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FOCUS AREA 4 THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
Introduction by Prof Beatrice Opeolu
opeolub@cput.ac.za
Focus Area: The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability focus area replaces the former Focus Area: Climate Change & Environment. The aim of this focus area is to promote research and activities that advance: sustainable utilisation of resources; the mitigation and adaptation of climate change effects; and other pertinent environmental issues.
The research, teaching and community engagement activities of Focus Area 4 are closely aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A number of SDGs pay attention to economic development and socially responsible societies.
This focus area is therefore linked to SDGs: 1) No poverty; 2) Zero hunger; 3) Good health and well-being; 4) Quality education; 6) Clean water and sanitation; 8) Decent work and economic growth; 9) Industry, innovation and infrastructure; 11) Sustainable cities and communities; 12) Responsible consumption and production; 13) Climate action; 14) Life below water; 15) Life on land; and 17) Partnerships for the goals.
These areas of research are also consistent with the National Development Plan’s (NDP) priority objectives. These include economy and employment, improving education, training and innovation, environmental sustainability and resilience, as well as healthcare for all.
Focus Area 4 has the following research niche areas:
NICHE AREA 1 - CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The following human pursuits have negative impacts on ecological systems: agriculture and manufacturing; bioprospecting of aquatic and terrestrial resources; natural resources exploration and exploitation; and a drive towards economic growth and wealth creation. This niche area hosts studies that support climate-smart inventions. Studies are encouraged that promote sustainable use of land and water, fisheries management, use of environmentally friendly materials, etc. Research themes include agriculture, food security, biodiversity utilisation for wealth creation, marine economy, and alternative environmentally-friendly production processes.
NICHE AREA 2 - CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT
Population growth, urbanisation and industrial development are some of the major anthropogenic sources of environmental degradation. The basic human necessities of food, fibre and housing have put enormous pressure on natural resources. Conflicts and climate change effects aggravate negative impacts on
air, soil and water. Environmental pollution, human health risks, ecological health risks, and natural resources depletion are some of the societal issues that require sustainable solutions. Challenges of water management, wastewater remediation and reuse, environmental pollution control, and sanitation fall within the scope of this niche area. It therefore hosts research and innovation that will offer interventions that may enhance a sustainable environment in a climate-changing world.
NICHE AREA 3 - CYCLICAL ECONOMY & DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Smart cities and smart technological solutions are necessary for sustainable growth and a sustainable environment. Water use, energy efficiency and consumption, integrated waste management, and waste recycling and reuse are now important strategies in designs. This niche area focuses on research themes that seek to produce knowledge and solutions for the mitigation and adaptation of climate change effects, using any of the strategies. The research and innovation themes under this nich area include solid waste management, cyclical economy, design for sustainability, and climate change.
Researchers across the disciplines at CPUT are invited to contribute to the research agenda of Focus Area: The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability.
Please feel welcome to contact Prof Opeolu on 0214603508 or send an email to opeolub@cput.ac.za
ALUMNUS NOURISHES THE COMMUNITY
Mr Mawande Sigwinta, who recently obtained his master’s degree in Chemistry summa cum laude at CPUT, believes believes in social cohesion, African culture and traditional indigenous foods. He feels strongy that the practice of African culture is impossible without agriculture, as our culture is expressed through food, clothing, dance, painting and music.
The Project Manager at I-Afrikayam (‘my Africa’) said his garden venture benefits “an immeasurable number of people”, including the patients of Nomzamo Community Clinic, learners from the local public schools, and students through an internship. On 24 September, I-Afrikayam hosted its second annual heritage event to remind us “about our traditions and norms and the important role they play in maintaining social cohesion and humanity, more importantly, emphasise that this is all possible through agriculture”.
The 29-year-old from Mthatha, Eastern Cape, started his garden project in 2019, with funding approved by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture in 2018. Last year, I-Afrikayam took five CPUT Horticulture students for in-service training. Mr Sigwinta explained, “The idea is to make the garden a tourist destination and specifically serve clients who are highly cautious about their health and the food they consume. [While niche], this market has buying power”.
