The Water-Energy-Food Nexus thematic area at the CRSES focuses on integrated solutions to balance resource demands and enhance sustainability while minimizing environmental impact.

Research Overview

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus research area addresses the full spectrum of water and energy security challenges in the region, from academic research to technology development, transfer, and implementation. Enabled through CRSES’s strategic funding and collaborative platforms like the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for the WEF, the research develops tailored technological and cross-sectoral solutions for water, energy, and food security – benefiting people and the environment.

Within the WEF Nexus, sustainable bioenergy is a key focus area, balancing resource demands by exploring biomass sources such as agricultural residues, forestry waste, and organic waste for energy production through anaerobic digestion, gasification, and fermentation. Our team conducts lifecycle assessments to evaluate economic viability, carbon footprint, and energy security contributions, while collaborative projects with industry, government, and academic partners drive commercialization and integration into existing energy systems. By fostering community engagement and knowledge transfer, this area supports local adoption of bioenergy solutions and advances a circular economy in South Africa.

Key Focus Areas

  • Biomass Resources and Feedstocks:
    Identification and assessment of various biomass sources, including agricultural residues, forestry waste, and organic waste, for sustainable energy production.

  • Conversion Technologies:
    Exploration of advanced technologies for converting biomass into bioenergy, such as anaerobic digestion, gasification, fermentation, and pyrolysis.

  • Lifecycle Assessment:
    Evaluation of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of bioenergy systems, including carbon footprint analysis and resource efficiency.

  • Community Engagement and Capacity Building:
    Initiatives aimed at promoting awareness and adoption of bioenergy solutions at local levels, focusing on training and empowering communities to implement sustainable practices.

Projects

  • Vines for Future: Heritage, Climate and Sustainability in the South African Wine Industry for The British Academy

    Ongoing

    The project seeks to simultaneously achieve economic sustainability, sustain rural livelihoods and reduce wine's environmental footprint. After assessing producer responses to ...

  • South Africa: Assessment of Emissions Reduction Potential from Organic Municipal Solid Waste and Possible Mitigation Pathways

    Completed, 2023

    Waste in South African Municipalities is most landfilled, contributing to the national carbon footprint and not properly valorising the intrinsic energy ...

  • Waste to Energy Roadmap with SANEDI

    Ongoing

    The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), in partnership with the DSI/NRF/CSIR South African Research Chair in Waste and Climate ...

  • NRF CoP “Waste to Value: Transitioning South Africa towards a Waste-to-Resource Circular Economy” (Waste to Value)

    Ongoing

    The Community of Practice (CoP) “Waste to Value: Transitioning South Africa towards a Waste-to-Resource Circular Economy” has convened a diverse group ...

  • NRF/PCC CoP “Climate Change Research with Society” (EISH 2.0)

    Ongoing

    The project recognizes major climate change threats to managing the stability, resilience and development of urban society and systems. Effective societal ...

  • Hybrid Biochemical and Thermochemical conversion of Slaughterhouse biowaste for Renewable Energy production (BIOTHEREP) for LEAP-RE

    Ongoing

    The overall objective of the BIOTHEREP Circular project is to create a novel and economically viable integrated processes that will convert ...

  •  Uganda – Sector strategy for organic waste management (SOWU) for UNEP

    Ongoing

    The SOWU project responds to a request made by the Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda to the Climate and ...

Research Team

Collaborators (and Current Clients)

Academic Publications