WASTE MANAGEMENT Promoting recycling and best practice
BITUMEN & ASPHALT
Legislative issues regarding static and temporary asphalt plants
SPATIAL PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
The reality of spatial growth in municipalities
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EDITOR Alastair Currie
Email: alastair@infraprojects.co.za
DESIGNER Beren Bauermeister
CONTRIBUTORS Nishandra Baijnath, Paul Bothma, Robert Erasmus, Mark Freeman, Burgert Gildenhuys, Karan Mandalia, Chetan Mistry, Sibusiso Mjwara, Brandon Naidoo, Bryan Perrie
All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.
The SDGs unites everyone in a common cause
The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 – the same year World War II ended – with some 193 countries currently listed as member states. Peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance, and solidarity are core mandates, plus there’s an undeniable and unified call to arms to combat not just climate change, but social inequality and freedom in terms of the universally adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). No one wins if the world doesn’t strive to reach net zero by 2050.
That’s a view shared by BRICS, a collective body of nations that comprise Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – all different in terms of culture, language, and politics – but unified in terms of common developing market agendas driven by infrastructure as the enabling socio-economic catalyst. Sector focus areas include agriculture, energy, the green economy, and information and communications technology – financed collectively by BRICS members via their New Development Bank (NDB), headquartered in Shanghai. For 2023 and 2024, the NDB has a pipeline of 76 projects valued in total at around US$18,2 billion.
XV BRICS Summit
Infrastructure development and unified prosperity were central themes at the XV BRICS Summit, held between 22nd and 24th August in Johannesburg, with South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, officiating as the 2023 BRICS Chair.
The event also served as a platform for the official expansion of BRICS. This follows the announcement that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have all been approved to join from January 2024. That’s a significant development, especially given that Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are major oil producers.
All original BRICS countries form part of the G20, as currently do Argentina and Saudi Arabia. Collectively, the G20 accounts for some 85% of global Gross Domestic Product, with China, the USA and Germany ranking in first, second and third place respectively in terms goods and services exports.
Collaboration on priority areas
Speaking as the Chair at the closeout to the XV BRICS Summit, President Ramaphosa stated, “We shared our vision of BRICS as a champion of the needs and concerns of the peoples of the Global South. These include the need for beneficial economic growth, sustainable development, and reform of multilateral systems.”
He also stated that, “We reiterate our commitment to inclusive multilateralism and upholding international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.”
That statement is especially important, because for the UN community as a whole BRICS’s most valuable contribution is as a committed SDG partner, while it pursues its country member objectives of empowering and enabling through infrastructure.
Handshakes are great, signed agreements excellent, but implementation is always best, and South Africa needs the full support of both the broader G20 and BRICS’s NDB to close the gap on pressing social priorities, facilitate its Just Energy Transition, and boost local content and trade.
Recent NDB projects approved for South Africa include a R3,2 billion loan agreement signed in August with the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) for the implementation of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. In addition to the NDB, the deal is being co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), plus other financiers.
Doing good
The power of positive cooperation is the only way forward, and the hope is that South Africa’s 2024 General Election will help to further align government and business in the common quest to build a healthy economy that puts the people first.
GOLF DAY
DATE: 24 October 2023
VENUE: Humewood Golf Course
TIME: Starts at 10h30
Contact Debbie Anderson if you want to get involved as an IMESA Golf Day Sponsor?
COST: R600pp (excluding Golf Cart & Caddy)
COMPANION PROGRAMME
2½ Days O -site Ladies Programme @ R1,600pp
DAY 1: Township Tour (The tour covers a visit to 4 community upliftment projects and a number of historical & cultural sites. Lunch included)
DAY 2: Theescombe Wine Estate (Enjoy a walk through the vineyard and a talk on wine making with a tutored tasting of 4 wines. Lunch included)
DAY 3: Painting with Grapes (A 3-hour painting class with all equipment provided. Your artwork goes home with you. Light snack provided)
IMESA was founded in 1961, but our origins go back a lot further – through various evolutions – which is why we will be celebrating our 86th Annual Conference in 2023, this year held in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) between 25th and 27th October at the Boardwalk International Convention Centre.
IMESA IS A KEY CATALYST FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL ASPECTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY
The conference programme runs over two and a half days – with the option of selecting one of various technical tours, namely the Coegakop Water Treatment Works, NMU Science Centre (Planetarium), or SA Breweries. ECSA registered delegates can earn up to 2,5 CPD points for full attendance. We’ve had excellent delegate registration to date and urge those who haven’t yet signed up for the conference to do so as soon as possible.
An event highlight includes the 2023 IMESA/CESA Excellence Awards, which showcase innovation and execution in three categories, namely Engineering Excellence in Structures and Civils; Community Upliftment and Job Creation; and Environment and Climate Change.
It’s a networking session that cannot be missed, with our legendary social evening – hosted on Thursday 26th October –taking place at the Tramways venue, a historic transportation node in the city that started out with horse-drawn carriage services in 1881 and then shifted to
electric trams from 1897 before closing in 1948. Now it’s an exceptional event venue that reminds us that green power has always been one of the options available –albeit coal-fired power in terms of the grid at the time. For the full programme, visit www.imesa.org.za.
IMESA acquires IMIESA
In another historic milestone, the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) has purchased the full rights for our longstanding magazine – IMIESA – founded in 1975 by a contractual agreement between the Institute and Shorten Publications, and subsequently Novus Print T/A 3S Media. The first IMIESA magazine rolled off the press in 1976 and has been the benchmark in its field ever since.
IMIESA will now trade as part of IMESA (Pty) Limited as the official business-to-business communication platform for the Institute and its stakeholders in industry. As IMESA, we will take IMIESA to new heights as the definitive magazine in all areas related to infrastructure in South Africa, and Africa.
Industry engagement and collaboration is essential
As built environment professionals, we all want the same thing, namely a flourishing construction industry with full private and public sector investor participation. Post the boom years of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the industry has become progressively leaner, but the infrastructure priorities have become even greater.
Lead-shedding hasn’t helped, as has a steady decline in engineering capacity –particularly in the local government arena –which has impacted the effectiveness of public
and private collaboration on infrastructure service delivery. Not a new topic for readers, but one that we all identify as a crucial area that must be addressed urgently. That’s where IMESA has and will always add value.
Cooperation is key. A prime example is my attendance at a recent event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). Forming part of the Department of Cooperative Governance, one of MISA’s core mandates is to render technical advice and support to municipalities.
For IMESA that extends to include professional mentorship, training and development for our members – which include MISA personnel – to effect meaningful career progression and skills transfer. The objective is to recapacitate and grow municipal engineering excellence and IMESA is ready to assist MISA and allied institutions in this universal quest.
The opportunity to make a difference
Exchanging knowledge and experiences is so important – as is learning from global best practice examples – which is why IMESA became a member of the International Federation of Municipal Engineering in 1974.
As the current IMESA president, I represent South Africa and as we speak, I’m attending an IFME board meeting in San Diego California that coincides with a city Public Works Expo held between 27th and 30th August 2023. All IFME members share common objectives and recognise the fact that the fallout from the Covid-19 era is still being felt worldwide, making the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals more challenging. That’s why there’s never been a more crucial time to pool expertise and gain meaningful traction on the infrastructure hurdles that impede socioeconomic gains.
“Nothing will ever be the same again for our business,” said AECI Much Asphalt managing director Bennie Greyling in a message to stakeholders in 2022.
There is a stronger focus on environmental, social, and corporate governance. The continuous and ever-quickening development of technology is another factor, coupled with rapid acceleration of the period from a first idea to implementing a solution.
“AECI Much Asphalt must understand and adapt to the new landscape. As with all challenges in life and in business, our responses to this changing environment will set us apart.”
AECI Much Asphalt’s commitment to sustainability goes back a long way. Today the company is reaping the benefits of this culture through health and safety accolades, manufacturing plants that are increasingly sensitive to the environment, products that are proven through comprehensive quality control, and innovations that strive to remove nonrenewable resources from asphalt production.
Asphalt plants
Infrastructure development is at last starting to gather some momentum following the pandemic shutdown. Herman Marais, technical and plant director at AECI Much Asphalt, says the Benoni plant is close to completion of a major project on the N3 Freeway for N3TC and about to start another SANRAL project on the N12 near Delmas. “Several SANRAL contracts are currently out to tender, which will hopefully put an end to the four-year long drought in major projects.”
No matter the state of the industry, quality asphalt supply can only be promised if the
manufacturing plants are up to speed. The Astec Double Barrel® RAP asphalt plant with dual drum configuration, commissioned in 2010 at AECI Much Asphalt’s flagship Benoni facility, was therefore upgraded in 2021 to improve production and cost efficiencies.
This plant has a production capacity of 300 tonnes per hour, but its outstanding feature is the consistent quality of asphalt it produces, according to Brian Neville, technical plant specialist at AECI Much Asphalt. “The upgrade by Astec included a new control system to secure the systems and data during unforeseen electrical events, as well as a loadout system for inventory and production data logging.
“The data generated enables us to analyse the materials flow and input into the asphalt making process, simplifying identification of problems and allowing for adjustments to be made before mix quality can be affected.”
Neville adds that the accuracy of the production data logged means differences between production and asphalt sold can be easily reconciled right back to the individual input materials.
Live data
An operating system software upgrade, also completed in 2021, enables AECI Much Asphalt to identify and standardize best practice across its manufacturing facilities. Live plant reports can now be generated to confirm the integrity of the asphalt and evaluate consistency across
AECI Much Asphalt’s flagship plant in Benoni, Gauteng
Trial placement of asphalt containing waste glass as a partial aggregate at Strand Golf Course in the Western Cape
all 17 plants. Data from the plants, as well as weighbridges and laboratories, is produced and interpreted on the same platform to link all aspects of the production process from design through to distribution.
“The system offers the unique capability to access live data including the recipe use, rate of production, bitumen and fuel level readings, cold feed outputs and more, enabling our managers to make immediate, informed decisions,” says Colin Brooks, group plant technical manager.
Quality control
Herman Marais stresses that AECI Much Asphalt’s focus on supplying quality products to customers is key. “We cannot afford to have product problems in the current competitive, low volume market, so we must always be a step ahead.
“For example, we have increased our testing capacity to keep up with the new Sabita Manual 35 asphalt design methods required on all new major contracts. This includes increased fatigue testing capacity at our Gauteng Regional Laboratory, as well as Hamburg wheel-tracking testing at our facility in KwaZulu-Natal.”
AECI Much Asphalt is also investigating quality control performance testing methods such as the semi-circular beam test / IDEAL-CT to assist industry in implementing the new asphalt design methods on site. “Our research will determine whether this method can be implemented nationally as a fatigue quality control measure.”
Joanne Muller, regional technical manager for Gauteng, elaborates that both the Cape Town and Gauteng laboratories also offer full performance grading (PG) capability on binders produced by AECI Much Asphalt subsidiary AECI Spraypave.
To operate optimally and offer industry the best quality control possible, AECI Much Asphalt provides testing capabilities that surpass current industry requirements on aspects such as moisture induced sensitivity testing as well as bond strength testing, to name a few.
“Global technology is always changing and improving, and our technical team continuously assesses how we can look at things differently to make the puzzle pieces fit,” says Muller.
SANAS accreditation
In 2022 Cenlab become the first fully South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)
accredited bitumen (PG grade) and asphalt laboratory (specialised testing) in the country. “We now have accreditation for not only our systems, staff, equipment maintenance, calibrations and verifications, but also all the latest aggregate, binder and asphalt test methods,” says Firyaal Moos, Cenlab manager.
The SANAS accreditation was instrumental in securing AECI Much Asphalt the testing work for a major research project funded by SANRAL.
Safety
Laboratories fine-tune quality, but people on the ground must achieve optimum productivity without compromising safety. In a nod to the group’s Zero Harm policy, the Bloemfontein plant has just been named winner of the Manufacturers category in the National Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) 2023 Health and Safety Competition.
While this was a first for the Bloemfontein operation, winning the MBSA competition is not new to AECI Much Asphalt. The Coedmore plant in KwaZulu-Natal won in 2019 and 2022. In 2021 the Gqeberha plant lifted the national trophy for the third time following previous wins in 2015 and 2017.
Innovation
Innovation that leads to sustainable progress depends on the capacity and will of talented people to step forward. AECI Much Asphalt is no stranger to this and various initiatives in the past five years point to a different and exciting future for asphalt and bitumen.
When bitumen shortages resulted from refineries closing and expensive importation became a reality for South African asphalt
manufacturers, AECI Spraypave was already up-and-running with a solution. In 2015 the company acquired a multistage bitumen converter from Technix Industries in New Zealand, the second to be commissioned worldwide. The technology enables AECI SprayPave to achieve predictable and repeatable conversion of penetration grade bitumen to grades that are both lower in penetration and higher in softening point than the feedstock bitumen.
This capability enables AECI Much Asphalt to import one grade of bitumen very economically,
Asphalt paving trial on Upington Airport runway using ground tyre rubber in the binder
Sample preparation at Cenlab, the first fully accredited bitumen and asphalt laboratory in South Africa
Asphalt core with waste glass used as a partial aggregate
and locally convert the feedstock into various grades required for conventional asphalt mixes and base binders suitable for manufacture of modified binder grades. This capability extends to the manufacture of the speciality binder for high modulus asphalt (EME). 10/20 Bitumen that is not available locally is manufactured by converting a specific grade of imported binder to deliver a fit-for-purpose binder.
In recent years AECI Much Asphalt and AECI SprayPave have also locally pioneered several innovative alternatives to the use of both conventional bitumen produced from crude oil and aggregates from non-renewable sources to produce asphalt.
Tyres
In 2020, for example, AECI Spraypave commissioned a new mobile blending unit capable of producing bitumen at a rate of 25 t/hour incorporating 20% rubber crumbs sourced from waste tyres.
SprayPave’s Extended Bitumen Rubber (EBR) blends are produced using revolutionary
technology that combines the rubber crumbs and other additives to give the bitumen longer shelf life and build moisture resistant and maintenance free roads.
The use of recycled ground tyre rubber (GTR) in asphalt mixtures aids pavement longevity, reduces noise pollution on the road, and results in fewer tyres going to landfills.
Low carbon bitumen
In 2021 AECI Much Asphalt partnered with USA-based Origin Materials, the world’s leading carbon negative materials company, to create a novel low-carbon bitumen. At the heart of the programme lies Origin Materials’ patented technology platform, which turns inexpensive, sustainable wood residues into cost-advantaged, carbon-negative materials that reduce the need for fossil resources.