Mr Mawande Sigwinta at I-Afrikayam Gardening Project
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Oceans Economy and the Centre for Sustainable Oceans (Faculty of Applied Sciences)
Rapid increases in oceans resource uses are being experienced across the globe. Countries and regions turn to their ocean spaces (their sovereign Exclusive Economic Zones) which extend 200 nautical miles from the coast) to foster economic growth and ensure food, energy and other ocean resource security. These are often referred to as oceans or blue economies.
There is however, a difference between an oceans economy and a blue economy (although politicians and policy decision makers will often use the terms interchangeably). Oceans economies are most often valued for their contribution to GDP, while blue economies are underpinned by two further important pillars in their three pillars that talk to a more holistic contribution of oceans to societal wellbeing.
The first of these blue economy pillars encapsulates sectoral ocean economic activities. These refer to the means of ocean resource use to the ends of ocean production, consumption, employment and income generation that are critical to macroeconomic development, investment and strategic planning. They measure the economic values of ocean sectors, such as fisheries, mining, tourism and transport. The second pillar concerns the distribution of economic opportunities, resource-use access and costs, and sharing the proceeds of production in an equitable way as improvements in wellbeing for people, i.e. it answers the question: Who benefits from ocean economies and how? The third blue economy pillar involves ocean wealth. Many of the ocean economy sectors are dependent on ocean health that underpins ocean wealth through the provision of natural capital through ecosystem services, e.g. declines in fish ecosystems lead to declines in fish populations, to declines in catch and supply to fishery economies, to declines in fisher employment opportunities. Contributions of oceans to GDP do not capture any changes in natural capital. In fact, they only reflect economic contribution without any measure of declines in ocean wealth, which relates directly to ocean resource sustainability indicators. Blue economies therefore require far more integrated valuation approaches across environmental, economic and social domains that include aspects of ocean risk and ocean governance.
The ocean accounting structure currently under development by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP), of which the Research Chair is a member, leads the Africa initiative, and has provided considerable technical input. It provides a framework by drawing on both existing and established accounting systems, such as Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts of the System of National Accounting, the System of Environmental Economic Accounts (Central Framework and Ecosystem Accounts Framework), and novel accounting frameworks in risk and ocean governance. The Centre for Sustainable Oceans is playing an important role in the advancement of ocean accounting in Africa through a number of Communities of Practice (CoP). These include the GOAP Africa CoP (led by the Research Chair); the Western Indian Ocean Governance Exchange Network (WIOGEN) CoP; the Africa Natural Capital Accounting CoP; as well as a National Research Foundation Oceans Accounting CoP. A CPUT postdoctoral fellow, Dr Tainã Loureiro, has recently joined the centre to work in these important areas.
Prof Kenneth Findlay
findlayk@cput.ac.za
The Research Chair has also been involved in a number of other projects this year. One of the largest of these is a multinational project across the southern hemisphere investigating the impacts of climate change on whale population recoveries from severe whaling pressure last century and associated distribution patterns. Largely led by postdoctoral fellow, Dr Elisa Seyboth, the CPUT component of this project has been analysing historic whale distribution patterns with a view to modelling how these have changed in relation to recent ocean environmental changes. Four master’s postgraduate students are undertaking studies as part of this project, while a further four students are registered under the Research Chair’s supervision.
Over twenty multi-authored academic publications, one policy brief, one book review and contributions to two technical documents were produced by the the Centre for Sustainable Oceans during 2020.
