MechChem Africa July-August 2023

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

EPC school receives recycling toilets Local water and wastewater EPC, WEC Projects, has completed the installation of a NEWgenerator TM wastewater recycling sys tem at Khanyisani Primary School in the Eastern Cape, the first commercial installation of this system in South Africa. “The WEC NEWgenerator system connects the school’s toilet block to a water and waste treatment and recycling system. The region suffers from a serious water shortage due to its remote location and, as a result, a solution was required that drastically reduced water consumption,” says Ntwanano Mandlazi, Project Manager at WEC Projects. NEWgenerator was developed by the University of South Florida (USF) in the USA and built under license in South Africa by WEC Projects. It is a compact, off-grid, and modular sewage treatment solution that can be housed inside a refurbished ship ping container. It incorporates an anaerobic bioreactor to treat biological matter and breakdown solids, ultrafiltration to remove solids, sequential nutrient capture tanks, and chlorine disinfection. Up to 98-99% of the water can be recycled for reuse in the system and the biogas produced can be captured and used for applica Youth Employment Service Programme Bosch Rexroth Africa, leaders in hydraulics, pneumatics and automation, recently completed a successful Youth Employment Service (YES) Programme. The programme is an initiative undertaken by government and the private sector to try and reach the goal of creating one million jobs for the country’s youth. The company participated in the initiative for the second time following the success of the 2021-2022 programme. The YES programme targets youth from previously disadvantaged groups. Participants from this year’s graduating class comprised 36 people aged between 18 and 25. The class had 23 women participating, a staggering increase from the 13 that graduated previously. The participants were placed at numerous Bosch Rexroth Africa branches to acquire experience and skills in various fields including IT, administration, finance and HR. The programme includes over 12 months of workplace experiential learning. Each learner is assigned a mentor who monitors progress and gives quarterly reports. At the end of 12-month duration, the class graduates and those who excelled within the YES programme are offered permanent or limited duration contracts of employment by the Group. A graduation ceremony recognising those who completed the programme was held on 6 March 2023. It was attended by Bosch Rexroth Africa’s Chief Operating Officer, Mike Harrison and Hytec South Africa’s General Manager, Freddie Kühn. The class of 2022 had tremendous success with 24 of the 36 learners being offered permanent or limited duration contracts in positions across the Group. The remaining 12 participants have been equipped with the necessary tools and aid in furthering their

tions such as cooking and heating. This project was funded through the Water Research Commission’s (WRC) SASTEP programme, a national system of innovation (NSI) platform that fast-tracks the adoption of in novative and emerging sanitation technologies in South Africa through fostering local manufacturing and commercialisation. Mandlazi explains that the treated water, which is not suitable for human consumption, is fed back to flush the toilets, resulting in a significant reduction in water consumption by the school, which relies mainly on rain for drinking water.” The system is monitored and controlled, locally and remotely, via an interface connected to a PLC. A school staff member has been trained to maintain and operate the system with the support of WEC. Samples of the recycled water are taken for monthly analysis by an accredited laboratory to ensure that the treated water meets DWS general discharge standards. WEC will continue to operate the system with the WRC until April 2024. “NEWgenerator is an effective solution for replacing danger ous pit and chemical toilets, particularly in areas where water is scarce, Mandlazi concludes. www.wecprojects.com

job searches; they were taught how to properly compile a CV and their CVs were forwarded for various vacancies. The Bosch Rexroth Group continues to empower the youth through this initiative, with the selection process for the third cohort already underway. www.boschrexroth.africa

The YES programme’s 2022 class with Bosch Rexroth Africa’s CEO, Mike Harrison and Hytec South Africa Manager, Freddie Kühn.

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