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07 November 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Chemistry
Discussing progress in green energy and nuclear medicine during the recent ReMec2, were from the left: Dr Dumisani Kama (UFS), Prof Roger Alberto (University of Zurich), Prof Andreas Roodt (UFS), and Dr Orbett Alexander (UFS).
Scientists in South Africa and Switzerland, with a research collaboration of 20 years, are working together to make a difference. A major focus of their work is nuclear medicine and green energy. 

Since the end of October, 22 speakers from five countries met for five days at four different sites in South Africa to discuss their work during the second symposium on reaction mechanisms, better known as ReMec2. The Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted this event. 

Considerable reduction of carbon dioxide

According to Prof Andreas Roodt, lead researcher from the UFS Department of Chemistry, ReMec2 focused mainly on two projects: nuclear medicine and an R8 million project titled: Solar Light-driven Homogeneous Catalysis for Greener Industrial Processes with H2 (hydrogen gas) as Energy Source and CO2 (carbon dioxide) as C1 Building Block. This is a sunlight-driven project in search of new catalysts, which are chemical compounds that make the reactions faster and more effective, but which are not consumed during the reaction. The aim is to provide greener industrial processes with hydrogen as energy source, and to reduce carbon dioxide in the environment.

This research, if applied, has the probability of preventing the release of more than 100 kg of harmful carbon dioxide for every one kg of hydrogen produced. “Together with the Swiss group, we are at that stage of the research where these compounds, with just one molecule of the catalyst, can make 80 000 hydrogen molecules (very clean energy, as hydrogen in a car's engine burns to clean water; not like gasoline that burns to harmful carbon dioxide),” Prof Roodt explains. 

The UFS and the research group from Prof Robert Alberto at the University of Zurich have been working together on this research for the past twenty years. According to Prof Roodt, they are studying complete reaction mechanisms, including the time profile of how the different chemical compounds are reacting with each other and not just the simple product analysis as studied by most groups in the world. 

International patent on nuclear medicine

In June 2019, they registered an international patent on nuclear medicine model compounds. The patent was granted. During ReMec2, a lecture was presented on this patent, according to which a compound with an imaging isotope [Tc-99m] that has its own ‘X-rays’, can shed light on an affected organ in the human body for doctors to see where medicine should be administered. The same compound also contains the medicine to treat the disease. 

The work of these scientists is 100% in line with South Africa’s National Development Plan and it supports the UFS Strategic Plan. “The programme also builds on students’ research and increases network and collaboration possibilities. We receive more international acknowledgement for our research efforts and compete with the best in the world. Our research is not necessarily about having the best equipment (although it is very important), but critically it is about the generation of innovative ideas,” says Prof Roodt. 

News Archive

UFS hosts first SA Digital Sky Academy at the Naval Hill Planetarium
2015-10-02


From the left are: Prof Neil Heideman
(Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UFS),
Jack White (Director: Sky-Skan Oceania),
Dr Michelle Cluver (Department of Astronomy, University of the Western Cape),
Martin Ratcliffe (Director: Professional Development, Sky-Skan).
Photo: Mart-Mari Duvenhage

South Africa hosts some of the world’s largest telescopes, and won the bid to co-host the SKA recently. So it’s not surprising that there is unprecedented interest in Astronomy in our country. Astronomy is seen as a gateway subject that attracts people to the sciences, while planetariums help to make Astronomy accessible to millions of people.  Digital planetariums are especially powerful teaching tools because they are versatile, offer an immersive experience, and explain and illustrate three-dimensional concepts effectively.  On the other hand, scientists, are eager to exploit a digital planetarium’s potential to represent and explore data visually, whether the data relate to medicine, astronomy, chemistry, the environment, or other fields of research.

The four-day ‘Digital Sky Academy’ (DSA) presented at the Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein from 18 - 22 September 2015 was an opportunity to offer training and first-hand experience of digital planetarium technology to representatives from other centres in South Africa. The Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the host of this event.

The Department of Science and Technology has designated the Naval Hill Planetarium as the South African hub for the training of digital planetarium presenters and operators. In addition to attracting interest from scientists and future planetarium operators and presenters, the DSA workshop provided an invaluable opportunity for our presenters to hone their skills.

A number of experienced and distinguished people attended the workshop. Among them was Dr Mark SubbaRao from Chicago in the United States, who shared information on data visualisation techniques used in the Adler Planetarium. Jack White, Director of Sky-Skan, one of the few companies that provide digital technology for planetariums throughout the world, coordinated the event in partnership with Prof Matie Hoffman from the Department of Physics at the UFS.

Jack travelled from Melbourne in Australia to oversee the workshop. Two Sky-Skan colleagues from the United States, Martin Weiss and Martin Ratcliffe, were on hand to share their expertise on digital planetarium hardware and software. The workshop programme included Skype conference calls with other US-based planetarium experts. Amongst the delegates to the DSA representatives from the SKA, the Iziko Museum, and five South Africa universities. They were here to gain experience, explore the capacity of the digital facility, and share ideas on future collaboration.

During the workshop, a public lecture was held on 19 September. Dr Michelle Cluver from the University of the Western Cape gave a presentation entitled, ‘More than the eye can see: the significance of infrared light in Astronomy.’

 

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