PUBLISHED OR ACCEPTED PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
• ‘Inter-annual decrease in pulse rate and peak frequency of Southeast Pacific blue whale song types’, in Scientific Reports • ‘Responses of humpback whales to a changing climate in the southern hemisphere: Priorities for research efforts’, in Marine Ecology • ‘South Africa’s newly approved marine protected areas have increased the protected modelled habitat of nine odontocete species’, in Marine Ecology
Progress Series • ‘Cetacean species richness in relation to anthropogenic impacts and areas of protection in South Africa’s mainland Exclusive Economic Zone’, in Ocean and
Coastal Management • ‘Species distribution modelling of Bryde’s whales, humpback whales, southern right whales, and sperm whales in the southern African region to inform their conservation in expanding economies’, in PeerJ – Life & Environment • ‘Seasonal acoustic occurrence, diel-vocalizing patterns and bioduck call-type composition of Antarctic minke whales off the west coast of South Africa and the
Maud Rise, Antarctica’, in Marine Mammal Science • ‘Acoustic seasonality, behaviour and detection ranges of Antarctic blue and fin whales under different sea ice conditions off Antarctica’, in Endangered Species
Research • ‘Acoustic occurrence, diel-vocalizing pattern and detection ranges of southern right whale gunshot sounds off South Africa’s west coast’, in Marine Mammal Science • ‘An open access dataset for developing automated detectors of Antarctic baleen whale sounds and performance evaluation of two commonly used detectors’, in
Scientific Reports • ‘Predator-scale spatial analysis of intra-patch prey distribution reveals the energetic drivers of rorqual whale super-group formation’, in Functional Ecology • ‘Abundance and distribution of Antarctic blue whales Balaenoptera musculus intermedia off the Queen Maud Land coast of Antarctica’, in African Journal of
Marine Science • ‘The role of environmental drivers in humpback whale distribution, movement and behaviour: A review’, in Frontiers in Marine Science (section: Marine Megafauna) • ‘Oceanographic anomalies in the Southern Benguela coinciding with humpback whale super-groups’, in Scientific Reports • ‘A circumpolar analysis of habitat-use variation among humpback whales in the
Southern Ocean’, in Ecography • ‘The patchy distribution of krill within large swarms drives collective exploitation by super groups of rorqual whales’, in Aquatic Mammals
BOOK CHAPTERS
• ‘Challenges facing marine protected areas in Southern African countries in light of expanding ocean economies across the sub-region’, in Marine Protected
Areas: Evidence, Policy & Management • ‘Global challenges in maritime security’, in Advanced Sciences and
Technologies for Security Applications.
BOOK REVIEW
‘Whales of the Southern Ocean: Biology, whaling and perspectives of population recovery’, by Yuri Mikhalev, in Marine Mammal Science
POLICY BRIEF
‘Ocean Accounts: A Seachange Approach in Ocean Decision-Making, Policy Briefing 199’ – African Perspectives Global Insights, South African Institute of International Affairs
TECHNICAL REPORTS
• Significant input into the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership Oceans Accounts
Technical Framework Guidance Document • Final 5-year Project Report – ‘Dugongs of the Western Indian Ocean’ – to the
MASMA Fund, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)
SUBMITTED PAPERS (UNDER REVIEW)
• ‘Horizontal and vertical habitat utilisation of the Arabian Sea humpback whale’, for Frontiers in Marine Science • ‘Combining regional habitat selection models for large-scale prediction:
Circumpolar habitat selection of Southern Ocean humpback whales’, for Remote
Sensing
THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
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• ‘Shared visions for marine planning: Insights from Israel, South Africa and the United Kingdom’, for Ocean and Coastal Management • ‘Strong and lasting impacts of past global warming on baleen whales and their prey’, for Global Change Biology • ‘Marine Spatial Planning and Ocean Accounting: Two synergistic tools enhancing integration’, in Ocean Governance
ADDITIONAL POSTDOCTORAL PUBLICATIONS (NOT INCLUDED ABOVE)
• ‘Bycatch assessment of the vulnerable franciscana dolphin in Southern
Brazil: A basis for conservation strategies’, in Animal Conservation • ‘What peer-review experiences can offer to early career researchers and to the scientific community’, in Proceeding of the YESS Conference • ‘Spatially-explicit estimates of consumption of Antarctic krill by a suite of seabird and marine mammal predators in the northern Antarctic Peninsula’, in Ecosphere • ‘Influence of krill (Euphausia superba) availability on humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) reproductive rate’, in Marine Mammal Science
FUNDING Research Chair: Oceans Economy
SOURCE AMOUNT
Griffith University - Humpback whales in a changing climate 1 148 551 NRF Ocean Accounts Community of Practice 250 000 TOTAL 1 398 551
Centre for Sustainable Oceans
SOURCE AMOUNT
Collaboration Agreements (AECOM Mozambique/African Environment/Nelson Mandela Metropolitan) 423 527
Research Technology and Innovation (RTI): CPUT Chairs 1 500 000 TOTAL 1 923 572
CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE OCEANS DRIVES AFRICAN OCEAN ACCOUNTING
CPUT’s Centre for Sustainable Oceans is playing an integral role in the development of Ocean Accounting practices in Africa under its membership of the Global Ocean Accounting Partnership (GOAP). The Centre recently co-authored GOAP Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounts.
CPUT Research Chair: Oceans Economy Prof Ken Findlay has identified Ocean Accounts as an exciting, novel approach to African coastal countries are increasingly turning to consistent and standardised integration of their ocean economies ocean resource-use data from environmental, social and economic domains into structures that are similar to national accounts maintained by national statistical offices or finance ministries. Prof Findlay added that they provide the means to account for growth, sustainability and inclusivity of ocean economies, in line with the UN 2030 SDGs. They allow for the monitoring of ocean resource-use information in three important areas: • Ocean wealth (including in ‘non-produced’ ecosystem assets) that are critical for sustainability assessment • Ocean-related income and welfare across demographic groups that provide information on inclusivity and access to ocean resources • Ocean-based economic production that is important in informed strategic economic planning
“Ocean Accounting draws on accepted spatial System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) experimental ecosystem accounting frameworks, the SEEA-Central Framework (including both the non-produced natural capital flows to economic sectors and impact flows from sectors to the environment), as well as ocean satellite accounts within National Accounts Frameworks,” Prof Findlay explained.
He added that the GOAP Ocean Accounts Framework has also introduced guidance on an accounting of ocean risk; access and inclusivity in terms of ocean use benefits and costs; and ocean governance as novel accounting components in order to fully address sustainability.
Ocean Accounts consequently provides a number of advantages in the development of knowledge bases for informed ocean governance and policy cycle processes, including boosting the power of data through consistency and structure, integration of diverse data into information products that decision-makers can readily understand, and other metrics and instruments.
The centre is leading the Africa Natural Capital Accounting Community of Practice Working Group on Ocean Accounts, the Western Indian Ocean Governance Exchange Network Ocean Accounts group, and also plays a lead role in an NRF Community of Practice on Ocean Accounting.
RESEARCH CENTRE
Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CWSR)
Dr Bongani Ncube
ncubeb@cput.ac.za
The Water Research Commission (WRC) Project 2716: ‘Improving smallholder farmer livelihoods through developing strategies to cope and adapt during drought periods in South Africa’ was completed. The final reference group meeting was held in March. The final report was published by the WRC in November.
A new international collaborative project launched this year under the United Kingdom Research and Innovation: Global Challenges Research Fund. Its title is ‘Supporting transformative adaptation and building equitable resilience to drought for sustainable development’ (South Africa and Kenya). The inauguration took place at Stellenbosch University in February. Two project team meetings were held in August. The South African team held five separate meetings for site selection, stakeholder mapping and methodology development during the course of the year.
Dr Ncube received her NRF C3 rating in December.
The Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CWSR) is the hub of CPUT’s water and sanitation research.
CWSR focuses on three main objectives: • Identification and establishment of water-related activities based on regional and national priorities • Facilitation and execution of interdisciplinary research projects which generate outputs, income and postgraduate opportunities • Development and maintenance of partnerships on behalf of CPUT in the water sector regionally, nationally and internationally
HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020
Most fieldwork was suspended during 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Bongani Ncube was a co-convenor of the Social Science Task Team for the W12 Framework Conference held at UWC during January.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
DHET-ACCREDITED JOURNAL ARTICLES
• ‘Soil ß-glucosidase activity, organic carbon and nutrients in plant tissue in response to cover crop species and management practices’, in South African
Journal of Plant and Soil • ‘Management impact and benefit of cover crops on soil quality: A review’, in
Soil & Tillage Research
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• ‘Challenges of accessing water for agricultural use in the Breede-Gouritz catchment management agency, South Africa’, in Water Alternatives • ‘Developing a farmer information package: A success story – Feature-emerging farmers’, Water Wheel • ‘Potential use of soil enzymes as soil quality indicators in agriculture’, in Frontiers in Soil and Environmental Microbiology
DHET-ACCREDITED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
‘Short-term effects of cover crop management on soil organic matter and soil alteration index three in the Western Cape province’, 18th South Africa International Conference on Agricultural, Chemical, Biological & Environmental Sciences
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
• ‘Social scarcity of water in (South) African cities: Social science position paper’,
The W12 Framework: Supporting Collaboration Among Cities for Water Security • ‘Effect of zeolite as a soil amendment on the performance of cabbage (Brassica oleracea Var. capitata L)’, Soil Science Society Combined Congress • ‘Effects of zeolite soil amendment on soil microbial enzyme activities associated with potted Swiss chard and cabbage crops’, Soil Science Society Combined
Congress
OTHER RESEARCH OUTPUTS
• ‘Water and sanitation in the face of Covid-19 in Cape Town’s townships and informal settlements’, Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, UWC (blog article) • ‘Smallholder farmer drought coping and adaptation strategies in Limpopo and
Western Cape provinces’, report to the Water Research Commission, WRC
Report No. 2716/1/20
POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
Two CPUT students graduated this year.