“The carbon footprint of bitumen is high, so turning Origin Materials’ carbon neutral feedstock into an alternative asphalt binder makes huge environmental sense,” says Herman Marais.
Bio-bitumen
AECI Much Asphalt also recently began testing Instant Bio-Bitumen, a carbonnegative alternative to conventional bitumen that combines asphaltenes extracted from naturally occurring hydrocarbon resins with a maltene component derived from waste cashew nut shells.
The bio-bitumen dramatically reduces the SHEQ risks associated with traditional bitumen
derived from crude oil, reduces total CO2 emissions in asphalt production, and provides a convenient solution for asphalt production in remote locations.
Waste glass
While AECI Much Asphalt has produced new asphalt containing high volumes of recycled asphalt for many years, there are other options that can help avoid the use of nonrenewable aggregates such as sand, gravel and crushed stone which make up about 95% of an asphalt mix by mass.
In partnership with the CSIR, the company is conducting trials on the use of waste glass as a partial aggregate replacement in hot mix asphalt. The venture includes Interwaste, an integrated waste management provider, in investigating alternative recycling streams for glass waste destined for landfills.
Together with the CSIR, AECI Much Asphalt is also actively tackling the significant problem of waste plastics. Two trials done to date have focused on the proportion of non-recycled and non-recyclable waste plastic that can potentially be used as an aggregate and binder modifier in asphalt.
Slag aggregates
Some AECI Much Asphalt production facilities are actively leveraging other aggregate streams to reduce the use of virgin aggregates. One example is the plant in eMalahleni (Witbank) where several asphalt products are manufactured using recycled slag aggregates.
Slag aggregate replaces about 40 000 tonnes of virgin aggregate annually at this plant.
AECI Spraypave’s mobile blending unit can produce bitumen at a rate of 25 tonnes per hour incorporating rubber crumbs sourced from waste tyres
Ultra-thin friction course using bitumen rubber and applied as warm mix asphalt in Plettenburg Bay
Cenlab team members involved in the SANAS accreditation ‘extension of scope’ at AECI Much Asphalt’s Eerste River facility in Cape Town, (from left): Jonathan September, Siya Sidinile, Firyaal Moos, David de Wet and Craig Cupido
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THE REALITY OF SPATIAL GROWTH IN MUNICIPALITIES
Prof Ben Roux, a professor in Public Administration at UNISA in the late 1970s, coined the phrase “administration by conjecture,” which implies that generally held opinions or conclusions formed based on incomplete information drive decision-making.
By Burgert Gildenhuys*
Given our ability, or rather an inability, to understand growth and development based on empirical evidence, “administration by conjecture” undoubtedly became the cornerstone of governance and developing support strategies for South Africa. The assumed truism is that South Africa is in a phase of rapid urbanisation, and therefore, urbanisation is fundamental to growth and development. The government's policy and support emphasis is on our core urban areas,
and one assumes, by default, that they are the focus of urbanisation. However, newly detailed data released by the European Commission (https://ghsl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/download. php?ds=land) show how built-up surfaces change, and when analysing the data, different patterns become evident.
When comparing the data for 2015 and 2020 and using the change in building surfaces as
an indicator for development and, therefore, a proxy for urbanisation, some critical differences are apparent. The map below shows how municipalities, grouped in ten cohorts, rank in terms of the changes in building surface area between 2015 and 2020.
Generally, the low expansion of building surfaces in the Karoo, Namaqualand and Southern Free State municipalities is not
Burgert Gildenhuys, director, Spatial Data Services Africa
unexpected. However, some interesting patterns emerge when the top twenty growth municipalities are unpacked, as shown in Table 1.
Key findings
The following are evident:
• The City of Tshwane is experiencing the biggest growth pressure of all municipalities in the country, and a deep rural municipality such as Fetakgomo Tubatse (LIM476) physically grew more than any metropolitan municipality, except for Tshwane.
• Three metropolitan municipalities, namely Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Mangaung, fall outside the top 20.
• There is much emphasis on support for the so-called “intermediate cities.” However, only seven out of the 39 intermediate cities, that is 17.5%, feature in the top 20 municipalities in terms of the expansion of building surfaces and hence growth pressure. Even if the list is expanded to 40, only 10 of the 39 intermediate cities are on the list.
• The data shows that mining is an impetus for a high level of expansion of building surfaces and hence “urbanisation.”
• Cape Town, number two on the list, is the only Western Cape municipality under the top 20. Notwithstanding the general perception that areas such as George are high growth areas, it seems a different dynamic prevails than in the other municipalities in South Africa. If the list is expanded to the top 40, Cape Town is still the only one in the Western Cape on the list. The fact that Cape Town appears on the list together with deep rural municipalities may indicate how difficult it is to contain informal settlements and shows that it is much easier to apply policy instruments such as "urban edges" in the other Western Cape municipalities.
• The most significant aspect, however, is the growth pressure in most rural municipalities in South Africa. 45% of the municipalities on the list are the so-called "B4" municipalities. These are municipalities without an urban core, dispersed rural settlements, and they are not responsible for managing their own water and sanitation services. If the list is expanded to the top 40, the B1 municipalities remain unchanged (four out of a total of 19), one B2 municipality (three out of 26) is
The government’s policy and support emphasis is on our core urban areas, and one assumes, by default, that they are the focus of urbanisation.”
added, and three B3 municipalities (three out of 99) now appear on the list. However, the B4 municipalities increase from nine in the top 20 to 22 in the top 40. That is 22 out of a total of 61 municipalities in this category.
The importance of interrogating the data
Numbers are essential to understand the extent of challenges, trends and processes. However, the data illustrates why it is essential to continuously ask questions and compare and interrogate available data. By relying on outdated census data, mid-year population estimates based on old census data may perpetuate perception and policy responses that may be outdated and irrelevant or even counterproductive to current developments. Unfortunately, it seems that nobody in the government is pursuing these lines of assessment or has the appetite to do so. Therefore, “administration by conjecture” will remain and may lead to seriously misguided policy and support strategies for local government in South Africa. For this reason, Spatial Data Services Africa NPC's mission is to provide the technology, transform data, and build skills to respond to those challenges specific to your municipality.
CHRIS HANI SPORTS COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT REACHES FIRST MILESTONE
The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has completed the site establishment for the highly anticipated Chris Hani Sports Complex, designed to provide the residents of the Stretford District Node in Orange Farm Extension 4, Gauteng, with a world-class facility.
Forming part of the Orange Farm Turnkey Programme, the JDA is implementing the project on behalf of the city’s Community Development Department.
The project objectives entail:
• Intensifying the complex with sports related facilities
• Promoting the development of sports excellence in youth
• Promoting better integration between the sports complex and surrounding precinct
• Improving the legibility of the complex by providing defined links, clear gateway and entrance points, plus
• The design will also consider sustainability, energy generation and water harvesting from the individual buildings.
A hub for sporting excellence
On completion, this landmark facility will serve as a platform for the community, a hub of sporting excellence and an inspiration to the next generation of aspiring athletes. Key features include a multipurpose hall, an athletics and soccer stadium, and an aquatics centre.
As part of the project, the JDA will also be undertaking public environment upgrades along Moyane Drive and 16th Street, which will see the introduction of safe pedestrian crossings, paved sidewalks, street furniture, bins, benches, lights, and trader stalls, as well as soft landscaping.
“The construction of the Chris Hani Sports Complex will be in three phases,
and we, as the JDA, are thrilled to have reached this significant milestone of the first phase of this facility,” says JDA Acting CEO, Siyabonga Genu.
“Once completed, this project will serve as another example of how the JDA emphasises the development of resilient, sustainable and liveable urban areas in identified transit nodes and corridors,” adds Genu.
Stretford District Node is the most vibrant node in the area and feeds to anchors such as the Eyethu Mall and Stretford Station. The node was identified in the city’s policy documents, the Nodal Review 2020, conforming its prime location for this value enhancing initiative.
HELPING SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSES MANAGE WASTE EFFECTIVELY
The increasing commitment of companies to achieve Zero Waste to Landfill goals has created a greater need for alternative landfill solutions. However, implementing this can be challenging and costly without sacrificing environmental compliance.
EnviroServ Waste Management offers an integrated approach to on-site waste management with the goal of diverting waste from landfill and promoting a circular economy through their On-Site Waste Management division. Waste is an unavoidable by-product of doing business, and EnviroServ delivers waste management solutions that reduce your
cost, operational time and complexity, while protecting the environment.
EnviroServ is the country’s largest waste management company and has operated since 1979, headquartered in Gauteng, with depots around the country.
A BBBEE Level 1 entity, EnviroServ offers costeffective solutions to complex hazardous and non-hazardous waste and chemical pollution
problems, providing peace of mind around legal compliance, safe handling, transportation and treatment. Services include waste recycling and on-site management, minimising waste to landfill, technical waste management supply, contaminated land and legacy stockpile management, hazardous waste services, waste collection, treatment and disposal services and landfill management.
EnviroServ’s on-site team at work sorting recyclable waste
After more than four decades in business, EnviroServ remains a waste pioneer because the drive to look for better ways of doing things is deeply embedded in the company culture.
A successful partnership
“Having an integrated waste management plan together with on-site waste management services means that businesses can reduce their waste management cost while reducing their footprint by implementing waste reduction initiatives, better recycling and waste beneficiation,” explains Yolandi Kruger, EnviroServ National Commercial Manager, On-Site.
Compliance is key
The On-Site Waste Management standards developed by EnviroServ provide a comprehensive framework for businesses to effectively manage their waste at the source. This includes transforming the waste area layout to promote sorting and separation of waste, setting up a structured and best practice approach to waste organisation and layout, and installing signage and sorting equipment in compliance with ISO/SHEQ standards.
EnviroServ’s on-site staff are trained to handle hazardous waste safely, which is separated, securely labelled, transported, treated, and disposed of in compliance with legislated requirements
transported, treated, and disposed of in compliance with legislated requirements,” Kruger continues.
compliance and best environmental practices, with the goal of helping our customers achieve Zero Waste to Landfill. Through waste sorting, waste statistics recording, and tailored solutions for different waste types, this standard enables businesses to effectively manage their waste from cradle to grave, promoting sustainability and responsible waste management practices.”
After more than four decades in business, EnviroServ remains a waste pioneer because the drive to look for better ways of doing things is deeply embedded in the company culture. In addition, by being the first –and for long periods – the only company to tackle complex waste management issues in South Africa, EnviroServ understands that sustainable waste management evolves with society’s needs, habits, and awareness of health and environmental prosperity. The company has evolved to deal with new lifestyles and technologies, which lead to new and increased waste streams, as well as changes in legislation.
Be part of the circular economy
EnviroServ adheres strictly to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 and provides fully trained on-site waste handlers wearing personal protective equipment who are responsible for collecting, separating, and sorting waste to extract recyclable materials.
“This is a highly skilled process that requires expertise in identifying and segregating different types of recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, metal, and plastics. These materials are then micro-sorted into over 20 grades, including PET, HDPE, PVC, in various forms and colours, including rigid, film, bottle, flexible, clear, print, and colour,” says Kruger. “The sorted recyclable grades are then sold directly to the end user, mill or plant, increasing the rebate and promoting circular economy practices.”
Accurate record keeping
EnviroServ also sources and vets recyclers, manages and records all collections, and files, scans, and captures all documentation against the client’s web profile. “Our on-site staff are trained to handle hazardous waste safely, which is separated, securely labelled,
All safe disposal certificates and weighbridge slips are captured, including recycling volumes, and source documents and transactions are loaded into the system where they can be viewed at any time.
“Our On-site Waste Management is a comprehensive framework designed to ensure
As environmental challenges become more urgent, EnviroServ is committed to acting and leading the way towards a more sustainable future for generations to come. “Let us help your business become a centre of sustainability by delivering a waste management solution that works for you,” Kruger concludes.
On-site waste management services provide a comprehensive framework for businesses to effectively manage their waste at the source
Recycling sector hit hard by power outages
With load shedding stages four to six becoming the new norm, industries are finding alternative power sources to keep production lines going and businesses operating, a case in point being the plastics recycling sector.
To support the recycling sector in mitigating the impacts of load shedding, Polyco is funding alternative energy solutions to supply selected recyclers with solar PV installations and diesel generators
According to Polyco and SAPRO (the South African Plastics Recycling Organisation), each stage of loadshedding has a significant impact on the production of recyclate. During stage one, production can be reduced by up to 10%; during stage two, by up to 20%; and by stage six production can drop by 60%.
“Working with all our partners in the plastics recycling value chain, we have noticed that the production of recyclate has reduced significantly over the past few months,” says Patricia Pillay, CEO at Polyco.
“Therefore, to support the recycling sector in mitigating the impacts of loadshedding, we are funding alternative energy solutions to supply selected recyclers with solar PV installations and diesel generators. This will help keep equipment running and keep them afloat as they try to maintain their previous volumes.”
Feeling the pinch
Waste collectors and buy-back centres rely on baling machines to compress recyclable materials to assist with maximising logistics operations. With no power, this equipment cannot be used, and this causes buyback centres to run out of storage space because their collected materials cannot be compressed into smaller bales. If buy-back centres are not taking stock due to storage space shortages, collectors can’t sell to them. This reduces the collection of new recyclable material.
Overall, recyclers have been the most affected by loadshedding because of their extrusion equipment, which demands an uninterrupted power supply. These machines, which take approximately two and a half hours to heat up before they can be used, process recyclable plastics into small pellets that are then sold on to plastic product manufacturing companies.
“Loadshedding has significantly hindered any room for growth for plastics recyclers.
Many recycling businesses are currently operating in survival mode, finding ways to absorb the additional costs of diesel for the generators that keep their extruders and other necessary machinery running,” adds Adriaan van Wyk, Head of Projects at Polyco.
“Our recyclers play a massive role in our economy and towards protecting the environment. Recycling plastic diverts this waste stream from landfill, which as a result safeguards the surrounding groundwater resources from pollution and prevents emissions from degrading waste volumes.”
“Just as important as the environmental benefits, recycling plastic creates jobs across the entire recycling value chain, from waste pickers and collectors to buy-back centres, recyclers and producers,” van Wyk continues.
Alternative power energy grants
“We have two Level 1 BBEEE partners who have received the alternative energy grant so far. Having a solar PV and generator combination allows these recyclers to avoid downtime and having to frequently wash equipment in between production cycles.
