Innovations

South Africa harbours the highest number of rape incidents in the world, and sexual assault and rape cases in the entire SADC region are estimated at a minimum of 55 000 cases per year. Crime scene investigations utilise DNA technology on a regular basis. In cases of rape or sexual abuse, male

The current patterns of production and consumption of conventional plastics are unsustainable. Conventional plastics are non-biodegradable, leading to visible pollution in soil, marine environments and the air when discarded, landfilled or burnt. Products that are practically non-recyclable, such as

The CSIR has developed a smartphone technology that is used as a detection system for analysing biomolecular assays or chemical reactions. The smartphone is used to capture one or more images of the biomolecular assays, which are processed by way of bespoke hardware and software to provide

The invention relates to a membrane technology developed using polymeric material, to recover crude oil found in water due to spillages. Although several techniques have been employed for removing crude oil from bodies of water, these techniques are either focused on dissolving the spilled oil

A low-cost, portable, self-aligning rooftop wind turbine designed to capture moderate velocity wind and generate electricity efficiently for household use. Large-scale wind turbines in South Africa are located far afield, and the energy generated must be transported back to communities via huge

The invention entails an energy-generating system that makes use of polyethylene plastics that would otherwise result in environmental pollution to produce synthesis gas (syngas). Unlike conventional gasification systems that rely on oxygen, this system ensures that the gasification of polyethylene

The invention relates to the design of a robust membrane for desalination, using membrane distillation (MD). Although MD technology has advanced over the years, its industrial application for the treatment of brackish water and seawater continues to lag behind. This invention exhibits advantages

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

A mobile application to facilitate the efficient delivery of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) which are dependent on a multi-embedded supply chain coordination for the distribution of malaria drugs. The distribution of these is hampered by a lack of coordination among stakeholders

The technology relates to a system which harvests thermal energy from various sources (e.g., sunlight, cars, power plants, factories and other industries) and converts it into electricity. In this system, heat energy is harvested and then stored in a storage tank, using water as energy storage

The invention relates to an energy-generating system that makes use of polyethylene plastics (that would otherwise result in environmental pollution) to produce synthesis gas (syngas). Unlike conventional gasification systems that rely on oxygen, this system ensures that the gasification of

The technology relates to a sol-gel based, uniform carbon-coating method for producing high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This method makes use of organic phosphoric acid as carbon and phosphoric sources to produce uniformly carbon-coated lithium-ion batteries that overcome the challenges of