Position: Senior Lecturer
Phone: (+27) 35 902 6150
Email: LinganisoL@unizulu.ac.za
Building &Room: 229
Biography:
Dr Linda Zikhona Linganiso is originally from the Eastern Cape. After she graduated her PhD in Petroleum Chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand, she went to the University of Kentucky in the US to pursue post-doctoral studies in Energy studies for two years. On her return to South Africa, she worked for PetroSA in Cape Town before joining the CSIR in 2011. At CSIR, Dr Linganiso has been instrumental in setting up research units, securing funding while managing research projects and supervising research candidates, PhD and MSc students. Dr Linganiso joined the University of Zululand in May 2016 to teach Physical Chemistry.
Qualifications:
- BSc Hons, MSc
- PhD (Petroleum Chemistry, WITS)
Research interests:
Our research interests can be grouped into a number of (interconnected) areas as outlined below:
1. Heterogeneous Catalysis with emphasis on the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) and the Water Gas Shift (WGS) reactions.
2. Material Chemistry with emphasis on Composite Materials development from recycled petroleum based plastic and agro-waste to induce biodegradation (Waste beneficiation project). Product development (Biodegradable plastics) to meet local demand remains the main focus of this project.
3. Renewable Energy with the emphasis on Biofuel:
(a) Techno-Economic studies (for feasibility)
(b) Establishment of Biofuel technologies in communities
All these projects fall within the DST/NRF Centres of Excellence in Strong Materials, Bioenergy or Catalysis. Projects are supported by Developmental Bank of South Africa (DBSA) and Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). Leadership in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) together with Global CleanTechnology Innovation Program (GCIP) are instrumental in coaching and training us to develop business models to make Science more practical. We believe in translating research and development findings into something of value (product). A wide range of techniques, available either in-house or in neighbouring departments/Universities/CSIR, are used for characterization purposes and include TGA, BET, DSC, DRIFTS, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, TEM, SEM, XRD, SIMS
Professional membership:
Research Databases / Publications
