Green living through science and technology

DURBAN played host to several international leading microbiologists this week, during the annual conference of the South African Society for Microbiology (SASM).

The high-profile conference, hosted by SASM and the Durban University of Technology’s Faculty of Applied Sciences, saw some 400 delegates gathering under the theme, Green Living through Science and Technology.

Professor Ashok Pandey, Deputy Director of the CSIR’s National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum, said a subject which has attracted much media attention in recent years is the production of biofuels as an alternative energy source. Although biofuels have been in use for decades, with Henry Ford reportedly using ethanol in his early vehicles, mass production of biofuels has sparked debate about biofuel farmlands putting at risk crops which have traditionally been used as food sources. Professor Pandey provided food for thought on this issue with his address on Biofuels from Renewable Alternative Feedstocks.

Other speakers at the conference included professors and experts from throughout South Africa and the USA, China, India, Japan and Sweden.

Professor Suren Singh, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Durban University of Technology and chairman of the conference organising committee, said: “DUT was proud to host this prestigious event for the third time. This year’s outstanding scientific programme is a reflection of the consistent progress in the fields of industrial microbiology and biotechnology as a discipline. The theme of the conference further emphasises the need for industry to adapt to the changing energy trends worldwide and overcome the technical challenges of present. Now, more than ever, industry and academia need to work together, nationally and internationally, to jointly address the challenges of technological innovation.”