Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit facts for kids
| Type | Research Entity |
|---|---|
| Established | 2011 |
|
Academic staff
|
6 |
| Postgraduates | 30+ |
| Location |
,
26°11′35.14″S 28°01′46.95″E / 26.1930944°S 28.0297083°E |
| Campus | East campus |
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The Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit (called IMWaRU for short) is a special team at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. They are part of the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. IMWaRU does important research about water, especially how it's used in industries and mining. They also help students who are studying for their masters or doctorate degrees, and they give advice to companies.
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What IMWaRU Does
IMWaRU focuses on water problems that involve both industries and mining. This means their team has experts from different science areas. For example, they have people who know a lot about chemical engineering and microbiology.
The unit includes five researchers who are highly rated by the NRF. They also have more than 20 students working on their masters or doctorate degrees. These students come from both engineering and science fields.
Meet the Team
The IMWaRU group currently has seven main academic members. These are people who teach and do research. They also have many postgraduate students who are working on their advanced degrees.
The IMWaRU Logo
The logo for IMWaRU looks like a water drop. The left side of the drop is blue, showing that it represents water.
The right side of the drop has a picture of grass. This shows how water is connected to all life on Earth. Below the water drop icon, you can see the letters "IMWaRU." To the right of the icon, the full name "Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit" is written out.
Where IMWaRU is Located
The IMWaRU team works in different buildings at the University of the Witwatersrand. Their main home is the Richard Ward Building on the East Campus.
Some team members also work in the Biology Building, which is also on the East Campus. They can use the laboratories in that building for their experiments. IMWaRU also has an outdoor area on the West Campus. Here, they do experiments with things like constructed wetlands.
Important Water Research Topics
The IMWaRU group has published many research papers on a wide range of water topics. Here are some of the areas they study:
- Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): This is polluted water from mines. IMWaRU looks for ways to reduce, treat, and manage this type of water.
- Algae Studies: They study algae to see if it can clean water. They also look at algae as a source of biomass, which can be used to make things like biodiesel.
- Biorefineries: This involves using natural materials (biomass) to create valuable products. IMWaRU explores how to do this while also treating water.
- Constructed Wetlands (CW): These are special systems that use natural plants and soil to clean wastewater.
- Ecological Engineering: This is about designing systems that help humans and the environment live together in a healthy way.
- Industrial Biotechnology: This uses living things, like tiny microbes, to help with water problems. For example, they might use it to purify water or reduce how much water is needed.
- Industrial Ecology: This is about using ideas of sustainability to reduce harm to the environment. It often focuses on how industries use water.
- Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA): This is a way to measure and reduce waste (liquid, solid, or gas) from different places. This includes food processing and industrial biotechnology.
- Membrane Technology: This uses special filters (membranes) to clean water.
- Nanotechnology: This involves working with extremely tiny materials to solve water problems.
- Ozone Treatment: They study how to use ozone gas to clean water in cooling systems.
- Water Footprinting (WF): This is about measuring and reducing the amount of water used at different sites, like mines or paper factories.
- Wastewater Treatment: This involves cleaning water that has been used so it can be safely returned to the environment or reused.
Working with Others
IMWaRU works closely with other groups and universities. They collaborate with the Centre in Water and Research Development (CiWaRD), which is another group that thinks about water research.
They also work with different departments at their own university, like Law, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, and Mining Engineering. They even work with the Global Change Institute. Outside of South Africa, they have partnered with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany.
IMWaRU has also worked with universities in other countries, such as the University of Cape Town, the University of Geneva, the University of Queensland, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
They have also had projects funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) through Wits Enterprise. In 2014, IMWaRU showed their work at an event called Mine Closure 2014.
Awards and Achievements
The IMWaRU team and its members have received several awards for their important work:
- In December 2014, the IMWaRU group received a special award at the GAP Bioscience gala dinner. This was for their work on using natural materials to clean up acid mine drainage.
- At the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA2016) conference in May 2016, Charne Germuizhuizen won an award for the best presentation on mine water. Also, Mogopoleng (Paul) Chego won third place for the best technical talk.
- In 2019, Tamlyn Naidu won the "YOUNG PERSONS' WORLD LECTURE COMPETITION" from the IOM3.
See also
In Spanish: Industrial and mining water research unit para niños
