Funeral details of well-known inventor Prof Mulalo Doyoyo revealed
Details of the funeral of late Inventor extraordinaire, Professor Mulalo Doyoyo, who passed away last week, have been confirmed. Prof Doyoyo passed away at his house in Kyalami Estates, Johannesburg, last week.
He is regarded as one of South Africa’s most educated sons, who was an engineer, an inventor, and a professor.
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His death came as a shock to his family who could not locate him for a few days. His lifeless body was discovered by family members at his home last week. He was born and bred in Vondwe village, Limpopo.
PROFESSOR MULALO DOYOYO HAS PASSED AWAY
He began his education at Vondwe Lower Primary School in 1977. Doyoyo then moved on to Tshidimbini Higher Primary School in 1981. He joined Tshidimbini Secondary School in 1984, where he studied until 1985. In 1986, he registered at Mbilwi Secondary School and was later elected as the head boy of the school, matriculating in 1988.
While studying at the University of the Western Cape, he became a publication officer of the Student Engineering Council and a student representative of the South African Institute of Aerospace Engineers. He was also a founder of the Student Aerospace Society in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
He completed a master’s degree in solid mechanics and applied mathematics in 1995 and 1996, respectively. In 1999, he accepted a postdoctoral research position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to enhance his studies in applied mechanics.
He also worked as a lecturer at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology [Georgia Tech]. This is where he created the Ultralight Systems Laboratory dedicated to experimental research on ultralight materials.

RESEARCH AND CAREER
Applying the foundation and plate theories of structural mechanics, he proved that as an internal reinforcing element. A truss lattice structure can reduce the weight of a pressure vessel by decreasing its skin thickness while improving its fracture strength. This led to the invention and disclosure of microtruss pressure vessels. These pressure vessels accommodate non-round shapes resulting in increased safety, driving range, and cabin space for hydrogen vehicles.
In an effort to develop energy storage systems for large-scale traditional and renewable energy sources, he began research collaboration with electricity generation companies. As one of the results of this collaboration, he developed Cenocell, a patented concrete-like material that is based on fly ash without the addition of Portland cement. [19] Fly ash is a pollutant byproduct of coal-fired power plants, cement production, paper manufacturing, and mining operations. Cenocell microstructure resembles that of a natural gas reservoir rock.
As of 2006, he became interested in doing research aligning with his homeland’s Reconstruction and Development Programme. He started to work with his graduate students on green building and renewable energy. Between 2007 and 2009, he was appointed as an extraordinary professor and later a visiting research and innovation chair at the Tshwane University of Technology. This allowed him to collaborate with local researchers on the RDP.
The 54-year-old will be buried at Vondwe Cemetery in Limpopo on Sunday. The funeral service will be held at home, starting at 06:00.