The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has produced a discussion paper entitled: ‘The Carbon Reuse Economy: Transforming CO2 from a pollutant into a resource. MechChem Africa presents the introductory chapter.

The circular economy needs a commercially viable technology base capable of transforming and reprocessing waste into usable products and resources. Veolia Water Technologies’ Chris Braybrooke discusses the strategic importance of anaerobic digestion, a tried-and-tested technology family in the sewage and effluent treatment space.

Trailblazer Technologies’ John Bewsey is pioneering cost effective and potentially profitable ways of processing neutralised acid mine drainage (AMD) water, industrial wastewater and even underground ‘brakwater’. In this article, he describes his KNeW (Potassium Nitrate ex Waste) process, which relies on scalable ion exchange CSTR batteries with some value adding regeneration and post regeneration twists to transform dissolved contaminants into valuable fertilisers and industrial salts.

Global ventilation fans and systems manufacturer TLT-Turbo GmbH has launched a new range of mechanical vapour recompression fans with ceramic hybrid bearings to provide a long operational lifespan.

Another R100-million investment in the FLSmidth Supercenter in Delmas, Mpumalanga, has set the South African facility up as the Group’s global centre of excellence for the manufacture and supply of vibrating equipment including dewatering screens and associated wear components and spares. MechChem Africa visited the facility and talks to Warren Walker, the Supercenter’s operations manager and Stephan Kruger, director of manufacturing and warehousing.

In this month’s failure column, Tim J Carter talks about hydrogen and the importance of paying attention to the possible effects atomic hydrogen may have in embrittling steels and other materials, which can cause cracking and catastrophic failures of structures under stress. Carter is a Consulting Physical Metallurgist, previously in private practice and now with ImpLabs in Benoni.

Marthinusen & Coutts’s solution to an irregularity that occurred in the stator of a large 36 MW compressor motor deployed at Sasol’s Secunda plant, has yielded the best ever test results.

Following engagement with The Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) which, in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, recently hosted a research tour of the decarbonisation pathways being developed by Europe’s top-emitting industries, Louis Mielke introduces the Energy Transition Commission’s (ETC’s) ‘Mission Possible’ initiative and summarises one of the associated Mission Possible sectoral reports: Reaching net-zero carbon emissions from plastics.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa (tkIS SA) is once again celebrating one million Lost Time Injury (LTI)-free hours. Quality, health and safety manager for tkIS SA, Christo de Beer talks to MechChem Africa about Vision Zero, the underpinning initiative that enables the company to repeatedly achieve critical safety milestones.

In the midst of a depressing year for South Africans, it has been a very turbulent few weeks. Eskom load shedding began again on Wednesday 16 October – and continues. On Tuesday 29 October, Pravin Gordon presented his Eskom recovery plan, which he suggested could take between 5 to 10 years before we feel its positive effects.

Hydrocarbon fuels are essential for our daily existence. However, extracting usable fuels from crude oil is a complex process in which hydrogen plays a cardinal role, as the correct levels of hydrogen in a refinery process stream largely determine the quality of the final product.

MechChem Africa talks Claire Janisch, head of biomimicrySA. Janisch promotes the practice of biomimicry in business strategy, technology and education. She was also a co-creator of the Genius Lab, an experiential learning organisation that inspires innovation and future thinking.

As a leading screening OEM, Kwatani is working hard to raise awareness about the advantages and disadvantages of diverse vibrating screen technologies, making it easier for users to make informed decisions.

Digital design and simulation technology tools are enhancing Weir Minerals Africa’s solution offering to customers, allowing insights into upstream and downstream improvements that optimise mineral processing.

Taru Madangombe, vice president of Power Systems in the Anglophone Cluster for Schneider Electric, talks about the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies likely to drive the direction of the world’s future smart buildings, infrastructure and cities.

MechChem Africa visits the Aeroton premises of SEW-EURODRIVE in Johannesburg and talks to South African MD, Raymond Obermeyer, about latest advances in drive technology and the local company’s plans to be the assembly, supply, refurbishment and training hub for Africa.

The applications knowledge of Zest WEG Group, coupled with the design capability of parent company WEG, now make it easier than ever for old high voltage (HV) motors to be replaced with new, improved HV machines within the customer’s existing footprint and operational configuration.

SKF and its subsidiary, Lincoln Lubricants, are currently expanding and broadening their training programmes in preparation for a 2020 move into new premises in Jet Park. MechChem Africa talks to global Centre of Excellence manager for SKF Training Solutions, David Reed, and Gail Taylor, sub-Saharan Africa’s SKF training solutions business development manager.

MechChem Africa profiles plant and process innovator, John Bewsey, a Fellow of SAIChE and IChemE who, across his career, has been granted over 25 chemical technology patents covering an application range from fertiliser nutrient processing to industrial processes and waste recovery.

App World and Motion Terminal VTEM launch in South Africa

Festo has recently launched a digital platform called App World. It is an online platform for purchasing and downloading software/licenses and is aimed at simplifying the lives of customers in the automation industry that are moving into the digital Industry 4.0 space.