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28 August 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Prof Patricks Voua Otomo
Prof Patricks Voua Otomo, Associate Professor and subject head of Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of the Free State (UFS).

In an effort to alleviate the burden of water contamination, Prof Patricks Voua Otomo, Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of the Free (UFS) is researching how mushrooms can be used to significantly reduce the toxicity of water.

The degradation of river systems in South Africa has been linked primarily to the inability of municipalities to properly treat wastewater. According to the 2022 Green Drop Report, out of the existing 850 wastewater systems across 90 municipalities, only 23 (or less than 3%) qualified for the Green Drop Certification. This underscores the depth and breadth of the wastewater treatment crisis in South Africa and its potential implications for human and environmental health.

In 2030, billions of people will still lack access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services – the most basic human need for health and well-being. Target 6.1 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – SDG 6 – aims to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all, while target 6.3 is also looking to improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe re-use globally by 2030.

These challenges inform Prof Voua Otomo’s research, which focuses on the drivers of river pollution in the Qwaqwa region, ways to mitigate/remediate their effects, and the development of simple and quick methods to assess water quality. His research, which is part of the UFS 2023 Impact Report, has drawn attention to localised incidences of terrestrial and aquatic contamination linked to sewage sludge management by local wastewater treatment plants.

Using mycofiltration to reclaim the quality of contaminated water

In Qwaqwa, wastewater treatment plants, however, are not the only source of river pollution, as a significant amount of river pollutants emanates directly from the communities that often dispose of their household waste directly into the waterways. This has led to unacceptable levels of pharmaceuticals such as biphenyl-4-ylacetic acid (an anti-inflammatory), efavirenz (an HIV medicine), and carbamazepine (an epilepsy medicine) ending up in rivers.

To attempt to reclaim the quality of contaminated water, ongoing research in Prof Voua Otomo’s laboratory involves the use of ‘mycofiltration’, i.e., the use of fungal mycelia for the purpose of water filtration. This relatively untapped eco-friendly technology is attracting more attention, yet its real merits are only now being established and documented scientifically.

“Various species of fungi have been explored in bioremediation studies, and those belonging to the Pleurotus genus (edible mushrooms) have demonstrated an exceptional ability in the biosorption of contaminants,” says Prof Voua Otomo.

In his field of research, Prof Voua Otomo says snails can be used as bioindicators (i.e., organisms used to assess the health of an environment or ecosystem, particularly by indicating the presence and impact of pollutants or other environmental stressors) or biomonitors (i.e., organisms or a biological systems used to assess the health of an environment, particularly by detecting changes in the levels of pollutants or other harmful substances).

“We designed a mycofilter made of mycelia from the mushroom species Pleurotus ostreatus and filtrated water contaminated with the organic insecticide imidacloprid and the inorganic chemical iron (III). The results showed that mycofiltration could remove up to 94% of iron (III) and 31% of imidacloprid.

“Mycofiltration works through a process called adsorption, which is the process where molecules, ions, or particles from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid, stick to a surface. This happens when the adsorbate (the substance being adsorbed) attaches to the adsorbent (the surface it adheres to),” Prof Voua Otomo explains.

Mycofiltration viable and affordable for water remediation

This research is the brainchild of Sanele Mnkandla, a final-year PhD student in Prof Voua Otomo’s laboratory. “A few years ago, she suggested looking at mycofiltration as a means to improve the quality of contaminated water. Freshwater snails were the most suitable organisms to help assess the improvement of the water quality after mycofiltration,” explains Prof Voua Otomo.

According to him, they are currently exploring ways to upscale the mycofilter to improve the quality of larger bodies of water, including rivers. The duration of the process depends on the size of the filter, the amount of water to be filtered and the targeted chemicals. Bigger filters, explains Prof Voua Otomo, will filter larger amounts of water over a relatively longer time whereas smaller ones will be saturated quickly. The process could last from minutes to days.

“We have published a technical note on the topic and a proof of concept. We are currently testing this technology using wastewater effluent in the Qwaqwa region. We are also exploring local applications in rainwater harvesting.

“Mycofiltration is certainly a viable and affordable option for water remediation, which can find a wide range of applications in South Africa,” he says. 

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News Archive

UFS lecturer overcomes barriers to become world-class researcher
2016-09-05

Description: Dr Magteld Smith researcher and deaf awareness activist Tags: Dr Magteld Smith researcher and deaf awareness activist

Dr Magteld Smith researcher and deaf awareness
activist, from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology
at the UFS.
Photo: Nonsindiso Qwabe

Renowned author and disability activist Helen Keller once said the problems that come with being deaf are deeper and more far-reaching than any other physical disability, as it means the loss of the human body’s most vital organ, sound.

Dr Magteld Smith, researcher at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) at the University of the Free State, said hearing loss of any degree can have psychological and sociological implications which may impair the day-to-day functioning of an individual, as well as preventing the person from reaching full potential. That is why Smith is making it her mission to bring about change in the stigmatisation surrounding deafness.

Beating the odds
Smith was born with bilateral (both ears) severe hearing loss, which escalated to profound deafness. But she has never allowed it to hinder her quality of life. She matriculated from a school for the deaf in 1985. In 2008 she received a cochlear implant   a device that replaces the functioning of the damaged inner ear by providing a sense of sound to the deaf person   which she believes transformed her life. Today, she is the first deaf South African to possess two masters degrees and a PhD.

She is able to communicate using spoken language in combination with her cochlear implant, lip-reading and facial expressions. She is also the first and only deaf person in the world to have beaten the odds to become an expert researcher in various fields of deafness and hearing loss, working in an Otorhinolaryngology department.

Advocating for a greater quality of life
An advocate for persons with deafness, Smith conducted research together with other experts around the world which illustrated that cochlear implantation and deaf education were cost-effective in Sub-Saharan Africa. The cost-effectiveness of paediatric cochlear implantation has been well-established in developed countries; but is unknown in low resource settings.

However, with severe-to-profound hearing loss five times higher in low and middle-income countries, the research emphasises the need for the development of cost-effective management strategies in these settings.

This research is one of a kind in that it states the quality of life and academic achievements people born with deafness have when they use spoken language and sign language as a mode of communication is far greater than those who only use sign language without any lip-reading.

Deafness is not the end

What drives Smith is the knowledge that deaf culture is broad and wide. People with disabilities have their own talents and skills. All they need is the support to steer them in the right direction. She believes that with the technological advancements that have been made in the world, deaf people also have what it takes to be self-sufficient world-changers and make a lasting contribution to humanity.

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