Over the next year, we are hoping to support more businesses with the grant, and we welcome collectors and recyclers to get in touch so we can see if we are able to assist,” van Wyk concludes.
Polyco offers several investment solutions to assist recyclers and collectors in South Africa. These solutions would either be in the form of a loan or grant, with focus being on growing plastics recycling and collection capacity within the country.
Turkish refuse compactors assembled in SA
Built to deliver, the Orakci refuse compactor provides a solid offering for the municipal waste market from leading Turkish OEM, Orakci Machine. The latter design and manufacture truck-mounted waste collection and special service equipment for the global market, which includes the ORV 300 and 400 Series distributed locally by 600SA.
In South Africa, Orakci refuse compactors are assembled at 600SA’s plant in Johannesburg to meet local chassis standards and road conditions, with the Orakci tailgate imported in kit form. Locally produced parts are prioritised and used where appropriate in the assembly process, which takes around two weeks to build a fully competed unit.
“We have a phenomenal team of dedicated technicians tasked with assembling the compactors, maintaining them, and training customers,” says Sonia Pretorius, national
sales manager for 600SA. “Four of our 13 technicians have completed over 30 years of service, which is testament to their commitment, skills and professionalism.”
With three main service centres in Johannesburg, Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal and Parow in Cape Town, customers are supported by aftermarket service with product technical expertise and workshops. In addition, 600SA has a network of partner agencies countrywide, including hydraulics repair centres, while mobile service teams are available to assist customers in the field.
Speed and efficiency
At the business end, the Orakci compactor is
all about speed and efficiency, taking less than a minute to stop, lift the tailgate, and discharge the waste, ensuring quick turnaround times during the collection cycle. Each Orakci compactor processes and compacts some 10 tonnes of refuse per load.
Longer term, the drive towards zero waste to landfill, and the need to promote a circular economy, will influence future waste models. An example would be a product that could collect and split out various tiers of waste capable of being recycled, a concept that 600SA is considering together with the design teams.
Geocells: an urban infrastructure innovation
In a constantly evolving climate, innovation is a requirement for success. Traditional methods for solving engineering problems have slowly become unfeasible, resulting in the development of more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and less timeconsuming solutions. By Brandon Naidoo* and Karan Mandalia**
Installation of the NPA geocells
In the application of road layer works, a cellular confinement solution (commonly referred to as “geocells”) has redefined the pavement design process. Geocells are three-dimensional mechanical soil stabilisation systems which develop their major benefits through the process of confinement, thereby increasing the tensile strength of the infill material.
This innovation, which is validated with field trials (and in accordance with new standards), can assist through mechanisms such as improved tensile performance, increased elastic modulus, and reduced permanent deformation of asphalt roads. A benefit of using this product is that the pavement becomes more economical by:
• Reducing the quantity of aggregate and soil
replacement by improving the observed mechanical behaviour of the infill material, or
• Reducing the quality of aggregate and soil replacement, allowing the in-situ material to be reused, and
• Increasing the lifespan of the pavement, resulting in lower maintenance costs.
Environmental benefits of the solution include a lower carbon footprint due to the decreased excavated spoil material (especially if recycled material is used) and reduced aggregate quantities.
About geocells
Geocells are a system comprised of interconnected polymeric strips. During the installation process,
they are expanded on-site to reveal a honeycomb structure, which is then filled with material (sand, aggregate, concrete, recycled materials, etc.) and compacted. The system then provides an apparent increased cohesion (and apparent Young’s Modulus) due to the reduction of lateral movement and volumetric changes.
Geocells therefore increase the tensile strength of the infill material, which is important because soils are generally good in compression but weak in tension. In pavement applications, this ideal combination provides a stiffer pavement structure, thereby decreasing settlements, limiting strain, and improving longterm performance.
The system behaves as a semi-rigid slab over soft soils, which allows the loads acting on the pavement to be distributed over a wider area, in turn increasing the apparent bearing capacity and decreasing the overall differential settlements [3][4]. Due to the lateral restraint, coupled with the passive resistance of adjacent cells, an increase in total strength and stiffness of the infill material can be observed. The distribution of the load over a larger area is directly proportional to the load spread angle, which increases in response to the implementation of the cellular confinement system.
Figure 1 demonstrates that the vertical pressure is typically reduced by 50% while the width (lateral distribution) is doubled [2][3]. This substantiates the claim that geocells significantly enhance pavement stability.
30 mm continuously graded asphalt surfacing (AE2 modified binder)
150 mm Natural Gravel Base
150 mm Natural Gravel Subbase
1000 mm Undercut (compacted in 150 mm layers)
The recently published guideline, “Geosynthetics for Reinforcement of Unbound Base and Subbase Pavement Layers” [1], serves as a pivotal reference to determine the benefits of constructing roads using geocells for road reinforcement. This benchmark standard outlines the essential criteria that geocells must meet to be used effectively in pavement applications, particularly in the base layer.
Common categories
The most commonly used geocells can be divided into two categories: high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and non-polymeric alloy-based (NPAbased) geocells.
ROADS & BRIDGES
BASE AND GEOTEXTILE ROADBED
30 mm continuously graded asphalt surfacing (AE2 modified binder)
150 mm G3 with 100 mm Neoloy Geocell Category C
150 mm Natural Gravel Subbase
High Strength Woven Geotextile
150 rnm rip and re-compacted roadbed
applications due to their higher elongation and lower stiffness [1].
By comparison, NPA is a composite of polyester/ polyimide nano-fibres dispersed in a polyethylene matrix. This type of geocell is deemed more appropriate for pavement design due to a higher elastic modulus and resistance to deformation.
Case study: conventional versus geocell design
The benefits of geocells are well-illustrated by the Wilgeheuwel Sports Complex project, situated in Roodepoort, Gauteng. The multifaceted development entailed the construction of commercial buildings, parking areas and road infrastructure.
The presence of expansive clay can lead to significant expansion and contraction cycles in response to moisture changes, which could potentially cause detrimental effects on the pavements and building foundations. Due to the presence of expansive clayey material within the geotechnical strata, the project engineer deemed the in-situ material to be unsuitable for use as structural fill and recommended that better quality fill material be imported to the site.
The internal roads were classified as Category D in terms of the South African standard design guidelines for highways (TRH4). The traffic loading was assumed to be ES1 - 1.3 million E80/HV. To fulfil their predicted traffic class demand, the South African Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design (SAMEPD) technique calculated a pavement life of 1.8 (mePADS) and 1.5 million E80s (Rubicon).
Figure 2 illustrates the comparison between the conventional design and the alternative geocellbased design for the road construction. In the conventional design:
• The pavement surface comprises 30 mm continuously graded asphalt
• The base comprises 150 mm G4 gravel infill
• The sub-base comprises a 150 mm cement stabilised G6 gravel infill (C4), and
HDPE is classified as one of the most popular materials used in manufacturing geocells because it is inert, eco-friendly, requires lower maintenance and is cheaper to manufacture compared to NPA. However, the new standard refers to the lower suitability of HDPE geocells for reinforcement
A surfaced section at the Wilgeheuwel Sports Complex. Unlike cemented bases, which tend to become brittle, the NPA-reinforced base remains in its initial ductile design state, thus reducing the chance of large reflective block cracks. The result is significantly lower maintenance costs of the asphalt over the design life
The geotechnical investigations found clayey sand, granitic sand and crushed soft greenstone rock. These materials exhibited CBR’s between 3-7%. As per the COLTO specification, they were classified as “G10”.
• The roadbed preparation required subgrade improvement to a depth of 1 000 mm, resulting in a cut to spoil and replacement with G7 material installed and compacted to 90% modified AASHTO in 150 mm layers.
The alternative geocell-based design illustrates the reduced subgrade replacement of 150 mm (an 85% reduction in the thickness compared to the conventional design). The design CONVENTIONAL
Location of the Wilgeheuwel Sports Complex [7]
FIGURE 2: Indicating the difference between the conventional pavement vs geocell reinforced pavement
G10 Insitu
During the installation process, the geocells are expanded on site to reveal a honeycomb structure, which is then filled with material (sand, aggregate, concrete, recycled materials, etc.)
employed the use of NPA geocells for base layer reinforcement. The geocell size utilised was 330 mm by 100 mm in height (depth). According to manufacturer’s specifications and relevant test certificates, NPA geocells (Category C) have a:
• Durability (creep resistance) of <3% cumulative elongation in 75 years (SIM test, ASTM D6992), and
• Tensile strength of 23 kN/m (nonperforated strip) and 19 kN/m (perforated strip), according to wide-width tensile test ISO 10319.
Reduction in total and differential settlement
The geocells were filled with G3 gravel with an additional 5 cm compacted gravel overfill. The design of the NPA geocell mechanically stabilised base was intended to reduce total and differential settlement.
Due to value engineering, the conventional G4 base material was replaced with locally available G3 infill material, providing a cost saving. Contrary to higher deformation HDPE geocells – the use of which is typically limited to the subgrade or subbase – the high modulus NPA geocells were placed directly under the asphalt layer, where the stresses are the highest, to maximise the reinforcement efficiency. In areas prone to waterlogging and potential instability, an additional layer of high-strength PET woven geotextile was installed on top of the subgrade (via tensioned membrane effect), as well as for separation and filtration purposes.
Lifecycle cost benefits
In addition to the significant reduction of construction time and costs, the NPA geocell reinforced base will remain in place after the first 10-year phase of the conventional design life. This is due to its high tensile strength, high tensile stiffness and low creep combined with long-term flexibility (ductile system).
Unlike cemented bases, which tend to become brittle, the NPA-reinforced base remains in its initial ductile design state, thus reducing the chance of large reflective block cracks. The result is significantly lower maintenance costs of the asphalt over the design life.
Key findings
The implementation of NPA geocell base-layer reinforcement and geotextile at the subgrade/ subbase interface resulted in a remarkable reduction in project earthworks. The 85% reduction in the thickness of the subgrade layer saved 225 000m3 of roadbed subgrade cut. Despite the additional installation time for the geosynthetic layers, the overall construction time was estimated to be reduced by 27,5% for both the roads and parking lot construction.
The total cost savings in the construction, inclusive of the cost of the geosynthetics, were estimated to be 25%. The percentage estimated does not factor an increased design reliability and reduced maintenance.
Unlike conventional cement-stabilised layers, the reinforced base layer with geocells is expected to require minimal to no rehabilitation at the end of the first 10-year structural lifespan of the pavement.
Business case
The presented case study demonstrates the benefits of incorporating geocells into conventional road design methods. The geocells produce a semi-rigid layer, effectively distributing loads over a larger area while reducing the differential settlements. The prolonged maintenance cycles, coupled with cost-saving achieved through recycling of infill material, make geocells an advantageous and innovative solution for road construction. Furthermore, this geocell-based approach is particularly well-suited to many regions in Africa, as demonstrated in the case study.
Conventional methodologies for pavement design require the use of high-quality fill (often not readily available on-site). This necessitates excavating in-situ soils and importing bettersuited materials, increasing the costs and environmental footprint of the project. In this respect, the use of geocells in this project successfully employed lower-cost G3 base fill material and significantly reduced the subgrade layer replacement by 85% compared to conventional pavement design.
Conclusions
In conclusion, geocells have emerged as an innovative solution that enhance road construction practices, providing numerous advantages over conventional approaches. Their ability to optimise load distribution,
REFERENCES
1. Vega, E., van Gurp, C., Kwast, E. (2018). Geosynthetics for Reinforcement of Unbound Base and Subbase Pavement Layers (Geokunststoffen als Funderingswapening in Ongebonden Funderingslagen), SBRCURnet (CROW), Netherlands.
2. Pokharel, S.K., Han, J., Manandhar, C., Yang, X.M., Leshchinsky, D., Halahmi, I., and Parsons, R.L. (2011). Accelerated Pavement Testing of Geocell-Reinforced Unpaved Roads over Weak Subgrade. Journal of Transportation Research Board, the 10th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads, July 24-27, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA.
3. Thakur, J.K., Han, J., Pokharel, S.K., and Parsons, R. L. (2012). Performance of geocell-reinforced RAP bases over weak subgrade under cyclic plate loading. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 35 (14) 24.
4. Yuu, J., Han, J., Rosen, A., Parsons, R. L., Leshchinsky, D. (2008). Technical review of geocell-reinforced base courses over weak subgrade, The First Pan American Geosynthetics Conference & Exhibition proceedings (GeoAmericas), Appendix VII, Cancun, Mexico.
5. BaseCore, Environmental Impact of Geocell Roadway Grids (April 12, 2023) Available from: https://www.basecore. co/environmental-benefits-of-geocellroadway-grids/
6. Strahl, Z. and Alexiew, D. (2019). Cellular Confinement System Reinforcement – Innovation at the Base of Sustainable Pavements. Proceedings of CAPSA 2019, 12th Conference on Asphalt Pavements for Southern Africa, ed: Jacobs Z. S.W. Sun City, South Africa. Oct 2019. 999-1018.
7. Google Maps. (n.d.). [Location of Wilgeheuwel Sports Centre, South Africa].
reduce pavement layer thicknesses, utilise recycled materials and improve overall performance makes this product an indispensable tool in achieving more substantial cost-effective and efficient road infrastructure development. This technological alternative has further led to an environmentally friendly alternative and enhances the overall feasibility of construction projects.
*Commercial civil engineer, Maccaferri Africa
**Graduate civil engineer, Maccaferri Africa
www.maccaferri.com/za
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cement,
Retaining the carriageway upgrade to Kempegowda International
Terraforce, a longstanding Concrete Manufacturers Association member, supplied over 110 000 L12 blocks for the construction of retaining walls on both sides of Terminal Boulevard, a newly constructed 10-lane thoroughfare which feeds directly into India’s Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru.
Completed in November 2022, Terminal Boulevard has been widened from an existing 2+2 lanes to 5+5 lanes to cater for the addition of a second airport terminal and an anticipated increase in traffic. Approximately 1,2 km of the road has been lined with retaining walls on both sides, which cover a total surface area of 9 000 m².
Running on an east/west axis, the new road was constructed by cutting a corridor, which at its deepest is 9 m below existing ground level. This has enabled the new road to pass under the airport forecourt roads to facilitate junction-free traffic flows. The excavated corridor resulted in embankments which varied in heights of between 0,5 m to 9 m and in slope angles of 52° to 77° off the horizontal.
After considering various retaining wall options, the Bangalore International Airport
Limited (BIAL) project team – comprising Prasenjit Biswas, general manager: Landside Planning, Monnappa BC, general manager: Projects, and Prasannamurti Desai, vicepresident: Landscape – chose the Terraforce retaining wall system for several reasons, aesthetics having been a major consideration. The blocks also allowed the planting of flowers and other vegetation, while the inclusion of hume pipes facilitated the planting of trees. In addition, the Terraforce option required less soil excavation and was more cost-effective than either reinforced concrete or reinforced earthen walls would have been.
Site preparation
The slopes were cut to allow for the insertion of 5 m hume pipes on the vertical slope at 4 m intervals. Placed on concrete foundations, the pipes were filled with soil and their bottom ends
PROJECT TEAM
Layout and Concept: Prasenjit Biswas, Prasannamurti Desai, Monnappa BC (BIAL) and Fred Laker (Terraforce)
Landscape Architect: Grant Associates and Design Accord
Consulting Engineers: Fred Laker/Terraforce, Maccaferri, Struct Geotech, Smart Minds, and STUP India
Quantity Surveyor: BIAL In-house Team
Main Contractor (Civil): Balajee Infratech and Constructions
Private Limited
Landscape Contractors: Hariyali Landscapes
Terraforce Supplier: Prayosa Buildmat
Terminal Boulevard retaining walls under construction
The works combine a comprehensive integration of precast and cast in-situ construction
kept open to allow for root penetration into the soil below.
Where additional cutting was required, for instance near bridge abutments or the retaining wall ends, these sections were backfilled with gabion blocks and clad with Terraforce blocks to maintain the required slope angles.
Geotechnical works
One of the main challenges was the fact that additional cutting into the embankments for the installation of geogrid reinforcement was not possible. This was because the top sections of the excavated embankments were only 2 m from the upper-level roads and there was no space for the additional cutting. Moreover, most of these sections were operational areas. In addition, the required loading on these roads was up to 45 tonnes for fire brigade trucks and other heavy vehicles. Therefore, soil nailing was specified as an alternative to geogrids to keep the slope stable.
This involved drilling 115 mm diameter holes of up to 9 m in length, perpendicular to the slope of the embankment. Nails, 28 mm in diameter, were inserted into the holes and grouted with a non-shrinkable cement slurry.
Once the nails had been inserted, PVC drainage pipes up to 2,5 m in length and wrapped in a geotextile membrane were installed in pre-drilled holes in the embankment at a slight upward incline to the horizontal plane. The drainage pipes were installed in a grid of 3 m by 2 m to release entrapped water and to reduce the hydrostatic pressure in the embankment. The slopes were then covered with layers comprising a geodrain membrane, two layers of 8 mm steel mesh and 100 mm of shotcrete. The geodrain membrane was installed to prevent the leaching of soil and fine material.
Steel plates with metal hooks were bolted to the nails and tied to the 8 mm steel mesh layer with 100 mm shotcrete. The hooks
were used for tying to a second layer of steel mesh after which a second 100 mm layer of shotcrete was applied. The steel plates ensure the nails are affixed firmly to the steel mesh and the shotcrete layers to form a monolithic structure and to prevent the nails from penetrating through the wire mesh and the shotcrete layers.
Reinforced concrete shear-key blocks, which arrest both the vertical and lateral forces acting on the Terraforce blocks, were cast to form the foundations of the Terraforce walls. Steel rods were inserted into the hollow portion of the blocks for interlocking between each vertical layer of blocks and the spaces between the block facades, and the shotcrete layers were filled with lean concrete.
The bottom block rows followed the slope of the road, and similarly, the top rows were adjusted to match the profile of road or the ground at the upper level. This was done either by stepping the top row or by adding a concrete layer to match the required road or ground profile.
Stormwater management
The sections between the top of the Terraforce walls and the upper-level road kerbing was paved with precast concrete paver blocks to prevent water ingress into the retaining wall structure and the soil behind it. However, any water trapped within the embankment structure will drain through the PVC drainage pipes.
The construction of these embankments required a mock-up section to identify constraints in the installation process and to improve the installation methodology and sequencing during the actual installation.
Some of the other challenges were the varying friction coefficients of the embankment soil, which was the deciding factor in determining the length of nails. And managing the levels of the walls when both the top and bottom roads sloped at different angles was another.
Running on an east/west axis, the new road was constructed by cutting a corridor, which at its deepest is 9 m below existing ground level.
1,2 km of the road has been lined with Terraforce retaining walls on both sides, covering a total surface area of 9 000 m2
approach to Kempegowda
The completed project: Terraforce supplied over 11 000 L12 blocks for the construction of retaining walls on both sides of Terminal Boulevard – the
Terminal Boulevard retaining walls under construction
Final
International Airport
feeder for Kempegowda International Airport
Legislative issues concerning the establishment and operation of static and temporary asphalt plants
An asphalt plant is a regulated activity under the National Environmental Management Act, 1989 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (EIA). The operation of an asphalt plant triggers an activity/ies listed in the regulations and therefore requires environmental authorisation.
The operation of an asphalt plant also requires an atmospheric emission license (AEL), as an asphalt plant is listed as a regulated activity under Section 21 of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (NEM:AQA).
Current air quality legislation exempts the operation of a temporary asphalt plant from requiring an AEL. And, in the majority of cases, temporary asphalt plants do not trigger any activity from the EIA regulations and, if so, do not require environmental authorisation.
TEMPORARY ASPHALT PLANTS
Temporary asphalt plants are exempted from applying for an AEL as long as they comply with the following legislation:
(1) National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 Section 23 –
Controlled Emitters – Notice 201
Conditions as per the definition for temporary asphalt plants “means an asphalt plant that is used for the sole purpose of supplying asphalt for a specific road paving contract not exceeding a period of 24 months.”
The exemption from applying for an AEL was to enable temporary asphalt plants to provide asphalt in emergency and highly prioritised project situations.
By Paul Bothma*
(2) National Environmental Management Act, 2004 Regulations, 2014 (as amended) Listings 1, 2 and 3
Should the temporary asphalt plant comply with the conditions set for temporary asphalt plants, as per NEM:AQA, 2004, and not trigger any activity as per the listed activities from the 2014 regulations of the NEMA (as amended), no application for environmental authorisation is necessary.
However, when the temporary asphalt plant exceeds the thresholds as set in NEM:AQA, 2004 for temporary asphalt plants, including the 24 months operational period – and the production of asphalt for a specific roads contract – the temporary asphalt plant loses its temporary status, as it triggers an activity from the NEMA regulations. Environmental authorisation and an AEL becomes an immediate requirement.
Should no environmental authorisation and AEL have been obtained on date 24 months and one day and/or it is found that the temporary asphalt plant provides asphalt for more than the one specific roads contract since the initiation of the temporary asphalt plant, the asphalt plant becomes an illegal activity.
The legislature does not recognise a temporary asphalt plant as an existing plant due to the provisions of exemption made in the NEM:AQA for temporary plants.
How can you legally obtain environmental authorisation when you realise that the temporary asphalt plant might become a more permanent plant?
Environmental authorisation for an asphalt plant can only be obtained by conducting the Scoping/EIA process as required by NEMA, 2004 EIA Regulations Listing 2. Your temporary plant turning permanent will also require an AEL. Applications for environmental authorisation and an AEL can be applied for simultaneously.
Timeframe: The process can be completed within 10 – 12 months should everything run smoothly. The application process must commence at least 12 months prior to the 24 month expiry date.
Multiple contracts: You cannot supply multiple contracts from a temporary plant. Many operators are ignoring this condition and are therefore operating illegally.
(3) National Environmental Management Waste Act, 2004
Waste asphalt is regarded as a hazardous waste and the storage of recyclable asphalt (RA) requires a waste licence. Should you intend to store RA on your temporary plant site, you should register your RA storage facility with Sabita. The latter has an MOU with the authorities pertaining the storage of RA.
PERMANENT ASPHALT PLANTS
NEMA, 2006 regulations (as amended)
Environmental authorisation needs to be applied for through the Scoping/EIA process, taking approximately 10 to 12 months. An application for an AEL needs to be lodged simultaneously, as the two processes run in parallel.
The following activities, as listed in the NEMA Regulations of 2014 (as amended) are usually associated with static asphalt plants:
Activity 14 of R327 (Listing 1): The development and related operation of facilities or infrastructure, for the storage, or for the storage and handling of a dangerous good, where such storage occurs in containers with a combined capacity of 80 m3 or more but not exceeding 500 m3.
Activity 5 of R325 (Listing 2): The development and related operation of facilities or infrastructure for the processing of a petroleum resource, including the beneficiation or refining of gas, oil or petroleum products with an installed capacity of 50 m3 or more per day – activities which are included in the list of waste management activities published in terms of section 19 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008), in which case the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 applies.
Activity 6 of R325 (Listing 2): The development of facilities or infrastructure for any process or activity which requires a permit or licence or an amended permit or licence in terms of national or provincial legislation governing the generation or release of emissions, pollution, or effluent, excluding:
(i) activities which are identified and included in Listing Notice 1 of 2014
(ii) activities which are included in the list of waste management activities published in terms of section 19 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008), in which case the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 applies
(iii) the development of facilities or infrastructure for the treatment of effluent, polluted water, wastewater, or sewage where such facilities have a daily throughput capacity of 2 000 m3 or less, or
(iv) where the development is directly related to aquaculture facilities or infrastructure where the wastewater discharge capacity will not exceed 50 m3 per day.
(4) National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (NEM:AQA, 2004)
All permanent (static) asphalt plants require an AEL in terms of NEM:AQA, 2004 Section 21 Subcategory 5.10 Macadam Preparation Process. The AEL will only be issued once an environmental authorisation for the operation has been issued.
LAND USE
The right to use land for the operation of an asphalt plant is not an environmental issue. Should you intend to erect and operate an asphalt plant you should obtain permission from the local authority to do so.
The local municipal by-laws should be consulted and permission obtained from:
- Town Planning - Land Use
- Environmental Health
- Fire and Rescue
On 21 April 2023, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment published a proposed amendment to Government Notice N201 – Declaring Asphalt Plants as Controlled Emitters for public comment. The amendment includes the removal of the “specific road contract” limitation for a temporary plant.
Industry feedback
The Sabita Environmental Focal Group surveyed the effected Sabita members to understand their views on the proposed amendments on the industry. The results of the survey clearly indicated that most of the Sabita members do not support the amendment. Sabita responded to the Department that it does not support the proposed amendments in the current form as it opens the system up to massive abuse and generates a significant environmental threat. Furthermore, Sabita highlighted that:
• The definition of an existing or new temporary asphalt plant is ambiguous as it refers to a “temporary asphalt plant” that was built before or after then notice date. This throws up challenges, including:
i. Is a plant built before the notice date, but held in storage in a warehouse and therefore not operational, viewed as new or existing?
ii. Is a permanent plant moved to a new location then viewed as a temporary plant?
• What differentiates a permanent plant from a temporary plant? Is it proposed to be only the length of time positioned in a specific spot? Further challenges would then include:
i. If a plant is moved every 24 months, is it then continually defined as a temporary plant?
ii. If a company were to establish a plant in a particular city to supply asphalt and then move the plant to a different spot in the city after 24 months, and then back to the original spot after the next 24 month
cycle, it can effectively use a temporary plant setup to establish a permanent plant indefinitely on a temporary basis. From a business point of view this would be economically preferable based on the legislative and overhead requirements of a permanent plant.
Sabita also pointed out that the emission standards listed in the 2014 gazette No 201 requires reporting on a “daily average” where permanent AELs use an hourly average. A dirty plant spewing out dust and noxious gasses 800% above the allowable limits will be complaint if it only runs for three hours of a 24-hour day if using a “daily average” reporting method. This is not the case with an hourly average reporting method.
Sabita recommends that the “hourly average” reporting method for reporting on emissions of temporary plants be replaced by daily reporting.
Sabita will keep its members updated on this critical issue regarding the new amendment and in particular the definition of temporary asphalt plants.
(Source: Asphalt News, Volume 37, Issue 1, June 2023)
*Chameleon Environmental Consultants
Addis Adaba hospital development raises the bar for sustainability
Roha Health Inc has embarked on an ambitious, multimillion dollar project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, entailing the construction of the Roha Advanced Multi-Speciality Hospital. Covering a total gross floor area of 40 000m², this facility will house 350 beds, with a centralised utilities block designed to accommodate all engineering services.
For the project, WSP is providing a broad range of engineering solutions, including civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, fire, electronics engineering, wet services and sustainability consulting, together with the latest digital design tools. The latter includes its recently established Integrated Design Delivery (IDD) solution to further refine its approach.
“Our IDD team has been involved in the Roha Advanced Multi-Speciality Hospital project from the onset of the conceptualisation phases,” explains Adri Metzer, director: IDD (Sector Lead), WSP in Africa.
“While IDD serves as an internal design and project coordination function and does not replace the project management or principal agent role on a project, it certainly boasts significant value-added benefits through integrating technology, capturing data, and
turning it into actionable insights for project teams and clients, alike.”
Sustainable to the core
The project is targeting an EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certification, which focuses on three major areas of sustainability, namely energy, water and embodied energy of materials.
To achieve the minimum predicted savings of 20% in each of the three areas – when benchmarked against a local standard hospital – WSP aims to engineer a facility that provides the highest standards of healthcare without wasting resources. As Addis Ababa lies in a temperate location, energy saving is a high priority, and both the design and construction of the facility will be executed with that in mind. This will be accomplished, firstly, through the careful selection of materials used in construction.
Hospital forest and park
To embody the concept of a healing environment, Roha Health Inc planted a forest comprising approximately 12 000 indigenous trees in mid-2022. The forest, and an accompanying park, were designed by a team of specialist landscape designers led by Alaap Group (India) and use a special planting technique called the Miyawaki method. This allows trees to grow to levels that can traditionally take decades in just a few years.
Green power and water conservation
Furthermore, the Roha Advanced MultiSpeciality Hospital will integrate water conservation methods and utilise alternative power sources. For example, water conservation will be implemented using low flow taps and showers, and all toilets will have a dual flush function. The main objective is to reduce consumption and reuse water wherever possible.
From a power point of view, energy efficient light fittings will be installed throughout. Zoned lighting in patient wards will further enable different levels of illuminance depending on the time of day. In the future, Roha also intends to introduce renewable energy in the form of a solar PV system with battery energy storage to reduce its reliance on the grid.
The project is targeting an EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certification, which focuses on three major areas of sustainability, namely energy, water and embodied energy of materials
PROJECT TEAM
Architect: A3 Architects
Civil, structural, MEPF and ELV engineering services: WSP
Local consultant: Bigar Builders and Developers PLC
Cost Management: MACE YMR
Main Contractor: Elmi Olindo & Co
Landscape Consultant: Alaap Group
Built for healing
A core tenet of sustainable construction is designing a building centred on the needs of those who will occupy it. This is even more relevant in a medical environment where healing is the primary focus.
“Sustainability is about so much more than green building principles, carbon footprints and the race to achieve net zero,” says Jabulile Nhlapo, director and Healthcare Lead, WSP in Africa.
Examples of sustainable interventions include a Thermally Activated Building Structures (TABS) system. TABS uses the super structure as a thermal reservoir for comfort cooling and climate control by running chilled water at high temperatures through the building to increase the resultant coefficient of performance.
“Roha Advanced Multi-Speciality Hospital sets a benchmark for mixed-use healthcare facilities in Africa. From concept to implementation, this development is underpinned by the vital role that access to health and medical care plays in the lives of communities,” Nhlapo concludes.
ZUTARI KENYA REGISTERED AND
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
East Africa has long been identified as a growth area for Zutari, with Kenya at the centre of its expansion initiatives into the region. This has led to the registration of a fully licensed company in Nairobi.
The engineering profession in Kenya is regulated by the Kenyan Engineers Act (2011), which contains stringent requirements for engineering companies and consulting firms who would like to conduct business in the country.
To ensure compliance, these organisations must be registered with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). Zutari Kenya Ltd has since reached this important milestone and is now registered with the EBK in civil and electrical engineering disciplines.
“We are proud of the impact our Nairobi office has unlocked through its many infrastructure feats over multiple decades of operating in Kenya. These still stand proudly across all of Kenya, a testament to the enduring power of infrastructure to create the kind of change the world needs today,” comments Dr Paul Lombard, regional director of East Africa, Zutari.
Milestone projects
Zutari completed its first project in Kenya in 1995 has been involved on more than 100 infrastructure projects in the country across the water, transport, energy, resources, and built environment segments. Currently, more than 20 Kenyan engineering consultants and trusted advisors are working from the Nairobi office on projects across Kenya and East Africa.
Flagship projects to date include design and management services to support Scania to build the first of 15 global service centres in Nairobi, comprising an extensive warehouse complex, service pits, and offices.
Zutari also provided its services for the East African Community (EAC) Transport Master Plan and was tasked to develop a unified transport and regional road sector development programme for the EAC. The region is served by an extensive road, rail, lake, and pipeline transportation network, as well as two major seaports and several international airports. In this respect, creating a strategy and multi-year development plan to guide regional transport policies and investment involved considerable technical expertise and co-engineered impact by unifying the goals and aspirations of seven member states.
Zutari was also appointed as an implementation support consultant for a sub-component of the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, Phase 1 (KWSCRP-1), funded by the World Bank. The project is aimed at financing critical investments in the water sector in Kenya, promoting sustained investment, and building an enabling legal and institutional framework.
Dr Paul Lombard, regional director of East Africa, Zutari
Empowering construction workers and professionals with turnkey training
Worldwide and in South Africa, the construction sector is the foundation for micro and macroeconomic development. Alastair Currie interviewed Sabiha Docrat, marketing and operations director at South African Value Education (SAVE), about how their training programmes help to upskill and empower existing and new entrants to the industry, with a central focus on enabling community participation.
Learners attending a classroom session run by SAVE as part of their preparation for the completion of the National Certificate in Construction Roadworks on NQF levels 2 or 3 as part of the Tirisano Construction Fund initiative
Although established in 1998, between 2009 and 2019
SAVE was a business unit of Aurecon, which subsequently transitioned to become Zutari, a leading South African consulting engineering firm. Since 2019 SAVE has been operating as an independent, majority black female owned entity and a BBBEE Level 2 contributor.
From inception, SAVE has focused on providing specialist training and consulting services in construction and engineering at all levels nationally via their pool of training practitioners, all of whom have years of in-depth site experience.
The company is accredited with the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) for their suite of programmes, in addition to being registered as a Private Further Education and Training (FET) college. Alongside its IMESA Silver Affiliate member status, SAVE is also an affiliate member of the Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita).
An integrated and mobile approach SAVE provides training, advisory and
consulting services for most related areas in civils and building, with ongoing application for new programmes that include pending accreditation with the Energy and Water SETA for the provision of water and wastewater treatment training programmes. Longer-term, SAVE also plans to develop programmes to cater for the renewable energy sector.
Overall, SAVE’s training initiatives adopt an integrated approach where private construction entities, consulting engineers, and national, provincial and municipal infrastructure decision makers have the toolkits necessary to perfect internal and external programmes – both in terms of specific projects, as well as for their own personnel.
To date, SAVE has trained more than 10 000 learners, and managed more than 400 training and development projects of all sizes. In this respect, SAVE’s model is geared towards mobility, with staff sent to where the project and development
need exists on the ground. This makes their services and training courses available to any client or project nationally.
The vision
“At SAVE, our vision is to be part of building a more equitable and sustainable society where everyone has access to knowledge, tools and opportunities to do better, be better and live better. Infrastructure service delivery is for the community – and a platform for those who wish to seek construction as a career. Plus, it’s a vital part of government’s prescribed participation goals that communities benefit wherever practical in areas that include project related work, along with the provision of skills development,” Docrat continues.
A prime example is government’s Expanded Public Works Programme, where SAVE provides training on labour intensive construction (LIC) components and emerging contractor development, in addition to specific technical courses. LIC programmes cover NQF 2 through to NQF 7 levels, catering for workers, contractors, and engineers.
“Our training umbrella is meant to be as broad as possible to ensure that the hard and ‘soft’ components dovetail effectively. In the latter respect, we provide community liaison and facilitation services to ensure an effective public participation process between communities and the developers, contractors, consultants or clients,” Docrat explains.
“A prime example is the way in which public transport services need to be facilitated to accommodate all stakeholders – like taxi operators – in rolling out Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTNs). But the same principle applies to a road or human settlements development.”
Sabiha Docrat, marketing and operations director at South African Value Education (SAVE)
Each programme is a custom fit to meet the requirements of the specific project.
This may entail a standalone module, like pothole repairs or stormwater drainage, multiple set of courses, or complete qualifications
Implementation
The training implementation model starts with entry assessment and selection, followed by a rotation of classroom tuition and applied workplace experiential learning. Assessments are continual and the final summative assessment stage follows before issuing certificates to qualifying candidates.
“Each programme is a custom fit to meet the requirements of the specific project. This may entail a standalone module, like pothole repairs or stormwater drainage, multiple set of courses, or complete qualifications,” Docrat continues.
Tirisano Construction Fund programme
One of SAVE’s current training endeavours is a three-year contract being implemented in the Virginia and Welkom regions of the Northern
SAVE teams members at the George office (from left): Sanele Sestile, intern; Lauren Strauss, education and training quality assurance manager; Siphiwo Mathys, stakeholder engagement officer; Ashwin Ambraal, training project manager; and Rinus van Raaij, managing director
Free State; Maclear, Ugie, Elliot and Dordrecht in the Eastern Cape; as well as in the Southern Cape and Karoo regions of the Western Cape on behalf of the Tirisano Construction Fund, an initiative administered by the Industrial Development Corporation.
Awarded in 2021, SAVE’s scope entails the training of 140 construction road workers on a series of courses. All candidates will complete the National Certificate in Construction Roadworks on NQF levels 2 or 3, while the top 25 candidates will be placed on the National Certificate in Supervision of Construction Processes programme. All phases of the training are scheduled for completion by June 2025.
“The client is thrilled with the progress. From the onset they wanted to increase the number of women in construction, and to target candidates under 35 and we’ve successfully managed that, drawing talent from the surrounding rural communities
• Small and emerging contractor development programmes
• Construction supervision training programmes (supervisors and foremen)
• Road works construction programmes (various levels)
• Labour intensive construction (LIC) training – CPD accredited with online option
• Technical skills training
• Life skills training
• Community project facilitation and liaison training
• Universal access training
• Water and wastewater treatment (accreditation pending)
Conclusions
“At SAVE we remain firmly committed to our mandate of enabling excellence in infrastructure and empowering communities. To achieve optimal results on public works initiatives, it’s vital for participating stakeholders at all levels – be they municipalities, consulting engineers, or contractors – to understand and structure projects that incorporate training and community liaison. That’s were SAVE excels and adds value,” Docrat concludes.
SAVE COURSES
The future is mapped out in the present, and in the infrastructure space that responsibility is driven by the visionary leadership of engineering professionals.
The future belongs to the youth, and the next engineering generation
Within this context, it’s especially important to build a pipeline of expertise by nurturing and developing new talent, which is the driving force for the formation of IMESA’s YP2 portfolio, led by todays and tomorrow’s young professionals.
The initiative is being led by Roxanne Canny Pr Eng, an area project manager serving with eThekwini Municipality’s Water Design and Non-Revenue Department, and the founding YP2 chairperson within the IMESA KwaZuluNatal branch. Over time, the objective is for each of the IMESA regional branches to have a YP2 representative to ensure effective national implementation.
“Facilitating meaningful skills transfer and knowledge sharing is the key. This is why our strategy is based on a top down and bottom-up mentorship approach between seasoned ECSA registered practitioners and candidate engineers, as well as those who have recently qualified,” says Canny.
The overall objective is to retain and grow talent in a structured experiential format, backed by ongoing mentorship, to ensure that young engineers have a clear vision of their optimal career path within the multidisciplined field of municipal engineering, which embraces all streams – from civils to mechanical and electrical engineering.
“We also remain committed to ensuring that all engineers, technologists and technicians understand the need for ECSA registration as
a benchmark for competency, ethical practice and continuing professional development (CPD). This is a personal passion of mine and part of my responsibility as a manager in terms of my own staff.”
“Our mission is to develop, innovate and excel. To achieve this, we must collaborate with other built environment disciplines, like architecture, town planning, land surveying, quantity surveying and construction management because their participation is essential to overall infrastructure delivery. It’s essential that municipal engineers understand how these roles interact to ensure effective engineering outcomes.”
Growing the membership and talent pool
For YP2 the strategy is aimed at driving new IMESA members from across the private and public sector spectrum within the broad field of infrastructure execution, from water and wastewater, to roads, energy, and building. That encompasses the participation of academic institutions and extends to grass roots STEM outreach programmes at primary and secondary school level.
Presentations and workshops
Across the board, this will be driven by presentations and workshops. These include a CPD accredited speed networking and mentorship event for young and established professionals, which will be hosted on 19th November 2023 by IMESA YP2. In
addition to an ECSA presentation, the event will include a motivational talk on how to overcome challenges, set goals and build a meaningful career in municipal engineering. There will also be a technical presentation from BORDA Africa on its sanitation initiatives. Further details of the event will be posted on www.imesa.org.za and its social media platforms.
In future, IMESA YP2 also plans to introduce a Young Engineer of the Year award, as well as a Mentor of the Year award to showcase excellence.
“Historically, the engineering profession has been siloed in terms of disciplines and their associations. Within the municipal engineering domain, our objective as YP2 is to bring all these disciplines together under the IMESA banner in the common quest to build sustainable infrastructure that supports our socioeconomic objectives,” adds Canny.
“To make that happen in practice, we need to attract, retain and nurture our current and future engineering talent,” Canny concludes.
The founding YP 2 committee. From left are Zlungile Memela, Dhiveshni Pillay, Shravan Hanuman, Roxanne Canny and Lloyd Govender
2023 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards celebrate innovation
Held on 16th August 2023, the 51st CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards recognised the exceptional achievements of companies and individuals in the consulting engineering industry, with John Robin Williamson honoured with a Lifetime Industry Achievement Award.
Speaking at the event, CESA’s CEO, Chris Campbell, congratulated the winners and finalists, stating that amidst the current economic challenges and sluggish growth it was essential to recognise the pivotal role of consulting engineering. “While external factors may pose obstacles, our focus on delivering excellence must remain unwavering.”
Category winners
PROJECTS WITH A VALUE BETWEEN R250 MILLION AND R1 BILLION
Winner: KBK Engineers
Project: N1 Musina Ring Road for the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).
PROJECTS WITH A VALUE BETWEEN R50 MILLION AND R250 MILLION
Winner: Zutari
Project: Square Kilometre Array Meerkat Extension for the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).
Commendation: Bigen Africa
Project: East London Industrial Development Zone Electrical Upgrade Commendation: Zutari
Project: Groote Schuur Estate Refurbishment for the COEGA Development Corporation
PROJECTS WITH A VALUE LESS THAN R50 MILLION
Winner: Naidu Consulting, MSW Consulting JV Project: Tongaat Water Treatment Works
Emergency Remediation Works for the eThekwini Municipality
Commendation: Zutari
Project: Compilation of the 15-Year Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan
BEST INTERNATIONAL PROJECT
Winner: ARQ Consulting Engineers
Project: Yusufeli Dam for Limak Construction
SA for DSi, the Turkish State Hydraulics Works
Commendation: AECOM
Project: ABSA Head Office in Zambia
Commendation: MPAMOT Africa
Project: Beitbridge Border Post Upgrade and Modernisation for Zimborders.
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION – HVAC BUILDING SYSTEMS DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Commendation: Maninga Engineering
Project: Test and Examination Centre: Part 1 –Flower Hall for the University of Witwatersrand
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION – WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH)
Commendation: Zutari
Project: Groote Schuur Estate Refurbishment for the COEGA Development Corporation
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD
Winner: BVi Consulting Engineers
SMALL/MEDIUM COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Winner: Koleko Solutions
MENTORING COMPANY OF THE YEAR Commendation: Naidu Consulting
MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Winner: Herman Cronje from SMEC South Africa
YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Mareli Botha Commendation: Darren Pillay Commendation: Stephen Rose
CESA JOB SHADOW INITIATIVE AND POSTER COMPETITION
For this competition, BVi Consulting Engineers were announced as the winner, while Mariswe, PRDW and AECOM, were named as first, second and third runnerup, respectively.
A WORD FROM THE PLATINUM TITLE SPONSOR
Responding to the array of projects entered, Aon South Africa CEO, Dr Nolwandle Mgoqi, said that as a long-standing sponsor of the awards, Aon has had the privilege of witnessing the significant socioeconomic contribution made by the engineering industry.
“Despite challenges and risks, the engineering industry continues to epitomise modernity and progress,” Dr Mgoqi concluded.