Dr Adewole Tomiwa Adetunji received a Doctor of Technology degree in Environmental Health, co-supervised by Dr Ncube. His doctorate thesis title was ‘Impact of cover crop species, termination stage and termination method on soil nitrogen, organic carbon and enzyme activities’.
PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
As the country celebrates Heritage Month in September, Dr Bongani Ncube, a researcher at the CWSR in the Department of Civil Engineering & Surveying, has been devoting her time to working with communities to conserve our natural resources – soil, water and plant life.
“When we utilise these natural resources sustainably, we preserve our heritage, making sure that future generations will also enjoy the resources,” Dr Ncube emphasised.
Her long term goal is to continue to find solutions in water resource management, environmental conservation and agricultural productivity. Her research covers both scientific and indigenous knowledge. In 2015, her team of researchers completed a project on ‘Insights into indigenous coping strategies to drought for adaptation in agriculture in the Karoo’.
“We were amazed by the rich knowledge that exists within farming communities at all levels, from commercial to smallholder farmers… If we can find ways of integrating indigenous and scientific knowledge, farmers are likely to be less impacted by future droughts and climate change.”
Dr Ncube hopes that women will take charge of restoring heritage in SA and in Africa, especially in her field. “I believe the restoration of our heritage is everyone’s responsibility, therefore everyone should participate. Many wonderful attributes make us unique as a people, and we can use these to build a cohesive nation, whether in research or the arts. We can also collaborate with other African nations in these spaces.”
“I would like to do my bit in reducing poverty and improving food security. Water scarcity, drought, and climate change pose huge challenges that require multidisciplinary approaches.
I would like to create more research linkages locally, nationally and internationally,” she added.
Dr Bongani Ncube believes restoring heritage is everyone’s responsibility
Ms Awelani Sadiki received a Master of Environmental Health, supervised by Dr Ncube. Her master’s thesis tile was ‘Challenges of accessing water for agriculture by emerging farmers of the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency’.
NEW RESEARCH COMMISSIONS
A new collaborative project titled ‘The greater Cape Town long-term social-ecological research landscape (GCT-LTSER)’ was commissioned this year. Research will commence in 2021.
FUNDING
CLAIM/INVOICE PROJECT COMPANY/INSTITUTION AMOUNT
WRC 105 WRC 106 WRC 107 TOTAL 2869 WRC 7153 WRC 2716 WRC 170 000 239 000 300 000 709 000
SOURCE
Publication 2018 Chapter in Book Contribution
Publication 2018 Faculty Contribution
Publication 2018 Journal Article Contribution
TOTAL AMOUNT
8 352
71 829
81 434
161 615
RESEARCH OUTPUT
2020 PUBLICATIONS (SUBMITTED TO THE DHET IN MAY 2021) UNITS
Conference proceedings (submitted)
Journal articles (audited) 0.08
2.45
TOTAL 2.53
THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
RESEARCH CENTRE
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Flow Process & Rheology Centre (FPRC) (Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment)
The Flow Process & Rheology Centre (FPRC), founded in 1995, applies the fundamental principles and techniques of rheology to solve industrial problems such as deformation and flow under different shear, material structure and process flow conditions. Since its inception, the group has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Prof Veruscha Fester
festerv@cput.ac.za
HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020
CWSR focuses on three main objectives:
The centre’s core activities include: • Rheological characterisation and modelling of concentrated emulsions, suspensions, solutions and polymer melts and wastewater sludge, and modelling of the phenomena of micro- and nanostructural evaluation involved in the mixing, pumping, transportation and storage processes of multiphase systems • Modelling non-Newtonian flows in pipes, fittings, open channels, tanks and pumps • Instrumentation systems to measure in situ concentration and particle velocity in settling slurry and coarse particle flow, and visualisation in pipes and complex geometries
