Innovations

The technology relates to an upright tubular fixed-bed reactor body comprising of a heat-dissipating pipe, which extends from the reactor tube wall, to ensure that heat is effectively transferred in highly exothermic reactors such as Fischer-Tropsch, which are prone to heat build-up. The heat pipe

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

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 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 is still lagging. This invention exhibits advantages over the

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

A system which harvests thermal energy from various sources such as sunlight, cars, power plants, factories and other industries, and converts it into electricity. The harvested heat energy is stored in a storage tank, with water used as an energy storage medium. This then flows along a gradient to

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 technology is capable of treating high-temperature wastewater as a membrane for removing oil from wastewater One of the key challenges with membrane filtration devices is the issue of fouling and concentration gradient build-up on the surface of the membrane, which subsequently decreases its

Green Coal is environmentally friendly coal briquettes produced from discarded fine coal, bio-char material, and proprietary chemical binders. The briquette reduces sulphur emissions during combustion by approximately 50%, while also increasing the burning effectiveness. The bio-char addition to the

Sol-gel Long Lasting Power These long-lasting and significantly safer batteries are novel because of their sol-gel base. A uniform carbon coating process produces high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This method makes use of organic phosphoric acid as carbon and phosphoric sources to produce

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies offer zero emissions and are a clean alternative to fossil fuels. HySA Systems, at the University of the Western Cape, have made improvements in the performance, reliability and cost competitiveness of fuel cell components and systems. These have been demonstrated

In the manufacture of textiles, clothing and leather goods, using a nanoparticle catalyst, this one-step wastewater treatment system activates a powerful oxidiser. This produces sulfate radicals in the wastewater which will degrade the inorganic pollutants. These highly reactive nanoparticles are