Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
23 January 2020 | Story Lacea Loader

Update: 26 January 2020
Bloemfontein Campus registration process to continue on Monday 27 January 2020


The registration process for students on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) will continue on Monday 27 January 2020 as per the registration programme.

First-year students who have not registered must refer to their email, the university’s self-service portal, and the Call Centre (051 401 9666) for information. Senior students can visit registration venues on campus if they require academic advice.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393



Update: 24 January 2020
Bloemfontein Campus registration process not to continue the afternoon of Friday 24 January 2020  


The first-year registration process on the Bloemfontein Campus will not continue after 13:00 today (Friday 24 January 2020), but will resume on Monday 27 January 2020.

This decision taken by the executive management of the university comes after a number of students disrupted the registration process this morning and prevented first-year students to enter registration venues.

Constant engagements with the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) and the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the Bloemfontein Campus have taken place since the beginning of the year regarding matters of concern to students, and the executive management will continue to do so. The university management is disappointed with this morning’s disruptive behaviour led by the Bloemfontein Campus SRC, despite these regular engagements.

The situation on the campus is being closely monitored by the university’s Protection Services and the South African Police Service.

 

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393

News Archive

Using sugar to make the world a sweeter place
2017-10-13

Description: Deepback sugar Tags: Sugarcane, Dr Deepack Santchurn, Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI), Department of Plant Sciences 

Dr Deepack Santchurn, former PhD student in the
Department of Plant Sciences at the UFS,
and plant breeder in the  Mauritius Sugar Industry
Research Institute, with Prof Maryke Labuschagne, left,
Dr Santchurn’s study leader.
Photo: Charl Devenish



Besides it mainly being used for sugar production, sugarcane has emerged as an important alternative for providing clean renewable energy. Dr Deepack Santchurn, who works in the sugarcane breeding department of the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI), believes if he could contribute towards a more environment-friendly and renewable energy through the use of sugarcane biomass, he would consider himself having made a great leap towards a better world. 

Sugarcane is mostly known and exploited for the sugar in its cane stem. According to Dr Santchurn it is not the only thing the crop does well. “Together with certain grasses, it is the finest living collector of sunlight energy and a producer of biomass in unit time. Sugarcane is now recognised worldwide as a potential renewable and environment-friendly bioenergy crop.” 

Significantly more bioenergy can be produced from sugarcane if the production system is not focused on the production and recovery of sucrose alone but on the maximum use to the total above-ground biomass. Diversification within the sugarcane industry is of paramount importance. 

He has been able to identify a few high biomass varieties that can be exploited industrially. One of the varieties is a commercial type with relatively high sugar and low fibre in the cane stem. Dr Santchurn explains: “Its sucrose content is about 0.5% less than the most cultivated commercial variety in Mauritius. Nevertheless, its sugar yield and above-ground biomass yield surpass those of the commercial varieties by more than 24%. The genetic gains compared to commercial varieties were around +50% for total biomass yield and +100% for fibre yield. Its cultivation is strictly related to bio-energy production and the extracted juice can be used as a feed-stock for ethanol and other high-value products.”

Dr Santchurn received his PhD at the UFS’s Department of Plant Sciences during the Winter Graduation Ceremonies in June this year. His study leader was Prof Maryke Labuschagne from the Department of Plant Sciences. 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept