Industry news

Metrohm announces Young Chemist Award Winners

As part of the company’s global jubilee celebrations, Metrohm made two special awards to aspiring chemists at its Young Chemist Award ceremonies in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Mphoma Matsheke (right) received this year’s Young Chemist Award

The overall winner was young Mphoma Matsheke from the University of Johannesburg, who won the first prize of R15000 for her thesis on fuel cell research while Pearl Ngobeni from the University of the Western Cape won the R10000 second prize for her research into biosensors that measure the efficiency of drugs used for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis.

Matsheke, a PhD candidate at UJ, “Research work is always full of challenges, but with a positive mindset, one is capable of overcoming them.” She believes that one of the biggest challenges faced by research students is the lack of access to characterisation techniques: “The equipment is very expensive to use and this affects one’s timelines.” The Young Chemist Award is aimed at rewarding the best of SA’s younger crop of chemists and incentivising novel research by young scientists.

New analytica Lab Africa mega fair to arrive in SA in 2019

International exhibition organiser Messe München’s South African division has acquired Lab Africa, the country’s only laboratory and analysis trade fair, and is set to deliver a bigger exhibition with broader reach in 2019. The new analytica LabAfrica trade fair, to be staged at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from 9 to 11 July 2019, will bring to Africa the best of LabAfrica and the international analytica trade fair series, as well as co-locations with food & drink technology Africa (fdt Africa), the premier trade fair for processing, filling, packaging and logistics, as well as IFAT Africa, the leading environmental technology show for the water, sewage, refuse and recycling industries.

This co-location will allow decision-makers across the food and drink, chemical, pharmaceutical, medical, agriculture, water and waste as well as academics value chains fields to explore the latest laboratory equipment and analysis solutions. Up to 6000 visitors are expected to explore trends and innovations in the field of laboratory and analysis, environmental technology sector, beverage and food industries.

The new analytica Lab Africa trade fair will be held at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from 9 to 11 July 2019

Verder no. 1 in the top-100 Dutch manufacturing industry

Lab equipment specialists Verder are the number one brand in theDutch Top 100 Made in Netherlands manufacturing industry report.The ranking, published annually by Dutch magazine Management Team, listing the100 most successful Dutch manufacturing companies with a turnover of less than500 million Euros. Manufacturers that are financially stable achieve healthy growth and produce innovative products are chosen for the list.

Verder was selected based on their turnover, average revenue growth, profit growth and return on investment to shareholders during the past five years. Started as a trading company in 1959, Verder’s product range has grown considerably during the last decade. In addition to expanding the product line’s pumps and laboratory equipment range, Verder also acquired companies such as Retsch, Carbolite Gero, and Qness. In 2014, the company’s liquids division acquired Italian firm Microdos and in 2015 acquired pumps manufacturers Ponndorf and Packo.

Andries Verder, CEO of the Verder Group, said: "The lines between manufacturer and distributor are being Verder Group CEO shortened. These changes require a complete revision of organisational structures as we have known them up to now. It also offers great opportunities for internationally organised companies.”

Verder Group CEO Andries Verder

Verder also indicated that technology and the fourth industrial revolution will play a very important role in this change process. “We see a clear trend where customers are better informed and look for suppliers that are objective in their selection of technologies. Our mission therefore is to have all possible know-how in niche market technologies in the field of manufacturing, in order to offer customers real solutions.”

“We are incredibly proud of this achievement, and to represent this innovative multinational organisation in Africa” said Darryl Macdougall, managing director of Verder Pumps South Africa. “This accolade is a testament to the quality and performance assurance of not only our industrial pump solutions, but our services as a completely integrated offering.”

Buchi workshop takes the worry out of quality control

Attendees were in for a treat on 2 October when a Swiss team from Buchi visited the Labotec offices in Midrand to present a quality control workshop.

The workshop focused on quality control in the lab and featured a wealth of information relevant to the food, agricultural and pharmacological laboratory industries. Quality control and verification processes in the lab are extremely important.

Even slight variations in process can have significant knock-on effects so it is vital to ensure that controls are in place.

The two presenters from Buchi, Nicholai Kraut and Agnes Kolb, introduced the major concepts of quality control and walked attendees through the process, focusing on the importance of precise measurement at exact moments and highlighting the need for reproducibility of results. Not only does accurate quality control result in top-shelf products, it also saves significant amounts of money, justifying the cost of the equipment needed.

A central component of many quality control processes is the Kjeldahl method for determining a substance’s nitrogen content. Buchi’s first presentation focused on ways to simplify this process, paying close attention the amount of tablets one uses and colour-coding samples to speedup the process. The team explained how to use the industry standard KjelMaster K-375 titrator, available exclusively from Labotec, in conjunction with the Kjel Optimiser App to get optimal results.

Clover’s Eugene de Goede and Gideon Jack with Labotec’s Luane van der Merwe.

After a look at some common extraction methods (including food, fat and solid liquid extraction) Buchi’s Agnes Kolb walked attendees through the advantages of near infrared(NIR) spectroscopy, which allows for fast, non-contact, non-destructive measurements with remarkable accuracy. Using NIR spectroscopy, it is possible to quantify samples in as little as 16seconds, cutting down on time spent doing quality control and providing a massive return on investment over time.

