News

Professor Alison Lewis and her Crystallization and Precipitation Unit (CPU) team are making news headlines as part of researchers behind Eskom's Eutectic Freeze Crystallization Pilot Plant. This cutting edge technology, which is reported to recover about 98% water from liquid effluent discharge streams is located at Eskom's research, testing and development (RT&D). This has got curious minds thinking whether it is 'the solution' for infamous acid mine drainage (AMD).

Congratulations to Genevieve Harding, a master’s student in the Crystallization & Precipitation Unit who was one of the top three presenters at the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM)'s mineral research showcase.

Professor Alison Lewis was one of four UCT winners at the annual Department of Science and Technology’s Women in Science Awards (WISA) held in Johannesburg on 11 August. Dr Muthoni Masinde received the Distinguished Young Women Researchers – Research and Innovation award while Belinda Speed and Xolisile Thusini took home the DST Doctoral Scholarship and the Tata Africa Master’s Scholarship respectively.

Research based on work done by Professor Alison Lewis and her team in the Crystallisation and Precipitation Unit (CPU) at UCT, is being used at Eskom’s R8.3 million pilot eutectic freeze crystallisation plant. The research, funded by Eskom removes all pollution from the water, solidifies it into pure salts and cleans the water so it can be reused in the power plant.