Growing mushrooms in a liquid, and on a large-scale for bio-based cosmetic products
In a first for Africa, the CSIR and biotechnology company Sawubona Mycelium have produced 800 litres of liquid cultivated mushrooms called Enokitake for bio-based cosmetic products.
The CSIR assisted Sawubona Mycelium, a small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME), to scale up the production of high-value products from the mycelium of Enokitake using liquid-cultivation method. The company is bringing the global mushroom ingredients mega-trend to South Africa with the help of the CSIR Biomanufacturing Industrial Development Centre (BIDC).
CSIR co-develops composite material for one of Africa’s largest steel pipe companies
The CSIR has developed a polymer composite solution for one of Africa’s largest steel pipe manufacturers, Hall Longmore, which takes them one step closer to offering the South African water industry a localised push-fit application for pressurised steel pipelines.
Using the DSI-CSIR Nanomaterials Industrial Development Facility, CSIR researchers developed a uniquely formulated polymer composite material for the steel pipe manufacturer and performed coating trials at their facility.
“The coating trials proved to be a success and an indication of a fruitful collaboration between local institutions working together to localise technology solutions for industry,” says Managing Director of Hall Longmore, KC Van Rooyen.