The scale of her department's support for local technology initiatives runs from abalone to zircon, Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor informed Members of Parliament (MPs) on Tuesday.

Speaking in the National Assembly during debate on the science and technology budget vote, she sketched details of some of the projects, aimed at creating sustainable jobs and wealth-creation opportunities, in which her department was involved.

"Aquaculture is a noteworthy example. The department supported an aquaculture abalone-harvesting pilot [project] at Hondeklip Bay in the Northern Cape.

"This... has shown us that it is possible to utilise aquaculture to improve abalone production for commercial purposes."

The project would now draw in the Northern Cape government, the private sector and the department into a R48,8-million capital investment project to develop an abalone farm.

This would produce 120 tons of abalone, and create 120 full-time jobs and 25 part-time job opportunities.

Further, two abalone hatcheries would be established, one in the Northern Cape and another in the Western Cape, she said.

She then turned to the metal titanium, saying that good progress was being made on an "innovative process" for the production of low-cost titanium.

Titanium is often alloyed with other metals to produce strong, lightweight alloys.

Pandor said that two patent applications had been filed on the primary process.

"Initial success in this research will be supported by the establishment and operational testing of a primary titanium plant in the financial year 2011/12."

The minister also revealed plans to beneficiate zirconium, a metal derived from the mineral zircon, and much used in nuclear reactors because of its high resistance to corrosion.

"Our country has a comparative advantage in zircon. We supply 30% of the world's zircon in an unbeneficiated form.

"Our advanced materials initiative... is developing a technology to add value by producing nuclear-grade zirconium material.

"The zircon sells in its raw form at $800 a ton. Nuclear-grade zirconium sells, when beneficiated, at $2 300 a ton.

"An innovative... technology process has been developed and three patents have been filed by our scientists," Pandor said.