AKS Lining Systems offers a range of products used in diverse applications such as construction, wastewater and water treatment, landfill, mining, and environmental protection industries.
Since its inception in 2002, AKS Lining Systems has grown to become a competitive global producer of thermoplastic lining products. Currently, the company exports to more than 30 countries worldwide, with manufacturing operations centred in Cape Town and backed by comprehensive technical sales and aftersales support for the South African and SADC regions.
Tried and trusted
The company’s geomembrane range of products – fielded under the Geoliner brand – are manufactured from HDPE or LLDPE resins, which are considered chemically inert. “HDPE offers the highest broad-based chemical resistance in terms of a lining system and remains the liner of choice in aggressive containment structures,” explains Peter Hardie, technical and international sales manager for AKS Lining Systems.
Hardie asserts that although the standard HDPE 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm thick liners are mostly specified, more projects are utilising their textured liner range. Geoliner is supplied in 7 m wide rolls, with various surface finishes, such as smooth, textured, or mega textured.
“We offer a range of texturing options for our liners, and these are used extensively on some of the very large tailings and ash storage sites. The textured surface gives the design engineers superior performance options when looking at slope stability and other design criteria.”
Mega/Micro
A range the company is particularly proud of is the Mega/Micro product. This liner is manufactured with a high asperity or spike on the one side, and a smaller asperity on the other side. These being >1.1 mm on one side and >0.65 mm on the other side. This product offers design engineers some
A dam installation lined with AKS Lining Systems’ Geoliner system
Two decades of
INNOVATION IN THERMOPLASTIC LINING SOLUTIONS
advantages when reviewing friction interface requirements on their projects.
Conductive and reflective liners
“Our extruders also allow us to make some interesting products, where a different layer is extruded onto the top or the bottom of the sheet,” Hardie mentions. “These products are referred to as reflective liners.”
“Application examples could include where a white surface layer is extruded to the top, reflecting the sun and heat. Another possibility is a conductive liner, where the underside of the liner has a thin layer of conductive resin added to allow for comprehensive on-site quality control, after the liners are installed.”
The latest technology
AKS Lining Systems uses state of the art European manufactured extrusion lines. These large extruders are designed to utilise the latest technology and operate continuously and faultlessly. “We can achieve extrusion accuracies close to 3% across the full 7m width, where the current market trend is within a 10% range,” says Hardie.
AKS Lining Systems also utilises Low-Carbon Emission Technology to power its plant. The Cape Town based production plant has installed a 500 kW solar facility and has upgraded its power generation fleet to eliminate the impact of loadshedding and ensure continuous production. The company also makes use of energy efficient Cooling Facilities, which utilise non-potable groundwater in the cooling process.
Guaranteed quality
Peter Hardie, technical and international sales manager for AKS Lining Systems
AKS Lining Systems is ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring that
management systems and quality procedures are maintained and reviewed at the highest possible levels. These systems and procedures follow through right from resin suppliers, shipping and logistics, to finished product, testing and delivery.
“The resin that we use is imported, speciality geomembrane grade resin with a long track record in the industry. The resins also comply to, and in most instances exceed, the performance requirements for the GRI-GM13 and GRI-GM17 international standards, along with our own SANS 1526 requirements,” says Hardie, adding that the company has a comprehensive state-ofthe-art in-house laboratory to test and monitor the quality of all their products and resins.
“Our logistical team ensures expert handling and loading of trucks and containers, along with all the required export documentation. For identification, tracking and traceability, all Geoliner rolls are individually labelled and numbered. Our Manufacturing Quality Control system further ensures that we can trace each roll and its components right through from incoming resin, in-line production testing, QC testing and final MQC certification,” Hardie adds.
Open door policy
Product excellence and proactive industry engagement are core values. To ensure this, AKS Lining Systems has an open-door policy, allowing customers to inspect and review their product during manufacturing and testing, giving them peace of mind when materials start arriving on site.
For further information, please visit www.aks.co.za or email aksmarketing@aks.co.za
TO STOP CLOGGING, THINK SMALLER, NOT BIGGER
Clogging is a common cause of pump system problems. Objects in waste streams reach the pump’s impeller – the rotating mechanism that moves liquid.
These objects can cause damage, often jamming the mechanism or slowing it down. The results are never good, ranging from reduced performance to total shutdown, pump tripping, and motor burnout.
Engineers are very aware of clogging. Yet there is a lingering misconception on how to prevent clogging based on the size of large objects in wastewater streams. The real culprits behind clogging are persistently small ones, namely synthetic fibres and threads.
A Century-old rule
The pump world uses a century-old rule of thumb to determine clogging risks, namely that the pump’s throughlet (the passage containing the pump’s impeller) must be equal to or larger than any object that can be flushed down a toilet. Yet researchers have demonstrated that this “impeller passage diameter” rule has become less accurate in preventing clog situations.
“The biggest issue with the throughlet rule is that it focuses on large and hard objects as the main culprits behind clogs and impeller damage,” says Chetan Mistry, Xylem Africa’s strategy and marketing manager. “But a lot of research, including work by Xylem, shows that this idea is misdirected. Hard and heavy solids tend to settle in low-flow parts of pipe systems and rarely reach pumps. They are not the ultimate source of clogging problems.”
However, the rule is not redundant, says Mistry: it does help to have a
generous throughlet size. Such designs have sustained relatively good pump practices for decades.
Yet enlarging throughlet sizes create a considerable drawback. Such designs need different impeller designs that can operate with the larger area and avoid damage from large objects. Single-vane impellers and vortex impellers are the best options, but are also inefficient, harder on components such as bearings, and prone to becoming unbalanced.
The synthetic fibre problem
These performance sacrifices may be in vain because they still do not address the primary cause for clogging, namely cumulative synthetic fibres. Today, nearly two-thirds of produced fibres are synthetic. Wet wipes, cleaning rags, fibres such as nylon, vinyl, polyester, or rayon: many consumers flush these products down the toilet, or the fibres detach during washing cycles, entering the wastewater stream.
“Synthetic fibres are a pump’s version of death by a thousand cuts,” says Mistry. “Small bits of fibre snag onto the impeller. At first, there isn’t an obvious impact. But as the fibres collect on the impeller and its shaft, they start to slow it down and eventually create a tangle that damages the pump.”
The solution
Fortunately, there is a solution. Impellers with substantially backswept leading edges push solids to the periphery, where a relief groove in the insert ring ejects the matter into the
Chetan Mistry, Xylem Africa’s strategy and marketing manager
pump discharge channel. This selfcleaning system – first pioneered in Flygt N-Technology pump solutions –actively removes the different types of solids that otherwise contribute to clogs.
Depending on the environment, these newer impeller designs are between 25 and 64 percent more efficient than alternatives such as single-vane or vortex impellers. Xylem’s engineers have tested the concept repeatedly, resulting in a whitepaper that explores the new challenges behind clogging.
“The global need for solutions to transport and clean water is constantly growing,” says Mats Karlén, the paper’s co-author. “Helping to find ways of doing this more effectively and with improved energy efficiency is both a massive challenge and extremely rewarding. It’s clear that the amount of energy required to transport water could be significantly reduced by delivering improved sustained efficiency and higher clog resistance.”
De-clogging modern pumps
As Mistry concludes, to avoid clogs don’t focus on the throughlet size. Large objects are not the problem; buildups of fibres are the leading causes behind clogs. The right impeller design makes all the difference, keeping wastewater pumps running at their best for longer.
The quest to eradicate pit latrines in South Africa
Despite their unavoidable application in certain contexts, pit latrines pose numerous risks to life, health and safety, particularly in schools and areas lacking proper sanitation infrastructure, such as informal settlements.
By Robert Erasmus
As far back as 2019, the Department of Water and Sanitation launched a campaign called Khusela to abolish pit latrines by 2030. However, given the extensive challenges related to sanitation infrastructure, eradicating pit latrines is going to take time, particularly in rural areas. Nonetheless, this human rights issue must be squarely addressed, and functional sustainable alternatives given the proper prioritisation.
The shocking numbers
From a sanitation perspective, there are an estimated 380 schools in South Africa with no running water. Additionally, 3 392 schools still use pit latrines, which affects 34 489 teachers and 1 042 698 learners.
While it is difficult to ascertain exact population figures, it is estimated that there are still four million pit latrines in use by communities throughout the country, of which only two million are Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) toilets. The remainder are ordinary pits with or without covers.
VIP latrines generally incorporate a ventilation pipe that allows air to circulate through the pit. This helps to reduce odours and the breeding of flies. These latrines are also typically constructed with a more substantial exterior structure than ordinary pit latrines.
Endangering communities
The use of pit latrines can be perilous, and without proper maintenance or safety precautions, accidents such as falls, injuries, and even drownings occur. Inadequate waste management and poor sanitation practices can also lead to the transmission of waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, and dysentery.
Furthermore, pit latrines often lack essential sanitation facilities, such as handwashing stations or proper waste disposal systems, which results in unhygienic environments, poor personal hygiene practices, and an elevated risk of infections and diseases.
Challenging to service
Another key issue is that pit latrines gradually fill up over time, primarily with solid waste –most liquid waste evaporates or is absorbed into the soil.
Originally estimated to last seven to ten years, these latrines often require maintenance in just two to three years due to the significant amount of additional waste they receive. Decisions must then be made to either close the latrine and dig a new hole or seek servicing, a challenging task that involves treating the solid waste to create a more liquid environment before using a honey sucker or vacuum tanker to extract and dispose of the waste in a treatment plant. The remote locations of many facilities add to the complexity of the process. This highlights the urgent need for practical solutions.
Attainable, cost-effective alternatives
Given the sheer number of pit latrines out there currently, replacing them all with waterborne sanitation is simply not feasible in the short to medium term. Where it to happen now, this would require an additional one billion litres of water daily for flushing alone.
However, the upside is that a safer alternative to pit latrines has been developed and tested extensively by Sanitech and is ready for implementation in communities. It is a costeffective, dry sanitation unit that addresses health and safety shortfalls, installation difficulties and servicing problems, while ensuring that environmental and underground water contamination cannot occur.
The main structure consists of concrete and the door is made of injection moulded plastic, with a ventilation pipe to limit odours. The waste containment unit has a 1 500 litre bladder with
Robert Erasmus, managing director at Sanitech
a three to five year guaranteed life cycle, which can be removed without disabling the unit. A further plus is that the units are mobile, and no pit needs to be dug, which reduces installation costs and limits the abandonment of land.
containment, using a rotating bowl to dispose of waste, which prevents contact with faecal matter. Furthermore, the unit is sealed to prevent insects from entering or exiting the system and uses environmentally friendly
A cleaner, safer future
By prioritising the implementation of such practical and effective solutions, South Africa can significantly enhance the well-being and quality of life of its communities, making
Perspectives of Sanitech’s Khusela dry sanitation unit, which incorporates a handwashing station
While South Africa struggles under the burden of almost constant loadshedding, another problem, a shortage of water, is increasingly manifesting itself, creating headaches not only for consumers, but also the commercial and public sector property market, particularly large developments, which are all major municipal clients.
Backup systems designed to combat watershedding
Many South Africans are becoming familiar with the phenomenon of watershedding, where municipal water supplies are cut off for extended periods of time,” says Dr Gunter Rencken, technical director at WEC Projects, a local EPC contractor specialising in engineered solutions for water and wastewater treatment.
“There are a number of causes behind this, including deteriorating infrastructure, equipment theft, damage to pumping and treatment systems due to load shedding, extended loadshedding that sees reservoirs empty without being refilled due to pump outages, reductions in water quality, etc. These challenges are creating a perfect storm for commercial developments, traditionally heavy users of water, as it directly affects the viability of their businesses. It is not hard to imagine the problems created in a large development such as a shopping centre, office building or hospital when there is no water for toilets, human consumption, or fire suppression systems.”
Tanks on site
According to Rencken, the solution to this challenge is similar to that used to alleviate loadshedding – an uninterruptible or backup water supply that can operate until normal service is restored. “At its very basic level, installing backup water tanks onsite provides a simple solution to the problem. Another solution is to separate the plumbing system into potable drinking water and non-drinking water. After appropriate treatment, the waste (grey) water is then recycled for use
in non-drinking water applications (toilets, irrigation, etc),” he explains.
Yet another option is rainwater harvesting where rainwater is used for non-drinking water usage, as well as potable water, with the proper filtration, treatment and disinfection system in place. Borehole water is also an option in areas where there are sufficient, high quality groundwater resources.
“As an option for non-potable use, they are generally cost-effective (depending on factors such as depth and sustainable yield of borehole). In addition, with the integration of a treatment system, borehole water can be brought up to potable standards,” Rencken continues.
These are solutions that can be integrated into building plans at the design stage of a commercial development but, in many cases, this is simply not economically or physically possible for existing installations. Such water backup systems require considerable space for the storage tanks and there is also the issue of the additional plumbing required to integrate it into the building’s existing water reticulation system. While it is possible to integrate such solutions into existing buildings, factors such as size and design of building, floor space, number of users, and overall water consumption need to be considered to determine its economic and physical viability.
Biological responses
Onsite sewage treatment, i.e., treatment systems which feature small footprints and low operating costs, can also be considered for new and existing developments. At the outset
Water shortages are increasingly creating headaches for large commercial and allied public sector developments
it requires differentiating potable and non-potable water use.
WEC Projects offers a wide range of biological treatment options such as trickle filters, activated sludge and membrane/biological combination systems, as well as treatment and disinfection systems. Examples include sand filtration, activated carbon filtration and ultraviolet disinfection.
A segregated system sees water from wastewater sources recycled for use in toilets and other non-drinking applications. Such systems can be used on a continual basis (not just when water supplies are interrupted) and can realise considerable savings in overall water consumption, particularly in larger developments. However, such savings must be compared to the design and installation costs, particularly on an existing commercial development, before deciding to implement such a solution.
Reuse options
Wastewater can also be recycled and treated for reuse as potable water, but this requires a more sophisticated multi-barrier treatment system, including deodorisation and disinfection in order for the water to comply with applicable standards for consumption. This concept is gaining traction in Africa due to the low quality or scarcity of water in many regions. Such systems employ coagulation, flocculation, sand and/or activated carbon filtration and ultrafiltration membrane technology for the removal of particulate matter, organic compounds, microorganisms and viruses. In addition, membrane based reverse osmosis technology is used to remove contaminants such as dissolved salts, nitrates, ammonia, phosphates, etc. UV radiation and ozonation are commonly installed for the elimination of viruses. This is usually followed by chlorination or chlorine dioxide dosing as a final disinfection stage.
