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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
Research Project
Social Norms and
Moderation of Water
Consumption in Cape
Town
A study by master’s student Grant Smith and Associate
Professor Martine Visser of the Environmental Policy
Research Unit involved testing a strategy of managing
water consumption by delivering comparative norms-
based reports on water use to households in the city
of Cape Town.
In doing this, they assessed, by means of a randomised
control trial, the various behavioural elements usually
involved in such a strategy. The aim of the study was
to influence consumer behaviour by using behavioural
interventions rather than using price mechanisms.
The results are encouraging in that they strongly
suggest that behavioural elements may be leveraged
in order to reduce household water consumption at
the municipal level. Although the savings were roughly
1% of total water consumption, they were significant.
Across a municipality, such savings would certainly be
meaningful in relatively water-scarce months. Of the
treatments considered, it was the method that utilised
a simple comparative social-norms strategy which
yielded the most consistent water saving. This is the
first study that illustrates the impact of social norms on
demand for water for a developing country.
Research Groupings
associated with this theme
Crystallization and
Precipitation Research Unit
Industrial crystallisation research began in the
Department of Chemical Engineering in 2000 and
the Crystallization and Precipitation Research Unit
was formally accredited by UCT in 2006. Although
crystallisation and precipitation are some of the
oldest unit operations known, understanding of
these processes is still very limited. In this context,
the main aim of the unit is to advance existing
fundamental knowledge in the fields of crystallisation
and precipitation, especially related to mineral
processing and extractive metallurgy.
Particular interests of the research group are
modelling and simulation approaches to industrial
research, such as the particle-rate process
approach for modelling of industrial crystallisation
processes, aqueous chemistry modelling and
computational fluid dynamics modelling. All these
modelling techniques are aimed at deepening
the understanding of these chemically complex,
multiphase processes. The ultimate objective
of furthering this scientific understanding is to
optimise and control industrial crystallisation and
precipitation processes, including treatment of
effluent streams. Another interest of the research unit
is the development of Eutectic Freeze Crystallisation
for the treatment of hypersaline mining brines.
The unit is also involved in the development and
presentation of various continuing professional
education courses that satisfy the demand for skills
in this area, from both an industrial and an academic
standpoint.
Director: Professor AE Lewis
E-mail: alison.lewis@uct.ac.za
Web: www.chemeng.uct.ac.za/research/crystal/ or
www.crystal.uct.ac.za
Although crystallisation and
precipitation are some of the oldest
unit operations known, understanding
of these processes is still very limited.
The main aim of the unit is to advance
existing fundamental knowledge in
these fields.