Innovations

Surfactants are amphipathic molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties that partition preferentially at the interface between fluid phases, such as oil/water or air/water interfaces. Such characteristics confer excellent detergency, emulsifying, foaming, and dispersing traits, which

The invention relates to the use of maghemite nanoparticles at pH < 5 to remove sulphate, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt and zinc metal ions from acid mine drainage (AMD). In a conventional way of AMD treatment, these pollutants are only removed at higher pH and requires costly alkaline chemicals

A method and apparatus for treating a fluid utilising nanoscience. The impurities in the fluid are trapped by the charged nanoparticles. The fluid is contained in a reactor that includes a moving magnetic system. When the reactor is in use, the moving magnetic system excites the charged

The invention is a leakage detection system for water pipelines installed in partially saturated soils. Most soils in South Africa and the rest of Africa are partially saturated because the water table is usually deep. Given the large amount of water lost from water distribution systems worldwide

The invention The invention uses plastic waste and Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) to produce building and construction material with a density of between 1700 and 1750 kg/m 3 . The plastic is melted and WFS is used to produce a paste for the moulding of building material. Problem solved Plastics are vital

Activated Carbon: Local Production Using Local Nuts The invention describes a novel method of producing activated carbon from locally available nut shells. The invention provides a method to carry out carbonation and physical activation simultaneously via a pyrolysis process. This process produces

Biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa SB24 (rhamnolipid congeners), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ST34 (surfactin and bacillomycin L analogues and homologues) and pigmented (P1) and non-pigmented (NP1) Serratia marcescens strains (serratamolide and glucosamine derivative homologues) were

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University has developed a novel solvent-based process for extracting cannabinoids directly from plant-wax waste streams generated during industrial processing. The method uses a simple but effective combination of two immiscible solvents, one

The process consists of two continuous stages carried out under inert, vacuum conditions. In the first stage, cold feedstock is fed into a preheating vacuum oven for ex-situ desulphurization. It is heated to a controlled temperature for a set time to break sulphur–sulphur and sulphur–carbon bonds

A method has been developed by which cannabinoids are extracted from a waste wax that is formed during conventional extraction of cannabinoids from Cannabis plants. During medicinal cannabinoid extraction process, cannabinoids are extracted from the plant material into an alcohol phase, which can be

This technology utilises the unique properties of a specific type of biosurfactant to selectively recover metals from solution. Using comparatively low concentrations of biosurfactant, the metals can be recovered (and potentially valorised), and the surfactant can even be recycled back for further

The innovation describes a process for removing lead from a liquid such as contaminated water. The liquid is brought into contact with a PbrD protein which binds lead ions present in the liquid. The bound lead ions can then be recovered, for example as an insoluble salt or compound such as lead