The University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of California (UCLA), in Los Angeles, and the Ben Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev, in Israel, have signed a research agreement.

The academic institutions will conduct joint scientific studies into water purification and the transformation of algae into 
energy in an international collaboration that will benefit the peoples of South Africa, Israel and other countries throughout the world.

BGU has a long association with South Africa, and several 
leading South Africans have been awarded honorary doctorates by the university, including former President Nelson Mandela, Nobel Prize laureate Nadine Gordimer and BGU vice- chairperson and president of the South Africa Associates of Ben Gurion University (SAABGU) Dr Bertram Lubner.

“The two universities will 
become involved in extremely 
important, evolutionary research which will mainly benefit Third World countries,” says Lubner

UJ chemical technology professor Bhekie Mamba will lead the South African research teams while Professor Sammy Boussiba and Professor Yoram Oren will head up the projects in Israel.

They will be assisted by Professor Eric Hoek, of UCLA, a renowned expert in the fields of water purification and microalgal biotechnology.

Boussiba is recognised among world-leading scientists in the field of microalgal biotechnology. 
He currently serves as the president of the International Society of Applied Phycology and is the chief scientist of the newly established European Algae Biomass Association.

Mamba adds that the two universities will brainstorm how they can contribute to ongoing South African research on water purification in rural areas and at Hartbeespoort dam.

In addition, they will research the feasibility of harvesting algae from the dam and converting it into energy.

The Hartbeespoort dam reme-
diation programme is being 
implemented by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to address the imbalances 
and unhealthy biological conditions in the dam. 

“We will investigate how we can contribute and add value to this ongoing project,” says Mamba.

Ongoing research into the use of membranes to purify water in rural areas will also benefit from the UJ, BGU and UCLA collaboration.

“We will look at the effective treatment of dam and river water used for drinking in rural areas, where the pollution is not industrial, but microbial. We need to address the issue of bacteria and viruses in the water, and we will be looking at the role UJ and BGU can play. We hope to come up with a low-cost, low-maintenance solution geared for rural areas,” he says.