MechChem Africa September-October 2024

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Maintenance solutions and asset management 6 Pragma’s world-class On Key EAM solution

Scott Gibson, the newly appointed CEO of Pragma, SA’s enterprise asset management specialist, sees strength in Pragma’s On Key software platform, which he says can compete with world leading competitors. 9 Specialist maintenance of conveyors pays dividends

10 Smarter fleet management for Bell Equipment Water, wastewater and pumping solutions 12 Why absolute pressure is important to abalone farming

Published bimonthly by Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd Cnr Theunis and Sovereign Streets Bedford Gardens 2007 PO Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: +27 11 622 4770 e-mail: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za www.mechchemafricamagazine.co.za Editor: Peter Middleton e-mail: peterm@crown.co.za Advertising: Elmarie Stonell e-mail: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za Design: Katlego Montsho Publisher: Karen Grant Deputy publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis Circulation: Brenda Grossmann The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editors. Transparency You Can See Average circulation Apr to Jun 2024: 10 721 Printed by: Tandym Print, Cape Town Front cover: thyssenkrupp Uhde Contact: Nithesh Mohun Tel: +27 11 236 1000 Email: nithesh.mohun@thyssenkrupp.com Website: www.uhde.co.za

UNIDO Pump expert Harry Rosen of TAS Online talks about a recent pump assessment for a group of Abalone farmers in the Western Cape of South Africa.

14 VEGA: takes the pressure out of pressure measurement 15 New 16 MLD water treatment plant for Botswana

Minerals processing and materials handling 16 A woman’s journey into extractive metallurgy

In celebration ofWomen’s Month,Wilna Hoffmann, a business development manager for Multotec, talks to MechChem Africa about her love of extractive metallurgy and her journey from being “not the best of students” to loving every subsequent moment of her working life. 19 Flexicon marks 50 years

20 CSIR SEA for green hydrogen economy 21 ENDURON ® all-bolted orbital screens Heating, ventilation and air conditioning 22 Ventilation-on-demand: why it remains elusive

Hannes Potgieter, specialist ventilation consultant at BBE, describes some of the issues impeding the widespread adoption of ventilation-on-demand in South African mines.

PowerGen, PetroChem and sustainable energy management. 24 Unleashing the potential of green hydrogen in SA

Mareli Botha, technical director at Zutari, talks about green hydrogen as a ‘beacon of hope’ for the sustainable energy transformation, particularly in South Africa. 25 Making a world of difference in energy security 26 Voith Hydro and ACTOM partner in pump turbine generator repair 27 GiGi Partners with Fuelre4m to drive sustainable energy

28 Steam turbine self-generation 29 SA’s first solar facade skyscraper Local manufacturing and food processing 30 First Battery sets standard for recyclable lead-acid batteries

First Battery leads the green energy sector with its new range of automotive lead-acid batteries, which are now 96% recyclable.This achievement showcases First Battery's strong commitment to sustainability and innovative energy solutions. 31 SKF and voestalpine to decarbonise bearing production

Hydraulics, Pneumatics and Automation 32 Air system management with service plans

Ashley Sathabridge of Atlas Copco Compressor Technique talks about the company’s suite of seven service plans, which set the benchmark for curbing operational costs and maximising uptime.

Innovative engineering 38 Advanced solutions for the water treatment industry

To more effectively and efficiently manage and control water resources, innovative technologies from SMC have been chosen for some flagship developments: a real time bio-based micropollutants detection system; and a zero-waste water recycling and reuse system for the Paris Olympics.

Regulars 2

Peter’s comment:The growth problem and doughnut economics 4 On the cover: Green fertilizer: local production for self-sufficiency: Nithesh Mohun of thyssenkrupp Uhde talks about Africa’s need for more local fertilizer plants. 34 Products and industry news 40 Back page: Deep sustainability modelled on nature’s mutualistic systems

September-October 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 1