After a coffee break, a hands-on session followed demonstrating the practical application using a variety of lab instruments. Lots of questions were answered and the feeling among attendees was positive, with many indicating that they had learned something useful on the day.

CSIR and SANSA support industrial development in space science

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the SouthAfrican National SpaceAgency (SANSA) will continue to work together in fostering research and supporting industrial development in space sciences and technologies.

Today, 16 October 2018, the two organisations renewed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU), which will see greater support in strengthening the implementation of the space strategies of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the African Union (AU). The first MoU between the CSIR and SANSA was signed in November of 2013.

The renewed agreement was signed in Pretoria by the CSIR CEO, Dr Thulani Dlamini and SANSA CEO, Dr Valanathan Munsami. Together, the organisations aim to maintain and grow South Africa’s rich tradition in space science, dating back to the 1950s, which has positioned the country as an active participant in the global space arena and with unique space infrastructure.

According to the two organisations, the signing of the memorandum is expected to optimise South Africa’s investment in research and development within the space industry and maximise existing benefits of space services and applications for the benefit of society.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Dlamini hailed the partnership as a significant step towards improving research and to develop new industries in the space sciences and technology areas.“This partnership will enable us to draw on each other’s research capabilities and infrastructure in order to develop new industries which will positively impact our economy and help us realise our mandate of improving the quality of life of SouthAfricans through science and technology,” said Dr Dlamini.

Dr Munsami said the MoU cemented the existing relationship between the two entities of the DST for the greater benefit to South African citizens in the areas of space science collaboration. He elaborated further, “Space science and technology is integrated into our daily lives and by contributing to industry support in this area, we will impact the future of a rapidly growing industry segment as well as bring immense value to all citizens utilising the technologies associated with space.”

From left to right: CSIR CEO, Dr Thulani Dlamini and SANSA CEO, Dr Valanathan Munsami.

AI robot detects human emotions at the CTICC

Organising committee members of the BIOMIN World Nutrition Forum 2018 with Miss Pepper, the humanoid robot.

Photo credit: CTICC

In a first for conferencing at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), the centre hosted Miss Pepper, a humanoid robot capable of detecting human emotions during the BIOMIN World Nutrition Forum 2018.

Developed by SoftBank Robotics, Miss Pepper, who is capable of interacting with humans and more excitingly can adapt her interaction according to a human’s emotions, was unveiled during the three-day international conference. According to SoftBank Robotics, the Pepper robot is the ‘first humanoid robot capable of recognising the principal human emotions and adapting her behaviour to the mood of her interlocutor’.

Miss Pepper is capable of recognising faces, speech, and can hear; she can also identify when someone is experiencing joy, sadness, is surprised and filled with anger. Besides recognising these emotions, Miss Pepper can also detect tone of voice, smiles, and frowns.

“At the CTICC, we are committed to facilitating the introduction of emerging technologies such as ‘Miss Pepper’ to delegates and visitors. The developments we are seeing in artificial intelligence speak directly to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on both our professional and personal lives,” said Julie-May Ellingson, CEO, the CTICC.

CSIR student researcher reaches for the stars

Keolebogile (Lebo) Sebogodi is one of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers who are making inroads into the challenge of creating value from industrial waste, specifically Kraft pulp mills. She is a resilient final-year PhD student whois dead set on making a difference, despite the challenges she has had to overcome.

The CSIR’s Keolebogile Sebogodi is researching ways to use green liquor dregs in the treatment of acid mine drainage.

When Sebogodi, 31 who hails from Lobatla Village in the North-West, commenced her studies in BSc in biology and chemistry at the North-West University in 2005, she had to overcome hurdles similar to those that many young first-year students face every year. After completing her Master’s degree in 2013, she felt the need to change her environment and started looking for new opportunities. Her search landed her at the CSIR Biorefinery Industry Development Facility (BIDF) in Durban.

The BIDF supports innovation in a range of industries, including forestry, agro-processing and other biomass-based industries. Funded by the Department of Science and Technology, the facility has developed a novel process to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) directly from wood sawdust, without the need for the conventional pulping and bleaching processes that are currently used to isolate CNC from wood.

Her biggest research goal at the BIDF is to explore the use of green liquor dregs (GLD) in the treatment of acid mine drainage(AMD). This GLD has been reported to be the major inorganic Kraft pulp mill waste and is, unfortunately, being disposed of in landfills.

On the other hand, AMD is a low pH,metal and sulphate rich leachate that isproduced upon the oxidation of sulphidebearing minerals – found mainly in gold andcoal mines in the gold and coal field. Thisleachate has been reported to be the mostprevalent source of water contamination.Traditionally, AMD is treated with limestoneand /or its derivatives.

Labotec hosts annual potjie competition

Labotec held their annual company potjie competition in September to welcome spring, life, good food and build team camaraderie among the various departments at their Midrand headquarters. The weather looked good at 28°C and was bright and sunny at midday when the judging began, which emulated the mood of the participants. Everyone played their part as the Paradoxical Gangsters from Paradise (dispatch team), Shady Moonshine Runners (sales team), Big Chief Crouching Tiger (business admin division), the LTS Cowboys (technicians) andAmerican Mustangs (Batswadi) took up the challenge to produce the best-tasting potjie. In the end, the Moonshine Runners took first place in a closely contested competition.