AOPs
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are an emerging technology that can also be used for the degradation of pollutants in wastewater. In a broad sense, AOPs are designed to remove organic and sometimes inorganic materials in water and wastewater by oxidation with hydroxyl radicals. They are also very effective in destroying harmful bacteria and viruses.
However, while AOPs can achieve the result of producing safe potable water, they are still regarded in many quarters as an extreme solution that is expensive. Irrespective, they may be the only solution available for generating safe potable water from “risky” wastewaters such as from hospitals.
It should also be stressed that if potable water is generated from wastewater, it is very important that the final produced water is continuously monitored to ensure potable water quality standards are maintained.
Adds Rencken, “Like loadshedding, watershedding is a reality for South Africa. While the larger metropolitan areas are usually spared the extremes of water outages, many small to medium municipalities are buckling under the twin challenge of power and water outages, which places a heavy burden on the commercial sector’s economic activities.”
“WEC Projects offers commercial users looking to mitigate the water shortage problem comprehensive advice and guidance in determining the viability of a solution, whether it be a simple storage or recycling system or a complete treatment plant for recycling and producing potable water. In addition, the company can develop a complete solution from design and engineering to construction, installation and operation according to particular requirements.”
River diversion brings Polihali Dam a step closer
The construction programme for Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) marked a major milestone on 4th August 2023 with the start of the Senqu River diversion works. This prepares the way for the establishment of a cofferdam upstream of the site where the Polihali Dam wall will be constructed.
“The plan is to complete the cofferdam before the end of October this year, according to the current master programme, and then to start on the main dam in earnest,” explains Chris Hall, project manager of the Matla a Metsi Joint Venture, which designed the Polihali Dam and is overseeing dam construction.
Construction of the Polihali Dam commenced in November 2022 with the awarding of the M7,68 billion construction contract to the SUN Joint Venture. Main partners include Sinohydro Bureau 8 (China), Sinohydro Bureau 14 (China), Unik Civil Engineering (South Africa) and Nthane Brothers (Lesotho), while subcontractors include Melki Civils and Plant
Dumping of materials to close the river flow ahead of the construction of a cofferdam upstream of the site where the Polihali Dam wall will be constructed
Hire (South Africa), MECSA Construction (South Africa), SIGMA Construction (Lesotho) and Kunming Engineering (China).
Concrete-faced rockfill structure
Like the majestic Mohale Dam constructed in Phase I of the LHWP, Polihali will be a concretefaced rockfill dam. Once completed, it will create a reservoir on the Senqu and Khubelu rivers with a surface area of 5 053 hectares, adding some 2 325 million m3 in storage capacity to the LHWP scheme.
Polihali Dam will also increase the current annual supply rate capacity from 780 to 1 270 million m3 to help meet South Africa’s increasing water needs. In turn, the additional flow of water from Polihali will simultaneously increase power generation within Lesotho, reducing the country’s dependence on electricity imports.
South Africa
Playing a leading role as women and engineers
Commemorated in August each year, South Africa’s National Women’s Day celebrates the strength and resilience of women and their contribution to society. Within the infrastructure space, they play an influential role, as illustrated by three exceptional women at AECOM, a multinational consulting firm with a strategic footprint globally, as well as in South Africa and Africa.
Liliana conceives, plans, and researches solutions for diverse geotechnical projects. She is also involved in team selection and shepherds projects through to completion. “Most importantly, I grow and mentor the young geotechnical engineers and geologists that are onboard.”
Liliana is a passionate civil engineer specialising in geotechnical engineering, with 20 years’ experience gained in Latin America, South and Central Africa, the Middle East and Oceania. Her extensive project experience ranges from small to large scale in sectors like water, mining, commercial and industrial developments.
Having worked at AECOM for over a decade, Liliana considers it a privilege to be able to work in a global, diverse and vibrant environment that shows one different perspectives. “AECOM has an inclusive culture and a supportive, multicultural environment. The opportunities afforded by working at such a global company in terms of experience and exposure is a real boost to one’s career,” says Liliana, who started out as a senior technical engineer and has developed her skillset and strengths ever since.
When it comes to the role of women in engineering, Liliana says gender should be irrelevant, and “our focus must solely be on expertise, creativity, and innovation.
Nevertheless, you do realise how little representation women have in my field, rooted to stereotypes, gender biases, and insufficient encouragement for women to pursue STEM careers.”
This means women in engineering “do have to go the extra mile to prove themselves” and to convince their male counterparts they are equally capable. “I try to focus on what I can contribute positively to any situation. I do find that AECOM excels at affording women equal opportunities. However, as a society, we do need to learn to remove labels and work with the strengths of every single person.”
Open communication channels are important for all employees to maintain their well-being, quality of life, and productivity. In this respect, AECOM has an ongoing campaign to promote a healthy, balanced workforce. “The flexibility to work from home means we get to spend more time with our loved ones and get our work done at the same time,” says Liliana.
What keeps Liliana passionate about engineering is contributing to and providing technical solutions for challenging and impactful projects that change people’s lives and have a greater influence on society.
“One of the biggest contributions that I can make as an engineer and as a woman is being able to be part of the solution to the challenges we face on a daily basis and inspire the upcoming generation of women who want to be part of this industry,” Liliana adds.
ANNERI MARITZ, TRANSPORT ENGINEER THANDIWE SIYAKATSHANA, BRIDGE ENGINEER
Anneri started out as a bridge engineer and has since become an integral part of the transportation team, from technical work to developing design proposals and documentation and managing a range of projects, including construction supervision. She has a Master’s degree in transportation, specialising in pedestrianisation.
“AECOM is a great company to gain experience in different roles. You get to explore all disciplines in the civil engineering sector, which is important when commencing with your career. This affords you the opportunity to determine where your passion really lies and what you need to achieve in terms of career progression. I have gained the experience and insight to become a better professional and to grow as an individual as well,” says Anneri.
She concurs that the industry remains male dominated, right from her civil engineering classes at university. “But that does not put a dampener on the experience I have of the industry as a woman. You gain valuable knowledge and learn how to work with an array of different people.”
For Anneri, being a woman is not necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage. “I think it does have its challenges when it comes to breaking the traditional stereotype of a civil engineer. However, given my experience, it is not really something that keeps you from advancing as an engineer.”
To be a good employee, a good engineer, and good at your technical capabilities, Anneri says you must be a balanced person. “It is a priority in my life to achieve this balance as it is essential for my professional and personal development. My objectives serve to renew my energy constantly. What better way to progress than to constantly set yourself goals? Also, if you have external hobbies, it allows you to focus on different aspects of your life and keeps you motivated.”
What keeps Anneri passionate about civil engineering “is to see the difference that infrastructure makes in the physical world we live in. It is a way of indirectly giving back and caring for the communities in which we operate. Being a caretaker is a role often ascribed to women. However, there are different ways of caring for people, some ways more obvious than others. This is what makes me passionate about my role as a woman in the civil engineering industry.”
Thandiwe started her career at AECOM legacy company BKS as a bursary student and has never looked back. “I have been with AECOM for a long time. It has been interesting to see how the industry continues to evolve and adapt, including the type of projects I get to work on.”
The experience has allowed Thandiwe to develop into a fully rounded professional engineer. “You are exposed to a lot of big projects and a pool of multinational resources drawn from different regions and skillsets, so it has been great.”
Thandiwe adds it has often been daunting, “not only being a black woman in the engineering field, but in any STEM-related career for that matter. There are unique challenges due to underrepresentation and historic disparity.” A related issue is the lack of role models to aspire women to break the glass ceiling in the engineering industry.
“It is always better when you know someone has achieved something that it is indeed possible for you to emulate them.”
Thandiwe has faced such challenges by focusing on networking and mentoring to gain as much experience as possible. She concurs that AECOM promotes a good life and work balance, especially for women, by allowing for a remote or hybrid work model. “It gives you clear boundaries and allows you to cope with the different responsibilities and duties of home and career life.”
As a woman, Thandiwe asserts that her simple presence at a project meeting shows diversity in action at AECOM. “Breaking barriers being in a historically male dominated field can also be very empowering. You are always motivated to challenge stereotypes to create a more inclusive work environment. Obviously overcoming such adversity is highly fulfilling, especially as you get the chance to empower others to pursue their ambitions and goals,” she says.
“Engineering is an exciting profession as it affords you the opportunity to be able to design and build infrastructure that creates a sustainable legacy for communities and society. My message to other women is to embrace their identities and to be as authentic as possible, which is key. Let that be a source of strength and inspiration to pursue all your own dreams and goals,” Thandiwe concludes.
RENEWABLE ENERGY EARLY ADOPTERS – WE’VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS
As South Africa struggles to find some form of power provision normalcy, it is encouraging to see how many businesses and homes are moving to renewable and alternative energy resources to substitute and stabilise energy demand and usage.
By Mark Freeman and Nishandra Baijnath
By and large, most of the renewable energy installations, particularly solar, are ticking all the boxes when it comes to realistically delivering on the promised returns, while transitioning to a greener source of energy. The market is becoming more educated, and the playing field competitive, as more providers emerge to meet the demands of this burgeoning industry.
But what about the early adopters, those businesses and even homes that started implementing renewable energy resources after South Africa first experienced its daily loadshedding (for two weeks) in January 2008?
The subsequent fallout of 2008 also saw dramatic hikes in power cost, which again encouraged businesses to use solar and other renewable resources, while relying on fossil fuel power generators as alternative
sources of energy to ensure continuity of business operations.
Fast forward to 2023 and these renewable sources – such as solar arrays – are no longer just a valuable cost saving, but also an integral part of keeping businesses running. This, coupled with a genset (diesel generator) of some sort, ensures that the business can power through the rolling blackouts that have become the de facto standard. However, this is also where we hit a snag.
Many of these systems are not equipped to seamlessly switchover from the grid to solar supply without some form of interruption, or to optimise the use of the genset to reduce the consumption of fuel.
A real-life example: your local shopping centre goes pitch dark for a few minutes every time loadshedding starts or the grid returns as a result of the operation to the automatic changeover unit to swing the load from the grid to the genet and then back again when the grid supply returns.
A genset is necessary to provide the critical voltage reference for the solar system, but this PV system does not communicate with the genset to reduce its output when the solar PV system has the capability to manage most
of the load. Not only is this frustrating, and even a bit unnerving, but the interruption in power supply inflicts havoc on PoS systems, HVACs, and other technologies.
New pieces of a puzzle
The reality is that older solar or other renewable systems do not offer smart and intelligent system integration. The limited functionality in these types of systems do not provide the flexibility required to manage multiple energy sources, while at the same time handling interconnected loads in the most efficient manner.
For a system to be smart, it must be able to communicate with the devices part of the system, while possessing the intelligence to manage the energy and power with interconnected loads operating in parallel with the grid, or disconnected from the grid in an islanded manner, all in real time.
A reference point
For solar energy to start running immediately, it needs a reference point, and this is where battery backup comes into play. Older grid inverters must also be replaced with hybrid inverters to allow for seamless switchover between various energy sources such as solar, batteries and grid.
Mark Freeman, offer manager: Digital Buildings, Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric Nishandra Baijnath, systems architect: Power Systems, Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric
Put in layman’s terms, a hybrid inverter uses DC power (from the solar panels or backup battery/ies) and converts it to AC power that is usable in your home or any other building that requires electrical energy. Alternatively, it can use AC power from the grid to convert to DC power, which is used to charge the batteries that store this energy in the form of DC power.
The second last piece of the puzzle is then battery energy storage. Due to the variability of solar power generation (due to unpredictable weather conditions, for example), it’s not always possible to use it as it’s generated. Batteries allow a means to store this generated energy for use at a later stage or facilitates the few seconds switchover from AC from solar to grid, and the other way around.
Power and energy management software Then, the last and very important piece of the puzzle is power and energy management software. At Schneider Electric our
For solar energy to start running immediately, it needs a reference point, and this is where battery backup comes into play.”
EcoStruxure Microgrid Operation power management system is located on site and provides the critical edge control necessary for the resilience and stability of the microgrid.
It is a real time system with deterministic algorithms to manage IEDs (intelligent electronic devices) and generators using the local SCADA/HMI and managing the state of operation for islanding and reconnection, thereby providing the stability and fuel reduction.
Furthermore, our EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor is a cloud-based Energy Management System (EMS) that manages the optimal use of energy resources. It features artificial intelligence (AI) for load/generation forecasting using machine learning (ML) and holistic optimisation.
This EMS uses a hybrid approach, with cloud and edge functionality for automatic optimisation of DER (distributed energy resources) operation by controlling when to consume, produce or store energy according to the applicable electricity tariff rate, while providing a web-based HMI for facility and energy managers. This further extends the functionality of the microgrid system for participation in demand response mechanisms like virtual power plants.
Once all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, i.e., hybrid inverter, battery storage and energy management, businesses will be able to truly reap the benefits of their initial investment in renewable energy, while enjoying a fuel cost reduction without reinventing the wheel.
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COOL PAVEMENTS SEEN AS IMPORTANT MEASURE TO REDUCE URBAN HEAT EMISSIONS
A bird’s eye view of a section of concrete highway in Poland
Concrete roads’ higher reflectance ratio – caused by its light-coloured surfaces – return a large part of the sun’s rays back to the atmosphere and is now being intensively studied as a measure to achieve cooler cities, says Bryan Perrie, CEO of Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA).
SAICE FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO BRYAN PERRIE
Bryan Perrie, CEO of Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA), has been made a Fellow of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE).
An international authority on concrete pavements, Perrie holds an MSc in civil engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, is a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering, a member of the Institute of Concrete Technology in the UK, and an Honorary Member – as well as past vice-president – of the International Society for Concrete Pavements, which has its head office in the USA.
Perrie has served CCSA and its predecessors for over 38 years and has been the CEO for the last 15 years. He was previously a board member of the Concrete Society of Southern Africa and is a past president of the South African Road Federation.
He has authored several books on concrete floors and concrete roads, written sections for various editions of Fulton’s Concrete Technology, and penned many papers – primarily on concrete pavements – for publication and presentation at local and international seminars, conferences and symposia.
Fellows of SAICE are corporate members of the Institution who have achieved appropriate recognition in the civil engineering profession or the Institution. The honour is bestowed on persons who are considered to have significantly contributed to the engineering profession, displayed substantial responsibility and initiative in the practice of civil engineering, and have considerable professional experience.
