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 skin represents the first physical barrier to protect our bodies from harmful toxins, pathogens and dangerous environmental factors and plays an important role in social and visual experiences. South Africans have used traditional herbal medicinal products to increase immunity in...

SiMo Green Eco bricks and blocks is an idea that come about when it became clear that the world is heading in a direction of a greener economy. The making of bricks and blocks involves the use of raw materials that when extracted have a substantial burden on the contribution to Global warming. As a...

Fly ash is a waste by-product generated by coal-fired electricity power stations. Due to its environmental impact, there is a growing need for safe and sustainable methods of fly ash disposal. One effective approach is the beneficiation of fly ash through the production of zeolites—a class of...

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic weed which has one of the highest growth rates of all plants in the world. This fast growing plant causes numerous problems in water bodies.  These problems are related to navigation, recreation, irrigation and hydropower generation. The complete...

The problem of Striga infestation is increasing disproportionately in the sorghum growing areas of Africa, especially in drier regions of the continent. The infestation particularly affects smallholder farmers who grow sorghum and other cereal crops under marginal environments, with erratic rainfall...

Baobab LIMS is an African-led innovation that was developed as part of the B3Africa consortium. It is an affordable sample and laboratory management tool for biobanking that has been implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which previously (due in part to financial constraints)...

The Solar Tracker has been developed at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It is an efficient mechanism for positioning a solar collector to track the sun. This device is adept to intermittent adjustment of the position of a solar energy collection surface, ensuring that the surface...

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...

This technology relates to a laser shock peening process in which the collapse of a cavitation bubble is intentionally provided and is guaranteed to occur by the laser peening arrangement used. The application for this is either as:

• A secondary peening impact, which results in more effective...