Two postgraduate students from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) recently received accolades at prestigious international conferences for their outstanding research contributions.
Cara Haller: Young Author Award at IMPC 2024
PhD candidate Cara Haller was honoured with the prestigious Young Author Award at the XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC), held in Washington, DC, from 29 September to 3 October 2024. This award, presented to the ten most outstanding papers authored by researchers under 35, recognises Cara’s pioneering work on sustainable lithium extraction methods.
Her award-winning paper, “Evaluating Environmentally Friendly Lixiviants for Lithium Recovery from Montmorillonite Clays”, co-authored with her supervisor, Prof Christie Dorfling, explores the growing need for sustainable alternatives to traditional lithium extraction techniques. The research investigates the use of six organic acids to leach lithium from clays, offering a greener approach to an industry that traditionally relies on mineral acids like sulphuric acid. This breakthrough holds promise for reducing the environmental impact of lithium production, a critical material for electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.
Cara’s research aligns perfectly with the IMPC 2024 theme, “Mineral Processing for the Energy Transition”, and her innovative contributions emphasise the importance of environmentally conscious solutions in an increasingly energy-dependent world.
Thaakira Jabaar: Best Oral Presentation at GCCE 2024
Master’s student Thaakira Jabaar also achieved international recognition by winning the Best Oral Presentation award at the Global Congress of Chemical Engineering (GCCE) in October 2024 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). This was the first-ever GCCE held on African soil, attracting top researchers from around the world under the theme, “To Sustainability and Beyond”.
Thaakira’s research, “Decay factor characterisation of paper materials under optimal anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactor studies”, contributed to the environmental engineering category. Her work addresses the critical issue of decay factors in greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, particularly for paper waste in landfills. Currently, South Africa relies on default decay factors set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which can lead to inaccurate GHG reporting.
Thaakira’s research aims to develop decay factors specifically for South Africa, providing the pulp and paper industry with more accurate data for waste management and sustainability planning. This could lead to improved GHG reporting, reduced emissions, and better environmental compliance.
On receiving the award, Thaakira expressed her gratitude, saying: “It is truly humbling to be recognised from an international audience.”
Photograph:
(left) Dr Margreth Tadie on the left and Cara Haller on the right, at the IMPC.
(right) Thaakira Jabaar at the GCCE.
[Article by Amber Viviers]
