An Australian company that uses algae to clean dirty water has its eye on international expansion.

MBD Energy has been pioneering the new technology at the Pacific Reef prawn farm in Ayr, North Queensland.

On the farm, water from prawn ponds is now cleaned before going out to the Great Barrier Reef area.

In fact, the experts behind the watery revolution say flows are even cleaner on the way out than they were on the way in.

The algae eats nitrogen and other nutrients added during the prawn farming process, but can then be dried out and sold for human consumption.

It can be used to treat any waste water with high nitrogen content, which includes almost everything running off Australian farms - piggeries, poultry farms, feedlots and dairy operations in particular.

MBD Energy director, Tony St Clair, says the company is looking to stretch out to new horizons.

“We will see the further enhancement of that project and Pacific Reef are looking to expand their operation down to Guthalungra once they receive approval, so hopefully that will be in transition over 2015,” Mr St Clair said in a recent interview with the ABC.

“Also, we are looking at growing a red algae not at Pacific Reef but into other areas on fresh water in the Ayr area.

“We've been very buoyed by the Burdekin Council and the cane growers association there that have been to our plant just before Christmas, so we are moving forward.

“A few of them can see an option for getting into another enterprise other than just cane growing, without affecting the aquifers.”

MBD Energy will soon join Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb, along with 30 delegates, on a week-long mission to India to find more commercial opportunities.