Base mineral miller and pro- cessor African Pegmatite has been awarded a contract to replace the chemicals used in the filtration process at South African producer Illovo Sugar’s Noodsberg Dalton mill, in northern Zululand.



The company was awarded the contract based on the success of a similar project conducted at Illovo Sugar’s mill in Malawi. The two products used are synthetic anthracite and maddox granular manganese catalyst.



The synthetic anthracite replaces the bone ash used to remove inorganic and organic suspended solids in the filter media. Synthetic anthracite is a local product used specifically in the water- filtration industry. It has low-bulk density and high strength, which adds to the longevity of the product. This product removes 500 ppm of suspended solids from the water in the deep bed filter at the Dalton mill.



African Pegmatite MD Edward Wenger says that the use of the anthracite has saved some R400 000 in costs, which Illovo Sugar has had to outlay to import bone ash into the country.



He adds that, by using synthetic anthracite, unlike the bone ash, which contains animal pigmentation, it is no longer necessary to go to the expense of hiring the services of religious individuals of the Muslim and Jewish faith to ensure that the sugar meets the dietary requirements of these religious groups.



Maddox granular manganese cata- lyst replaces the ion exchange resin used to decolourise the sugar. This product is formulated from manganese ore and is activated in a special propriety furnace, which is capable of removing iron, manganese, aluminium salts, tannins, chlorides and hydrogen sulphide from water through oxidation and filtration.

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