Perrie recently attended the 14th International Symposium on Concrete Roads in Krakow, Poland, at which the important role of concrete roads for sustainable, as well as resilient infrastructure was a major point of discussion.
He says with climate change now a major concern worldwide, research in many fields is focusing on ways of controlling the emission of heat. On hot summer days, for example, ambient conditions in urban areas can be 2 to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than the adjacent countryside, thus
turning built-up areas into “heat islands.” This can influence rainfall patterns, with higher rainfall downwind of cities compared to the upwind areas.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Concrete Sustainability Hub are studying how surfaces that ordinarily raise temperatures can instead lessen their intensity. Their research focuses on “cool pavements,” which reflect more solar radiation and emit less heat than conventional paving surfaces. Initial findings have been extremely encouraging.
Albedo effect
The reflectance ratio – or “albedo” effect – of reflected solar radiation to the amount that falls on the surface rates from 0 when no incoming radiation is reflected, to 1 when all incoming radiation is reflected.
“The average albedo of normal concrete is about 0.35, with reflectance values as high as 0.7 to 0.8 for white concrete. In contrast, dark materials, such as new asphalt, can have an albedo as low as 0.05,” Pierre explains. “In Arizona, the summer temperatures of adjacent concrete and asphalt roads were measured: concrete was a staggering 11 degrees Celsius cooler.”
He says using concrete, with its high heat reflectance ability, can lower average summer afternoon temperatures in surrounding buildings by as much as 3 degrees Celsius, cutting air-conditioning usage by as much as 18%.
Long-term benefits
“The potential increase in cost during the design and construction phases in providing a ‘green’ structure will generally be more than offset by the savings from reduced energy usage when concrete structures are used,” adds Perrie.
“Life-cycle cost analyses have shown that because of concrete’s durability, the whole life cost of many projects is lower when concrete is used as the major construction material,” Perrie concludes.
The incorporation of high albedo concrete products in exposed surfaces, such as roads and parking areas, can significantly reduce the heat island effect and lead to cooler urban areas
Almost 70% of AfriSam’s 30-day account customers have already registered and actively use ClickToGo
IS A GAMECHANGER ClickToGo
AfriSam’s development of a user-friendly online platform allows existing customers in South Africa to effortlessly order materials and manage their accounts.
“Our goal is to prioritise our customers and drive progress in the industry, and ClickToGo, our innovative e-experience platform, will empower our customers and enhances their interaction with us,” explains Ilonka de Magalhaes, customer experience manager at AfriSam.
ClickToGo offers a range of features designed for ease of use. Customers can easily view their orders, directly order from quotes, review their order history, access essential account documents and credit information, and track deliveries effortlessly. Additionally, super users can assign different roles and permissions to staff, facilitating seamless collaboration within organisations.
To date ClickToGo has gained significant interest, with positive feedback from customers. “We are delighted by the response to ClickToGo,” says Magalhaes. “Almost 70% of our 30-day account customers have already registered and actively use the platform.”
Cash account customers
Enhancing the customer experience further, AfriSam has integrated ClickToGo with its Online Payment Gateway. Cash account customers can now conveniently place orders and make payments in a single transaction.
ClickToGo also enables cash account customers to apply for a credit facility directly through the platform. Additionally, 30-day account customers can now request credit limit increases online.
“We aim to redefine the customer experience and cement our position as an industry leader through this innovative e-experience platform,” de Magalhaes concludes.
The ClickToGo e-experience platform offers a range of features, providing a seamless and convenient experience for customers
JCB rollers deliver on ALS landfill contract
Based in Potchefstroom, North West province,
ALS Equipment Hire is an industry leader in the fields of mining, bulk earthworks, road construction and a host of other disciplines that include landfill management, led by managing director, Johan Janse van Rensburg, and group operations manager, Malan le Roux.
Recent plant acquisitions include JCB backhoe loaders, supplied and supported by Bell Equipment, for niche applications.
“Most plant hire companies have backhoe loaders of one make or the other, but very few have the experience to effectively use that and other equipment that will provide a lasting solution to a problem a client may have,” explains Janse van Rensburg.
ALS Equipment Hire has a policy to replace equipment at approximately 7 000 hours. Some older machines are at times moved to the group’s award-winning farming operations, where production demands aren’t that critical, while others are traded in on new models. In September 2022, two backhoe loaders and two rollers that had reached these respective limits were sold out of hand with full service histories.
Buyer research
When deciding on replacement backhoe loaders and rollers, ALS Equipment Hire researched the market thoroughly but, in the end, relied on the experience of Bell Equipment sales representative, Kobus van Niekerk, with whom they have built a solid business relationship stretching over many years.
“Kobus, who with his extensive product knowledge we’ve come to trust, told us all about Bell Equipment now being the South African distributor for the market leading JCB backhoe loader and roller ranges. Although we’ve never owned any equipment from the JCB stable, we were happy to buy some machines as they came from a reputable manufacturer, which was further backed up by Bell Equipment with whom we’ve enjoyed a long business relationship,” Janse van Rensburg continues.
One of ALS Equipment Hire’s recently acquired JCB 116D rollers in operation at a JB Marks Municipality landfill site
The machine models in question were two JCB 3CX backhoe loaders and two JCB 116D rollers, one with a smooth drum and the other a padfoot roller.
Since the four machines’ arrival in November 2022, they have apparently seldom seen the inside of ALS Equipment Hire’s yard, such is their demand. The two JCB 3CX backhoe loaders have been used on civil constructions sites, where their uses are never-ending, from stockpiling building material, digging trenches for services, loading building rubble onto tipper trucks, and various other housekeeping functions.
Heavier rollers with vibratory capacity, such as the JCB 116D roller, are thought to be hard to find in the plant hire industry, so with the purchase of the two JCB machines, with different drums, ALS Equipment Hire believes they have the edge in their operational area.
Landfill operations
“About 18 months ago, we landed a contract to manage the main solid waste dump site for the local JB Marks Municipality, and after careful consideration, we knew exactly what equipment we’d need to effectively manage this site, where up to 180 truckloads of waste are dumped every day,” say Janse van Rensburg.
For this operation, ALS Equipment Hire has deployed two older Bell B30D articulated dump trucks with large volume coal bins equipped to haul the big loads of household and light industrial waste brought to the site. Another fabricated wheel loader from a mining site does the grunt work of building berms to contain the
Johan Janse van Rensburg, managing director of ALS Equipment Hire (left), with Malan le Roux, the group operations manager
layers of waste, but the real star of the show is the newest addition to that working fleet – the JCB 116D padfoot roller. With its almost 16 tonnes of operational weight, the roller compacts the layers of waste quickly and effectively, after which the layers are covered with soil.
“Our thinking has been that using this fleet on the solid waste site is effective and, should we finish the contract and move on to other sites, we’d be able to use this same equipment in civil construction, road building, and bulk earthworks as well, so making full use of its versatility,” Janse van Rensburg explains.
“But proving our effective use of the equipment comes by virtue of the fact that a recent audit of our performance showed that in 18 months our compliance had risen from 17% at the start of the contract to 87% as we stand now and we’re pretty proud of that!”
Janse van Rensburg makes a firm point that it was due to his company’s long business relationship with Bell Equipment, stretching over 30 years, and the mutual trust that exists between the companies, that gave them the confidence to buy a brand of equipment that they may not have owned before.
“We’re aware now that JCB is an innovative company that has kept pace with new technology that has been incorporated into its equipment, especially in the 116D rollers, and knowing that we can rely on Bell Equipment for technical backup wherever we work in the country makes it all worthwhile,” Janse van Rensburg concludes.
Bell introduces mid-range BETA Parts
Identifying a need in the market for a middle-range parts offering, Bell Equipment has launched Bell Equipment Trusted Alternative (BETA) Parts to give its customers a convenient and competitive alternative for their more mature Bell machines, or when faced with budget constraints.
“BETA Parts has been designed to bridge the gap between new Bell Parts – being our premium quality parts designed to OEM specifications and used in production – and Bell ReMan, which are major components that have been remanufactured to meet OEM specification,” explains Aldo Mayer, Bell Equipment director: Aftermarket and Logistics.
New Bell Parts and Bell ReMan carry a one year/unlimited hours warranty, while BETA Parts have a six month/1 000 hour warranty. At the other end of the scale, Bell Used Parts are also available, but do not carry a warranty.
BETA Parts was first piloted with starter motors and alternators, which were offered to a sample group of customers. They responded positively to the opportunity to be able to buy cheaper parts from Bell, proving the business case.
Subsequently, the BETA Parts offering is now being rolled out throughout South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This will be followed by the rest of the global Bell Equipment dealer network.
“Choosing BETA Parts simplifies the purchasing process, offering a one-stop-shop experience that eliminates the need for customers to search and compare prices from multiple suppliers in their quest for savings,” adds Mayer.
By offering BETA Parts, Bell Equipment ensures that customers also have a wider range of options to suit their specific needs, as well as the ease and assurance of dealing directly with their OEM’s dealer network, which has branches located throughout South Africa.
BETA Parts have a six month/1 000 hour warranty
With its almost 16 tonnes of operational weight, the roller compacts the layers of waste quickly and effectively, after which the layers are covered with soil
One of two JCB 3CX backhoe loaders recently acquired by ALS Equipment Hire
Aldo Mayer, Bell Equipment director: Aftermarket and Logistics
Water Institute of Southern Africa wisa@wisa.org.za
Wam Technology CC support@wamsys.co.za
Wilo South Africa marketingsa@wilo.co.za
WRCON ben@wrcon.co.za
WRP ronniem@wrp.co.za
Zutari Rashree.Maharaj@Zutari.com
Intelligent crushing delivers quality aggregates
Designed especially for aggregates production, the Lokotrack LT120 mobile jaw crusher can take the lead in a multi-stage crushing process or function as a standalone unit. And with its track-mounting, it can also smoothly navigate within a quarry and be easily transported between sites.
Key to the production process is the machine’s Nordberg C120 crushing unit – purpose-designed for crushing hard rock types such as granite, basalt and gneiss. The crusher’s generous feed opening ensures outstanding capacity, further complemented by an excellent nip angle and aggressive linear stroke. Moreover, the hydraulic drive provides trouble-free operation and allows the crusher direction to be altered in case of blockage, helping to clear the cavity.
Powered by a Cat engine, production efficiencies are further enhanced by the unit’s Metso IC process control system. The latter optimises crushing outcomes, offers single button start and stop, built-in troubleshooting and various parameter selections.
All Lokotrack mobile crushers in the same crushing process can connect with Metso IC. Moreover, the entire process can be conveniently monitored and controlled from the excavator cabin with Metso ICr remote control software.
Noise reduction in built-up areas
For applications that entail work in built-up residential areas, Lokotrack machines are also available as noise and dust encapsulated Urban Series mobile crushers. These comply with stricter noise and dust regulations, enabling crushing closer to the public.
Additionally, the Lokotrack LT120E variant is powered by electricity, providing operators with the flexibility of plugging into the grid for quiet, emission-free, and economical scalping in urban zones.
Lokotrack LT120 can be used as the first crusher in a multistage crushing process or as a standalone unit
Supplied locally by Pilot Crushtec, the Lokotrack LT120 has earned a reputation for performance and durability, which is backed by a five year or 10 000 hour warranty
The
Egypt’s Rsquared Construction chooses Lintec
for major highway project
A Lintec CSD2500B containerised asphalt batching plant has completed its first job on an important municipal highway contract in Aswan, Egypt.
The plant belongs to Rsquared Construction, one of Egypt’s leading privately owned construction and infrastructure companies. It played a crucial role in building the approximately 3 km long Semad Highway connecting Aswan’s industrial estates to the Cairo–Cape Town Highway.
Installed in January 2023, the Lintec CSD2500B began production in February and mixed over 300 000 tonnes of asphalt for the project, with an average output of 500 tonnes per day. While impressive, this performance is well within the plant’s capacity, given its ability to deliver between 140 and 160 tph at its maximum.
The plant will now be moved to another project, supporting Rsquared’s ambitious business expansion plans. “We bought this plant with the aim of expanding our operations and opening a new branch in Upper Egypt,” explains Mohamed Abdel Raouf Hussein, CEO and founder of Rsquared Construction. “Having the plant there will be a major attraction for projects and will help secure more work in the area.”
Deconstruction equipment
A key reason behind Rsquared’s purchasing decision was the ease with which Lintec CSD models can be dismantled before traveling to the next project. The modular design – built entirely within 100% ISO certified sea containers – lends itself to efficient, economical transportation, and makes the plants ideal for short and longterm projects. Their flat, rigid design also speeds up installation by eliminating the need for concrete foundations.
Lintec facilitates smooth setup by preassembling each plant at the manufacturing stage, before subjecting them to rigorous testing to ensure the highest reliability. In addition, the containerised design provides the internal components with a
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high level of protection against the elements, while reducing noise and dust emissions.
On the Aswan project, one of Rsquared’s challenges was coping with the tropical desert climate, with its harsh, sandy conditions that can easily damage unprotected equipment. But thanks to the intelligent design of the Lintec CSD2500B, there were no such concerns for the contractor, with the mixing plant maintaining the highest quality production in temperatures that often pass 30 degrees Celsius.
Easy access to all levels via walkways and staircases helps to reduce downtime when maintenance is required, while limiting access to one central, lockable security entrance was also important given the tight space available.
“The congestion made it harder for us to work, but we have been involved in the roads and bridges sector since 1981, so it wasn’t a first for
us – we have completed many projects under similar conditions,” Hussein continues.
The fuel savings provided by the double screen drum technology were another attraction for Rsquared. The combination of heating and screening of minerals in a single process unit eliminates the need for a hot elevator and vibrating screen, thereby significantly reducing energy costs and maintenance requirements.
“This was an essential project for the Aswan Governorate and part of the presidential initiative to provide a higher living standard for the people of Upper Egypt,” adds Tony Chakra, regional sales manager (Middle East & Africa) at Lintec & Linnhoff.
“So, in addition to the high equipment requirements, Rsquared placed great importance on production safety and stability. Of course, with our German engineering heritage, Lintec has gained widespread recognition from customers for this, as well as for batching accuracy and mobility performance,” Chakra concludes.
The Lintec CSD2500B has produced over 300 000 tonnes of asphalt to help build the Semad Highway connecting Aswan’s industrial estates to the Cairo–Cape Town Highway
Mohamed Abdel Raouf Hussein, CEO and founder of Rsquared Construction
