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Engineering the Future
April 2012, c*change hosted the country’s first syngas
convention, marking another important step in the path
to cementing the country’s pre-eminence in this area.
The work of c*change also feeds into theNational Hydrogen
and Fuel Cells Technologies Flagship project, branded as
Hydrogen South Africa (HySA), that is seeking to establish
South Africa as one of the few nations that export high-
value products into the growing international hydrogen
and fuel-cells markets. Recognising the importance of the
potential role of hydrogen in the economy, the South African
government has established three competency centres
nationwide under the HySA banner. HySA/Catalysis, based
at UCT and co-hosted by Mintek, has been mandated to
develop the competency, skilled workforce, and ultimately
the manufacturing industry to support a hydrogen economy
in South Africa. Current research focuses on alternative
energy sources that are locally produced.
Platinum-group metals are key catalytic materials
in hydrogen fuel cells and South Africa is strategically
situated, possessing 75% of the world’s platinum reserves.
The goal is for South Africa to supply 25% of the future
global fuel-cell market with novel, locally developed and
fabricated platinum-group metal catalysts by 2020, thereby
diversifying the applications of the nation’s platinum-group
metal resources and promoting socio-economic benefits
through value addition to its key natural resources.
Another major research focus in the department that
is attracting international attention is in bioprocess
engineering. UCT has a long track record of research
in bioprocess engineering dating from the late 1960s.
The bioprocess engineering research grouping was
formalised as an accredited unit, BERU, in 2001 and its
accreditation was upgraded to the Centre for Bioprocess
Engineering Research (CeBER) in 2008. CeBER’s vision is
to be a cross-disciplinary research enterprise, developing
the nation’s bioprocess engineers, providing new insights
into bioprocesses and bioproducts and becoming global
leaders in selected relevant research niches.
One of the main research areas in CeBER is bioleaching,
a process where microbes are used as biocatalysts to
convert metal compounds into their soluble forms. This
leaching process is an alternative economical method
for the recovery of metals such as copper, zinc and gold
from low-grade mineral ores, with low investment and
operation costs.
CeBER also strives to address environmental issues
primarily related to water. Current projects consider acid
rock drainage prevention through enhanced management
of waste materials and remediation as well as emerging
technologies for renewable energy generation and
greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Also concerned with the elimination of waste is the
Centre for Minerals Research, a multidisciplinary, inter-
departmental research centre located within Chemical
Engineering focusing on the processes of froth flotation,
comminution and classification. Inefficiencies in these
processes translate into both an enormous loss of revenue
and an unnecessary waste of the world’s valuable and
steadily declining mineral reserves.
All these activities play a crucial role in ensuring that UCT
contributes towards keeping South African science healthy
and competitive. More importantly, the emphasis on
sustainability and capacity development throughout is also
playing to the national imperative to bridge the innovation
chasm in the country. It is this that will be the real engine
for innovation at UCT in the years to come.