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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

Innovation the focus of 28th Sophia Gray Memorial Lecture
2016-09-06

Description: Stratford furniture design Tags: Stratford furniture design

Stratford never lost his passion for designing
furniture. Pictured here is some of his furniture
exhibited at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum.
Photo: Francois van Vuuren: iFlair Photography

Al Stratford, designer, inventor and architect, presented the 28th Sophia Gray Memorial Lecture on 25 August at the Reservoir at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein. The event, hosted by the Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State, was also the opening of an exhibition of Stratford’s work.

In his career of 40 years, Stratford has patented many products and won several awards in industrial design and architecture. He is known in South Africa for his development of innovative building technology such as the Winblok Precast Concrete Window System. In 2009 and 2010, he also served as president of the South African Institute of Architects.

The title of his lecture was: Reductive Innovation in Architecture. Throughout his career, Stratford endeavoured – through his designs and inventions – to apply the principle of “reduction” to the building material he used and technology he examined.

Stratford designs and builds smart buildings
Stratford says a home is the paradigm of self-expression. His career as architect started with the building of five houses in Gonubie, near East London. Everything he knew about architecture at that stage, he had taught himself by reading on the subject at the local library. Later on, he achieved great heights in his career by designing and building, among others, the Stratford Guesthouse; the sustainable and resourcefully designed campus buildings for the University of Fort Hare (an institutional building not utilising any electrical air-conditioning); the Edenvale Baptist Church; and a community hall.

His technology is widely used in the building industry

“The arrogance in me gets humiliated when I
see what other people and God has done.”


His technical drawing skills, acquired at an early age during his training as motor mechanic, are still practised years later, particularly in his inventions. Stratford is the inventor of technology commonly used in the building industry today. Of these, the Winblok window system which he patented in 1981, is one of his best known patents. The use of these windows is characteristic of many of the buildings he designed and built. Other technology he invented and patented, includes the Winstep stairs, the Windeck flooring system, and the StratFlex furniture technology.

Furniture designs win him awards
He likes to quote architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: “A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is easier.” Stratford started designing and manufacturing his own furniture and never lost this passion. In 2013, he won the Innovation Award at the Design Indaba for his “flat pack” furniture technology.

The humble Stratford – designer, inventor, industrialist, and architect – says he is simply playing around with God’s creation. “The arrogance in me gets humiliated when I see what other people and God has done.”

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