Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
31 December 2019
|
Story Dr Cindé Greyling
|
Photo Anja Aucamp
Dr Mariana Erasmus, SAENSE Platform Manager, says water remediation is vital for both the ecosystem and industries.
KovsieInnovation at the UFS supports innovative research outputs in various ways – one of which is to protect the intellectual property and to register patents where viable. This is in line with KovsieInnovation’s broader aim to create third-stream income for the university. Patent registration is a complex process and the UFS is proud to have the needed expertise to properly facilitate such an endeavour.
The SAENSE Platform
South Africa is a water-scarce country, with many water hungry industries (such as agriculture and mining). “Industrial processes often contaminate water with heavy metals, harmful chemicals, radioactive waste, and even organic sludge,” Dr Mariana Erasmus, SAENSE Platform Manager, explains.
Hence, water remediation is vital for both the ecosystem and industries. One of the key functions of the SAENSE Platform is to offer water-remedial solutions for the (bio)remediation of nitrates, heavy metals, and salts, among others. The platform’s activities and services are supported by undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers, using Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) funding. TIA is a national public entity that serves as key institutional intervention to bridge the innovation chasm between research and development.
From waste to water
Through the joint effort of two mining companies and the UFS/TIA SAENSE Research Platform, a new treatment for mine drainage (MD) has been developed. This patented B-DAS (Barium – Dispersed Alkaline Substrate) technology effectively treats the major contaminants found in acid, alkaline, or neutral mining wastewater. The aim of the B-DAS system is to provide a passive water-treatment solution with minimum waste production; it can also be a potential pre-treatment for reverse osmosis (RO) to lower the requirements of the membranes and therefore potentially reduce the RO cost.
The success of the patent is that it turns unusable water into water that is fit for agricultural purposes at a reduced cost and increased efficiency.
Kovsie Extravaganza Zircus a big success
2012-10-17
 |
Kovsie Extravaganza “Zircus”
17 October 2012 |
Hundreds of people flocked to the Callie Human Centre on Saturday 13 October 2012 for the Kovsie Extravaganza “Zircus”. Friends, family and lovers of the arts watched the amazing performances by students from our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses. South African singer-songwriter and poet Zahara also wowed the crowd.
The Kovsie Extravaganza had a circus theme. Clowns ensured that the audience remained enthusiastic. The university’s orchestra added a touch of elegance to the show and the choir brought musical harmony to the event. There were performances of rap, pop, drama and poetry.
As soon as Zahara stepped on stage, the crowd went wild. She performed songs such as Destiny, Umthwalo and Loliwe.
The event donated R10 out of every ticket bought to the No Student Hungry campaign that offers food bursaries to our students. It is known that twenty precent of our students cannot afford food to sustain them on campus. Events like the Extravaganza help raise funds for the campaign.