Electricity + Control June 2018

Cheers to that Engineering researchers at the University of Colorado-Boulder have brewed up some- thing awesome from brewery run-off low- cost lithium-ion battery electrodes. According to the research paper – pub- lished in the Applied Materials and Inter- faces journal, a single barrel of beer uses around seven barrels of water to make, and all wastewater needs to be filtered before it can be disposed of. Interestingly it was discovered by researchers that this same by-product could make a perfect and freely available raw material that can be used in battery production. With this the researchers went about de- veloping a new bio-manufacturing process that turns brewery wastewater into a fungal pool for growing the most efficient natural- ly-derived lithium-ion battery electrodes. This will be good news for both brew- eries and battery manufacturers as they will acquire the raw materials they need to create fuel cells. Therefore, breweries won’t need to deal with the expensive process of filtering their wastewater before disposal. Researchers have already partnered up with Avery Brewing in Boulder to begin their testing.

Fine-precision mechanics, optics and high-speed photography Horne Technologies CC is a small, flexible and com- petitive company that supplies cost-effective expert solutions and specialist equipment. The company is experienced in motion control, fine-precision me- chanics, optics, specialised cameras and high-speed photography. Horne Technologies CC specialises in extremely

high quality small motion control systems: miniature DC, brushed, brushless, and stepper motors, gearheads, precision bearings and allied equipment. High quali- ty ranges of Italian-made normal stepper motors, drives and controllers are also represented, together with rotary and linear bearings, rails, actuators, encoders, connectors and machine-building components. Furthermore, complementary to the high quality motors, Horne Technologies offers precision optics, optomechanics and specialised camera systems. Standard as well as custom optics are available, together with lab bench equipment. Very high-end thermal and visual high-speed cameras are also offered. New to the market is the Seek Thermal range of entry-level hand-held thermal cameras – including models fitting to IOS and Android mobiles. The company has several high-speed cameras available for rental. These cam- eras are available on a daily basis, and come with an operator. Access to a number of other cameras and systems is available. Also recently introducing from Stelltron (www.stelltron.co.za) is an Inter- net-based platform to bring learning and hobby-based electronic products to the high school, university student and hobbyist market.The website is an online store enabling developers to source all their project components quickly and easily – and an email ordering service is available for items not in stock or listed on the site. Enquiries: www.hornetechnologies.co.za

Breaking new ground

as a larger logistics area to accommodate the increase in stock inventory. The new Phoenix offices also include a workshop and testing facility. Further to this, with the recent appointment of an applications engi- neer, the company can now offer increased engineering advice and capabilities. Enquiries: Sheree Brits. Email sbrits@phoenixcontact.co.za

Phoenix Contact, the innovative market leader of industrial connection technol- ogy, automation technology, electronic interface systems and surge protection, recently held the official opening of their newly upgraded premises in Bellville, Western Cape. In line with Phoenix Contact’s philos- ophy and growth strategy they are con-

tinually investing in buildings and people throughout the world. On the back of continued growth in the Western Cape over the last few years, the company decided that it was well over due to expand their operation and to re- vamp facilities. The new offices boast a state-of-the- art boardroom and training facility, as well

38 Electricity + Control

JUNE 2018