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31 December 2019
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Story Dr Cindé Greyling
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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.
NRF Renewals: 2005
2004-09-21
Renewal applications for Masters and Doctoral scholarships for 2005 are due now. Students who were awarded NRF Prestigious/Equity Masters and Doctoral scholarships, DoL/NRF Masters and Doctoral scholarships as well as the NLC/NRF Masters and Doctoral scholarships for support in 2004 are eligible to apply for the renewal of their scholarships for 2005, if the criteria for progress have been met. The NRF will not send individual letters to students reminding them to renew their scholarships. No incomplete or late applications will be considered. Scholarship holders must explicitly request renewal of their scholarships by submitting an application for the renewal of the scholarship on the relevant form. University’s internal closing date: 22 October 2004 at 15:30.
NRF closing date: 31 October 2004. Application forms must be handed in on or before the internal closing date at the George du Toit Administration Building, Room 155 (Mr Maleka, x9263).
Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.nrf.ac.za/students.php. Application forms for the renewal of DoL/NRF scholarships for people with disabilities will be made available on the website in due course.