Innovations

The North-West University has developed a method in which municipal wastewater is treated to remove ammonia and phosphate while simultaneously recovering struvite as a byproduct. Struvite is used to reduce the acidity of acidity of the acid mine drainage water which leads to precipitate metal

Chalcopyrite is a common but low-grade copper ore, and NWU researchers have developed an innovative method to improve copper dissolution and extraction from this mineral. This is achieved by harnessing galvanic interactions between chalcopyrite and magnetite, they achieved more efficient copper

The technology involves a method and an apparatus for treating a fluid, using nanoscience. Impurities in the fluid are trapped by 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 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

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

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

This system involves the process of taking soil samples from a potential building site, mixes it with water and then the sedimentation process is evaluated by a camera and analysed to determine how much clay is in the soil sample. This in turn will then provide the engineers with information on what

This invention relates to a continuous solids/fluid contacting process and equipment in which appropriate solids are contacted with a fluid that may be either liquid or gaseous, or a combination thereof, under elevated pressure and optionally elevated or reduced temperature. More particularly, but

Omega Caro-E Xtra combines Omega-3 fatty acids with 11 different carotenoids and five different forms of vitamin E, all derived from Palm oil and manufactured by a patented process in Malaysia. It also contains 50% of the daily requirement for vitamin D. The concept was created and developed in

The invention relates to a novel process of partial oxidation of un-agglomerated chromite ore in ferrochrome production processes. The process includes the steps: Providing a source of un-agglomerated chromite ore; subjecting the source of un-agglomerated chromite ore to pre-oxidation at a

The North-West University (NWU) has pioneered the novel use of Europium-Tellurium-Oxide (ETO) in the production of clean energy. ETO is a light-chargeable catalyst material that exhibits sustained and enhanced activity after light excitation has ended. Its unique characteristics present an

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