With the objective of developing students ‘potential of applying research and developing techniques relevant to the engineering field was the focus behind the impactful initiative undertaken by the Bachelor of Engineering Technology Honour students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).
The dynamic Chemical Engineering students are currently working on a solid waste management project at S Block-Steve Biko Campus, where they are applying problem-based learning and design thinking to address campus solid waste management challenges.
Dr Innocentia Mkhize, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of Chemical Engineering, perfectly embodies this by leading a green campus initiative centered on the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. This hands-on effort not only enhances our environmental sustainability but also ensures our students are equipped to make a tangible and positive societal impact, fulfilling the very core of DUT’s Philosophy of Education. As lecturers, our mission is to empower our students to be innovative and creative, so that they can be ready to transform society.
“This initiative is made possible through the grant funding which we received from CELT, empowering our students to engage in meaningful, real-world problem-solving while enhancing their academic experience. To strengthen the link between classroom learning and practical application, we recently visited Mpact Recycling, based in Empangeni. It’s a leading recycler in South Africa, collecting approximately 600,000 tonnes of recovered recyclables per annum,” she said.She further indicated that this visit provided students with valuable insights into large-scale recycling operations and helped them contextualise their campus-based project within the broader industry framework.
“The visit allowed our students to see how their efforts on campus align with national sustainability goals and industry practices. We believe this initiative reflects DUT’s commitment to experiential learning, industry engagement, and sustainable development, and would be a valuable story to share with the DUT community,” she explained.
Chemical Engineering student, Kwanele Khumalo shared some insight into the Mpact Felixton Mill visit, saying that learning how sustainability is applied in practice through processes such as fibre recovery, water treatment and reusing sludge as fertilizer for farmers was amazing. “The experience connected directly to my studies, showing how concepts like separation, flow processes and waste management are applied in real industry. A memorable moment was seeing how recycled plastic and paper are integrated into production, which showed me the importance of sustainability in engineering,” said Khumalo.
Chemical Engineering student, Nthabiseni Kubheka said that during the visit to Mpact Mill, observing how wastepaper is transformed into finished packaging products, and the highlighting of the practical application of circular economy principles was a sterling experience. “This experience connects my chemical engineering studies on process efficiency, energy integration, and sustainable manufacturing to real-world industrial operations. A standout moment was seeing the massive pulping and paper machines in action, which shown the scale and complexity of engineering required to manage recycled feedstock effectively,” said Kubheka.
Chemical engineering student Mnqobi Siyabonga Mbwandla gave a reflection of the industrial visit to Mpact Felixton Mill in Empangeni. Mbwandla emphasised that this visit helped in understanding the value of the modules that was learnt.
“Seeing all the chemical processing phenomenon being in used to achieve the goal gave me a chill and it’s a once in life time experience. The memorable moment was when I was standing on the top of clarifier getting to experience the elevated view of the entire plant, I was a bit scared of the height but when I reached the top all my fear became a joy and I admired our achievement as a civilisation in science and technology, and that inspired me to dream more and focus on my short and long term goals,” Mbwandla emphasised.
The general consensus from the chemical engineering students were that the industrial site visit was informative experience, giving them an understanding of the importance of sustainability implementation and its significance towards promoting a detailed scope into operations, looking at how solid waste is sorted, treated and transformed into reusable materials.
Giving more context to the project was Dr Rosheena Jeawon, who currently serves as the Recognition To Prior Learning (RPL) coordinator at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). She reaffirmed that this project is run under the direction of Dr Shoba Rathilal, and is supported by the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Design Thinking (DT) team at CELT.
“We have witnessed phenomenal progress in Dr Mkhize’s project, with one of the most significant outcomes being not only the successful application of theory to practice, but also a notable increase in student pass rates. This further underscores the impact of experiential learning in enhancing academic performance and student engagement. CELT acknowledges the support of Dr Mkhize’s contribution and continued support,” she expressed.
The solid waste management project at the Steve Biko Campus is nearing its conclusion. The new solid waste segregation bins have been procured. Still, their placement at the S-Block will only occur once students have successfully recommended the best communication strategy for utilizing them. This student-led effort is crucial to ensuring the entire campus community knows how to manage solid waste properly.
Lastly, Dr. Innocentia Mkhize extends her sincerest gratitude to the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to this project: Professor de Koker, Prof Maladzhi, Dr Ngema, Mr Bux, and Mr Molala. She also wishes to acknowledge the dedicated colleagues from CELT, as they are always available for support and guidance to both team members and students.
Pictured: Dr Innocentia Mkhize, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of Chemical Engineering, along with the Chemical Engineering students visit Mpact Recycling.
Waheeda Peters
