CSIR biodegradability testing laboratory to tackle leakage of plastic waste into environment
South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) now hosts Africa’s only laboratory equipped to test and verify imported or locally produced products that are being promoted as biodegradable.
This follows the recent handover of an automated testing facility and equipment, valued at R5 million, to the CSIR by the Japanese government, through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The testing laboratory is capable of establishing the conditions and timeframes for the biodegradation of materials. Tests can be performed under different conditions – aerobic (compost, soil, freshwater and marine) and anaerobic.
CSIR leads research, development and innovation in sustainable wastewater management in South Africa
South Africa’s worrying state of wastewater management requires urgent public-private partnerships to accelerate technology development to improve the current situation, says Dr Rembu Magoba, Manager of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Water Research Centre.
Dr Magoba was speaking at the Africa Water, Waste and Green Energy Conference held in Cape Town recently. Government representatives, business leaders and decision-makers from African countries attended the conference. The country's wastewater treatment system has worsened over the years since 2013. 39% of assessed wastewater treatment systems are now classified as critical, a drop from 29% in 2013.