The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has designed and constructed a mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) lab that will be operating at the University of Zululand, the second university to have and operate a LiDAR system within in its premises in South Africa. This atmos...
CSIR releases a scientific report on the Knysna-Elandskraal fire
Strong bergwind conditions coupled with very dry vegetation most probably resulted in the flare-up of a lightning-induced smouldering fire on the morning of 7 June 2017 in the Elandskraal region, northwest of Knysna, resulting in one of the worst fire disasters in South Africa’s history. This is ...
WEF founder encourages business, government and civil society to embrace fourth Industrial Revolution
The founder and chief executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Prof Klaus Schwab, has stressed the importance for government, civil society and business to work together to ensure the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) are distributed equally in society. Speaking in P...
Atlas to help South Africa’s sectors respond to climate change
The second edition of an atlas showing South Africa’s vulnerability to climate change has been launched in Johannesburg, to help the country’s economic and social sectors take informed decisions to avoid risks related to climate change. Developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Resea...
An early warning system could be an answer to fatalities in SA mines
South Africa's mines remain one of the most hazardous working environments in the country, with seismic activity and rock bursts resulting in injuries and fatalities (73 in 2016). Preventing ongoing fatalities and creating a safer working environment is critical to this multibillion-rand sector. ...
CSIR showcases tech for mining safety at the Mining Indaba
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) showcases some of the latest technologies to improve safety in the mining sector. These innovative technologies will be displayed at the Mining Indaba taking place in Cape Town from Monday, 5 to Thursday, 8 February 2018. The Inaccessibili...
CSIR starts producing mycotoxins to help ensure sound local mycotoxin measurement standards for food safety testing
CSIR researchers are producing mycotoxins that will support the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) to provide more affordable and easily accessible measurement standards for mycotoxin testing by laboratories locally and on the continent. Mycotoxins are produced by different type...
Research progress in effective and affordable treatment of mine wastewater
Researchers at the CSIR are building on their early successes in the development of technologies for the treatment of mine wastewater by developing a pilot plant to treat acid mine drainage and recover metals. CSIR senior researcher Dr Vhahangwele Masindi is a young trailblazer and inventor of as...
Keeping tabs on carbon dioxide: A South African perspective on the 2017 Global Carbon Budget
The just-released 2017 Global Carbon Budget, an annual update on the carbon budget published through a partnership of the international science community, shows that the increase in fossil fuel emissions was lower than that of a decade ago. Scientists believe that it may point to a global decline...
CSIR launches 2nd edition Climate Risk and Vulnerability handbook for Southern Africa
The 2nd edition of the Climate Risk and Vulnerability handbook was launched on 5 October at the CSIR 6th Biennial Conference in Pretoria. Highlighting the costs of weather-related disasters between 1980 and 2015 in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), this latest rendition of the cr...