Master’s Bursary and Research Programme
About the programme
Every year, the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) calls for applications from BEng/BSc in chemical engineering final year students and graduates for its Master’s in Chemical Engineering bursary and research programme.
The programme covers two years of full time study at participating universities during which students will work on projects that include beneficiation of wood fibre, recycled fibre or process waste, and resource efficiency.
Participation in the PAMSA bursary programme also facilitates possible employment as an engineer-in-training at participating PAMSA member companies.
STUDENTS AND THEIR STORIES
Changing the value of waste
Meet Josh Nel, a chemical engineering student at the University of Stellenbosch. He applied for the waste valorisation option and has been learning about various methods of recycling plastic and paper waste ever since. His topic involves comparing the technical and economic feasibility of two valorisation techniques. The first technique is the reverse engineering/pyrolysis of a waste stream, mainly comprising plastic and paper, back into petrochemicals.
More than paper
As PAMSA sponsored M.Eng. students, Liezl van der Watt, Chelaine Maree and Qiniso Ngiba share their experiences and what their pieces of research entail. And yes, we agree, paper is cool!
Opening doors by making doors with mill waste
Eddie Barnard is currently in his second and final year of his Masters of Engineering. He has been focusing on the valorisation of pulp and paper mill waste. His end goal is to find uses for it in biocomposites with similar qualities of particle board. Examples of applications would be furniture and cupboard doors.
RESEARCH ARCHIVE
Masters students in PAMSA’s bursary and research programme have explored various aspects of the pulp and paper industry, including the tremendous value that can be generated by turning what was once regarded as waste into environmentally sustainable products.
View all publications here, and view our most recent publications below: