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Unisa researcher turns cow dung into energy

"He is part of a new generation of researchers who are making their presence felt at Unisa and across the continent."

October 9, 2017
Thato Mahlangu 2 minutes read
Ralph Muvhiiwa, a member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Golden Key International Honours Society. Photo: Facebook.

“Young, black and successful,” is how a writer has described Unisa researcher, Ralph Muvhiiwa, whose research is expected to turn cow dung into renewable energy, biogas.

 

https://twitter.com/CHANDRASHEKARCN/status/911916394756927489

Using cow dung as renewable energy is much cheaper compared to traditional energies used to heat water or cook.

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“He is part of a new generation of researchers who are making their presence felt at Unisa and across the continent,” said academic writer Clairwyn van der Merwe, who profiled Muvhiiwa.

Van der Merwe said Muvhiiwa was setting the pace in research with a positive impact on society and publishing his findings in accredited journals that the best scholars in their fields read.”

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Muvhiiwa, a member of Unisa’s Engineers Without Borders, and his fellow members have been working a charm, converting cow dung into clean, affordable biogas for household cooking, heating and lighting using a biodigester.

A biodigester is like a mechanical stomach that is fed organic material, which when broken down by micro-organisms becomes an oxygen-free (anaerobic) environment to produce a renewable energy called biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) and other material that is mainly used as fertiliser.

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Their first biodigester was commissioned at a home of a Muldersdrift sweet-potato farmer in 2015, and another is up and running in Lenasia as part of a Unisa/Medical Research Council project to showcase the benefits of clean fuels for use in energy-poor communities.

Muvhiiwa is an engineer with a mission, says Van der Merwe.

“It’s well known that cow dung releases methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. Instead of leaving this waste to emit methane into the atmosphere, it can be harnessed for household use and, in the process, converted into CO2 2 superscript, which is about 24 times less harmful than methane,” she said.

Muvhiiwa said he aspired to be an engineer who could help solve problems that were important to society.

He is a doctoral fellow in chemical engineering at Unisa’s material and process synthesis (MaPS) unit, where he specialises in renewable energy technologies, and in particular, biomass energy.

His passion for research and drive for results has brought him a number of awards, among them best master’s student by research for 2017 and best presentation long paper, natural and physical sciences at the Unisa Students Research & Innovation showcase 2014 and 2015.

Van der Merwe describes Muvhiiwa as, a rising star, saying he has presented his research at several high-profile conferences, including the 24th International Conference on Chemical Thermodynamics in Guilin, China, in August 2016.

“At that conference, Muvhiiwa shared the podium with top scientists such as MaPS director Prof Diane Hildebrandt and Prof David Glasser (an A1-rated researcher),” she said.

He has also co-authored articles in highly rated journals such as the journal of thermal analysis and calorimetry, and, most recently, in the July 2017 edition of Energy, Sustainability and Society.

He is a member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Golden Key International Honours Society.

When not in the laboratory or pushing a wheelbarrow, Muvhiiwa plays a mean game of hockey and golf and is hard to beat in a game of darts.

Ralph Muvhiiwa, a member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Golden Key International Honours Society. Photo: Facebook.

 

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October 9, 2017
Thato Mahlangu 2 minutes read
 
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