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Pure water in a jiffy

SU scientists develop a high-tech 'tea bag' filter that fits into the neck of a water bottle and delivers clean water as you drink from it, writes

Engela Duvenage.

When microbiologist Prof Eugene Cloete became Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University (SU) in January 2009, he did not allow his expanded administrative duties to overwhelm his passion for his subject. He picked up on relevant research outside his own field of expertise, which sparked the invention of a high-tech disposable filter that looks like a tea bag and easily cleans highly polluted water. Together with researchers from the Department of Microbiology

UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY A SPECIAL EDITION OF KAMPUSNUUS JULY 2010

ERADICATING ENDEMIC POVERTY AND RELATED CONDITIONS PROMOTING HUMAN DIGNITY AND HEALTH PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTING PEACE AND SECURITY PROMOTING A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY

www.thehopeproject.co.za www.diehoopprojek.co.za

DRAAI DIE KOERANT OM VIR DIE AFRIKAANSE WEERGAWE:

SU wants to help create a better world

Stellenbosch University (SU) achieves an important milestone on 21 July 2010 with the launch of its HOPE Project, an ambitious initiative through which it wants to apply its proven expertise in a purposeful manner and on a large scale to the benefit of society. "Human development is the moral imperative of our time. There is much want in the world, but also excellent potential that we would like to help develop," said Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice- Chancellor. "We can be of service to society thanks to our leading scientific scholarship as an excellent institution of higher learning. It therefore is important to ensure that our activities are sustainable." The University has distilled five themes from the national and international development agenda: the eradication of poverty, the promotion of human dignity and health, democracy and human rights, peace and security, and a sustainable environment and competitive industry. SU endeavours to realise these objectives in each of its core activities, namely research, learning and teaching, and community interaction. Over the past three years, leaders, academics and students in the and SU polymer scientists, he recently patented the innovative invention - a portable, easy-to-use and environmentally-friendly water filtration system that fits into the neck of a water bottle. The sachet promises to provide easy access to clean drinking water Cheers! Research team members Dr Michéle de Kwaadsteniet and Dr Marelize Botes, both postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Microbiology, sips river water that has been purified with their water filter bag invention. Pictures: JACQUES BOTHA '

The contributions of our strategic partners are an investment in a better future.

' various faculties of the University have developed 22 hope-creating academic initiatives - from the Ukwanda Rural Clinical School for training doctors and health workers for rural areas, to the Graduate School, which will help ensure that Africa has a new generation of competent academics and professionals. (Read more about all the HOPE Project initiatives on pages that follow.) The fundraising objective of the HOPE Project is at least R1,75 billion by 2015. This has been described as the largest investment in continued academic success and relevant service rendering ever by an African university. "We have already received considerable local and international support, and know that we will gain many more partners. It is the right thing to do at the right time," said Botman. SU has announced that leading businesspeople, philanthropic institutions and alumni have donated R500 million to the University over the past three years. (Read more on p. 2.) "It is significant that our strategic partners support our vision of being a builder of hope, as well as the steps we have taken to ensure that SU's proud tradition of excellence is continued. Their contributions are a motion of confidence, but also an investment in a better future," said Botman. The HOPE Project also includes steps taken by the University to promote staff and student success, Quick, safe and cheap. Prof Eugene Cloete inserts his invention, the teabag filter system, into the bottle, scoops up river water and drinks it. for vulnerable communities, for instance those living near polluted water streams. There are also plans to commercialise the filter into a product that can be used by outdoor enthusiasts. "More than 90% of all cholera cases are reported in Africa, and 300 million people on our continent do not have access to safe drinking water. Clearly, something has to be done about this," Cloete says. The system works with a filter that looks like a teabag and fits into the neck of a medium-sized water bottle. The filter is made of nanofibres soaked in biocides and filled with activated carbon. It kills all diseasecausing microbes in even the most polluted water and removes harmful chemicals. It produces one clean litre of potable water at a time, after which the filter has to be replaced. Dr Eugene Smit of SU's Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science developed the technique used to produce the ultra-thin fibres. He works with InnovUS, the Univer- Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the US. Picture: ERHARDT THIEL improve its diversity profile, expand postgraduate further and establish excellent facilities and infrastructure. "We live in a rapidly changing world, which poses considerable demands. The knowledge economy of the 21st century requires continuous adjustments to be made. At the same time we still have to live with the heritage of the 20th century. The HOPE Project enables us to tackle existing problems and future challenges with equal determination," said Botman. "We think that the University should be a place of relevance. By using science in the service of the society, we can help make the world a better place. Future generations deserve nothing less." www.thehopeproject.co.za sity's technology transfer company. Cloete believes the water filter bag shows the way forward because it represents decentralised, pointof-use technology. The invention has become one of the first major projects of the new Stellenbosch University Water Institute, a transdisciplinary initiative established to intensify the search for lasting solutions to the country and continent's water woes. "It really is exciting to be part of a potentially life-changing project," says Dr Marelize Botes, a member of the core research team along with Prof Leon Dicks and Dr Michéle de Kwaadsteniet of the Department of Microbiology. "It's such an easy-to-use and practical solution to something that's been a major problem for so long." The filter is currently being tested by the South African Bureau of Standards, after which the team hopes to roll it out to various communities. www.thehopeproject.co.za/water

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