The team members are Prof Veruscha Fester, Prof Irina Masalova, Mr Andrew Sutherland, Prof Rainer Haldenwang (adjunct professor), Prof Raj Chhabra of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (adjunct professor), Ms Morakane Khahledi (nGAP) and Dr Nsenda Tshilumbu (on contract). Prof Rainer Haldenwang completed an exciting project on the impact of different cements and superplasticisers on the flowability of self-compacting concrete. The work was sponsored by PPC and Mapei. It started in 2013 and involved five MEng and one DEng students. The work has been presented at eight national and international conferences and written about in five journal articles. In 2020, staff member Mr Mzwandile Jakuja finalised his MEng analysing the effect of blending two superplasticisers on the static segregation of SCC mortars using rheology. An article about this work has been submitted to a journal. The work was co-supervised over the past few years by Dr Willy Mbasha, who obtained his DEng as part of the project and now works as a technical manager for PPC in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr Andrew Sutherland completed an exciting project on modelling drying and autogenous shrinkage of high strength concrete with and without mineral and chemical admixtures. In this study, a comprehensive concrete shrinkage database was compiled from the 2018 Northwestern University database. A technical report was published, and the material was published to the Concrete Institute of South Africa database and made available for general use. From this, relevant data was used to modify the RILEM B4, MC 2010 and WITS shrinkage models
to predict drying and autogenous of high strength concrete with and without additives. In addition, a new composite model was developed for high strength concretes displaying an early age peak in their shrinkage profile, but data for such concretes is very limited. The modified models were able to predict shrinkage within a +/-20% band, which is considered good for such analyses. The work was done as an MEng project by Ms Rahima Noordien, and a paper considering certain aspects of the work has been submitted to Computers and Concrete.
Prof Irina Masalova sadly passed away in August 2020. Prof Masalova was one of the founders of the Southern African Society of Rheology (SASOR) in 2006. She set up the first centre of rheology at CPUT, and was the leader of the FPRC from 2009 to 2017. Prof Masalova helped many in academia and in industry understand rheology and its practical applications. Her many contributions to the FPRC and her work in emulsion rheology have left a meaningful legacy. Prof Masalova’s most recent research on emulsion technology resulted in a publication titled ‘Is the combination of two particles with different degrees of hydrophobicity an alternative method for tuning the average particle hydrophobicity?’ Dr Nsenda Tshilumba worked with Prof Masalova since his master’s degree, and will continue with the work. The follow up paper titled ‘Effect of oil type on stability of water-inoil emulsion stabilised using polyhedral oligomeric silsesquiozane nanomolecules’ is currently being prepared by Dr Tshilumba and Prof Veruscha Fester.
Ms Morakane Khahledi completed her studies on ‘The effect of sharp crested orifice shape and Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid properties on discharge from a tank’. Supported by the nGAP programme, she was seconded from the department to the FPRC in 2017. She started her studies in the department of Civil Engineering & Surveying in 2004 and completed her in-service training in the FPRC that year. Ms Khahledi completed her BTech in 2006 on the topic ‘Tank overflow measurements using weirs for kaolin slurries’. She then completed her MTech in 2015 continuing with her BTech research. Her doctoral journey started in 2016 and she is due to graduate in 2021. Her findings were published in a journal article and presented a model to predict the flow of non-Newtonian fluids through sharp crested orifices from a tank. The model can be used for flow-rate predictions. Ms Khahledi has been supervised/mentored by Prof Haldenwang since 2006. She has co-supervised one MEng student who was studying the flow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids through orifices with different aspect ratios. The student graduated in April 2020. She intends to extend this work to granular flows from tanks. Prof Fester served as chairperson for two sessions on Applications of Rheology to Industrial Processes at the 18th International Congress on Rheology (ICR 2020). The conference was originally set to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro in August 2020, but was eventually held virtually in December due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There were over 600 presentations. Prof Fester, Dr Tshilumba and Ms Khahledi presented at the conference. The FPRC also funded attendance for one of the doctoral students from Chemical Engineering to be part of the conference and present his work as well as for two doctoral students from Food Science to attend the short course on rheology hosted two days prior to the conference.
Rheology is a huge field and holds potential in improving products and processes, and the FPRC has been a major force in promoting the science of Rheology over the years.
THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
RESEARCH GROUP
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Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation (Faculty of Applied Sciences)
The focus of the Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation research group embraces chemical and biological assessment and monitoring, the development of remediation techniques to address the problem of environmental pollution and management, as well as environmental and human health risk assessment.
The assessment and monitoring research projects focus on the identification, characterisation, monitoring and effects of chemical (inorganic and organic) and microbial pollutants on the environment. The remediation research projects concentrate on the development of appropriate techniques to remediate and manage polluted sites.
This research group is involved in a number of projects, which are led by staff members in various academic disciplines, from environmental sciences to biology. Postgraduate students play a very important role in the group’s research activities.
Some research is being conducted in the freshwater environment on the impacts of metal pollutants on water quality and riverine biodiversity. Plants and animals are used as biomonitors to assess the effects of pollution on the biological component of the environment. Some student projects are done in the coastal marine environment, because this zone is so important for the South African economy from a tourism and livelihoods point of view.
During 2020, a study on the bioaccumulation and toxicity impacts of metals associated with antifouling paints from discharges from land- and sea-based sources was completed. A new study is in the process of being initiated along
Prof James Odendaal
odendaalj@cput.ac.za
the Cape West Coast. It is investigating the effect of local industries on metal contamination of the coastal zone and how this affects the ecologically important semi-terrestrial organisms along the coastline.
Too little research is currently conducted in South Africa on the impacts of pollutants on the terrestrial environment. Therefore, some of the group’s research is aimed at studying the effects of pollutants in the terrestrial environment. In these projects, soil organisms are used to determine the effects of pollutants on soil quality and the health of soil ecosystems.
A project aimed at determining the impacts of metal pollutants on afromontane forest pockets was concluded this year. This project is however continuing as part of a postdoctoral investigation on the possible relationships between the impacts of metal pollutants on forest pockets and their ability to act as carbon sinks.
The Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation research group aims to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in a variety of crucial environmental concerns. It is hoped that its research will contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of human activities on the functioning of the natural environment. Ultimately, through its research activities and outputs, the group aims to contribute to the development of South Africa’s environmental policies, legislation and environmental guidelines and standards.
RESEARCH GROUP
The primary focus of the Nanomaterials Group (NMG) is to evaluate the fundamental and applied aspects of novel synthesis techniques, characterisation and application of functional nanomaterials. New novel materials are developed and studied by the research group.
Prof Veruscha Fester
festerv@cput.ac.za
Figure 1: Organogram of the research group
Dr Mahabubur R Chowdhury
chowdhurym@cput.ac.za
The group is committed to the development of a fundamental understanding of how enhanced physico-chemical, electrochemical and electronic properties arise in functional materials.
In 2020, Dr Chowdhury and his team developed a new technique to transform a post deposited thin film of CuO to Cu2O via plasma-assisted nitrogen treatment. This technique can be very useful in applications where a precise amount of mixed phase material is required for specific application. The research group consists of 15 MEng students and three postdoctoral fellows.
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LECTURER’S ASPIRATION TO CHANGE LIVES EARNS RECOGNITION
Dr Mahabubur Chowdhury’s aspiration to change the lives of people in Africa through research and innovation has earned him a nomination for the 2020 National Research Foundation (NRF) Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers. Having already received his NRF Y rating, the Department of Chemical Engineering senior lecturer has also been nominated for the TW Kambule-NSTF Award.
He said this award recognises research excellence by current Thuthuka grant holders, and that his research focus is on the newly emerging field of advanced functional materials. Dr Chowdhury, who was also nominated for this category in 2019, said, “My research aims to develop functional materials that aim to be used for biosensing, gas sensing, renewable energy generation, and environmental remediation.”
Dr Mahabubur Chowdhury nominated for award
With the country and the global community facing the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Chowdhury said, “This year is a challenging time, as we adapt to new norms and standards. All these achievements are a culmination of previous years’ hard work and effort. It just bore fruit this year.”
The lecturer attributes his academic success to his dedication and passion for research that he hopes will change the way we live. “My nomination is a validation of my hard work and the quality of my research from my institution. The evaluation and award process and its outcome are often used as an indicator of the quality of researcher that this university is nurturing. So, the greater number of awarded researchers CPUT has, the more prestigious it is for the institution.”
