CSIR receives biodegradation lab equipment donation

Technews Industry Guide: Sustainable Manufacturing 2022 Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring

On 23 August, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, and the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, officiated over the handover of biodegradation assessment laboratory equipment to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria.

The equipment forms part of a three-year project funded by the government of Japan, through the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), to combat the marine plastic litter issue in South Africa. This follows a bilateral meeting – which was held between the President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, and the late Prime Minister of Japan, Mr Shinzo Abe – on 29 June 2019, prior to the G20 Osaka Summit. During that meeting, the Prime Minister committed that Japan would make funds available to assist South Africa in addressing the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, especially marine pollution.

The laboratory equipment which was handed over by UNIDO to the CSIR includes a respirometer, an automated titration system and an elemental analyser. This will enable the CSIR, through its biodegradation facility, to test and verify biodegradation claims of alternative materials, including compostable plastics, as viable alternatives for problematic products.

The event was attended by a high-level delegation consisting of the Ambassador of Japan, Mr Norio Maruyama, senior members from UNIDO, as well as the CSIR CEO, Dr Thulani Dlamini.

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