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The hallway is quiet, only the phone that rings is a reminder that there are in fact people around. Most doors are left ajar and as you pass them you can’t help but notice the name plates on the side of each door.
Almost all start with the title 'Dr', an indication that the people who work here are highly qualified and experts in their field. Among the neatly printed name plates there is one for Dr Njabulo Siyakatshana, a stoutly built, somewhat intimidating fellow.
Dr Siyakatshana is a senior researcher at CSIR Modelling and Digital Sciences' Advanced Mathematical Modelling (AMM) competency area .
His research focuses on process optimisation using mixed integer non-linear programming. Simply put, this is a process of integration in cooling towers or in the chemical processing industry. “My research is about novel ways of integrating heat utilities so that we can reduce effluent to a minimum and save heating by as much as 30% to 40%,” says the Kambuzuma-born scientist.
Kambuzuma – meaning a haven of peace in Shona – is a township in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Why is it important to undertake this kind of research?
The problem, he says, is that there is too much water being wasted by these big industrial houses when it could be recycled. “Water is a scarce resource and experts envisage a severe water shortage in years to come. The other motivation for my work relates to heat integration,” he explains. “There is a need to save electricity or cut the cost of electricity by more efficient usage of the heating utilities within the process.”
Siyakatshana studied at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague in the Czech Republic, where he obtained his PhD in Chemical Process Engineering in 2006.
The institute is arguably the biggest educational institution of its kind in Central Europe. After obtaining his PhD – focusing on mathematical modelling of continuous flow systems using numerical techniques and computational fluid dynamics – he spent a year at the same institution as a specialist researcher, a mentor and a tutor to students from European Union countries who went to the institute to take courses in English. He also did work on Stochastic modelling, or modelling of randomly-determined processes, in chemical reactors.
After his stint in the Czech Republic, he joined CSIR Biosciences where he implemented chemical engineering solutions to biotechnological and biochemical processes.
Siyakatshana was also involved in a project on the synthesis of Linalool, a waste product of paper manufacturing. Linalool is used in perfumes and as an intermediate in the synthesising of vitamins B and E.
“I came to South Africa because I wanted to do research with practical impact and within an African context,” he says. “The CSIR was the best place for me to do that. It is the leading research facility in Africa. I don’t think there is anything better in terms of knowledge base, career development and facilities.”
According to Siyakatshana, who has both Xhosa and Ndebele ancestry, he comes from an average home and is the son of a post office employee and a Zimbabwean-Xhosa mother, a school teacher.
“My father wanted me to be a medical doctor and because of pressure, I enrolled at the medical school of the University of Zimbabwe,” he says, adding that he only lasted for a couple of weeks, “because my heart was not there”.
“Fortunately I received a scholarship and I went to study in the Czech Republic,” he says.
“I have always been passionate about mathematical methods,” he continues. “Because of super computers, mathematical modelling can now be applied in areas where it was not possible to do so before. I want to use computer technology and mathematical tools to make a difference in everyday life applications such as battery technology, patient-specific modelling and acid mine drainage,” he says. In all these fields, mathematical modelling can be put to good effect.
Siyakatshana specialises in the development of mathematical modelling to understand how certain processes work. He then uses mathematics to improve the design of those processes by means of optimisation techniques. In a current project, he uses computational fluid dynamics to develop an emission profile for vehicle emissions and coal dumps, with the aim of improving South Africa’s environmental sustainability.
He is confident that his research will contribute to solving many of the current environmental problems and improve the quality of life for the people of South Africa.
The CSIR AMM focuses on water modelling and patient-specific modelling.
CSIR Communication:
Mzimasi Gcukumana, email: MGcukumana@csir.co.za
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