project Management of the construction of the large water and wastewater plants around the world. It is during this time that Andrew found his true calling of helping customers to solve problems.

Following his newfound path Andrew spent many years working as a specialised Business Development Manager in the industrial sector, providing technical sales support in the mechanical seal and specialised seal sector and in design and manufacture of engineered products.

Andrew has finally combined his passion for sustainable solutions and customer solutions and has returned to the water industry as the Group Development Manager where he brings a wealth of Industry knowledge and can understand the customers needs and offer a tailored solution to any of their requirements.

Aquaculture Microbiology Technologist

Swaminathan Palanisami

Swami started his career as a quality control microbiologist in a bottled drinking water company. He tests the microbiological parameters of potable water. Then he moved to a brewery as a quality control microbiologist; his duties were analysing the biochemical quality of the beer and maintaining the yeast.

Swami then received a scholarship for doing PhD in microbiology. His PhD focused on applying prokaryotic microalgae as a bioremediation agent for textile dye wastewater. In his PhD research for the first time, Swami reported the existence of two enzymes (Laccase and Tannase) in the prokaryotic macroalgae. Through this PhD research, Swami acquired vast knowledge on microalgae, and he is well conversant in the identification and cultivation of different microalgae species.
After his PhD, Swami worked as a junior research fellow in a federal government ecotoxicology project that involved developing the safety limits of toxic chemicals in the aquatic environment. Where he directly worked with governmental bodies that developed environmental safety regulations for industrial waste discharge. In that project, specifically, Swami’s responsibility is to establish an analytical method to determine toxic chemical-induced acute and chronic stress responses on aquatic animals and microbes. The aquatic organisms include mussels, fish, and algae.

Swami then progressed into an independent scientist role, where he managed a team of four senior research fellows. His team worked on cultivating microalgae and seaweed using deep ocean water from the depth of 350 metres; the cultivation method includes tubular photobioreactors, raceway pond and bubble column reactors. As a part of his responsibility, Swami was also involved in the deployment of the fish aggregating device for the welfare of local community fisherman’s. Along with the project of deploying fish aggregating devices with this team, Swami organised a scientific cruise for the collection of marine microalgae and also established a local species microalgae culture collection.
Then Swami moved to the United States to work on the large-scale production of microalgae for biodiesel purposes using flue gas from the coal-fired power plant as a source of carbon dioxide to cultivate microalgae. As a post-doctoral researcher, Swami managed the Centre for Bioenergy Lab at Missouri Lincoln University and trained masters & undergraduate students in algal research.
Then Swami decided to move his research focus to ‘Climate Change’ and took on a second PhD in Environmental Engineering; he qualified for - International Research Scholarship and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) – President Scholarship. His research focused on minimising Nitrous Oxide – a Greenhouse gas that is 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide in causing Climate Change. 80 % of Australia’s Nitrous Oxide emission is from nitrogen fertilisers used in soli based agriculture. Swami used nitrogen-fixing microalgae as a source of nutrients to cultivate food crops in hydroponics; also, he filed an Australian Patent. Swami was also involved in teaching at the University of Technology Sydney as a Teaching Assistant also worked as a research assistant in a project involved in the drought mortality of Australian local species trees. Swami is also a visiting researcher at the Algal Organic Matter Lab at University of New South whales (UNSW).

Currently, in Maztec, with his knowledge and scientific experiences, Swami focuses on developing suitable methods for removing nuisance algae and aquatic weeds. His experiences on algae and aquatic toxicology contribute Maztec to understanding the characteristics of nuisance algae and aquatic plants growing on the ornamental Ponds and Lakes. Swami is now scientifically devising methods for removing algae and aquatic weeds to arrive in the long term management of Ponds and Lakes.