Tenova Takraf Africa, part of the global Tenova Mining & Minerals Group, reports that it has seen an increase in demand for air-pollution-control systems from businesses that operate within South Africa and other regions. The company designs and supplies globally sourced air-pollution-control solutions and equipment to the mining, bulk handling, cement and a range of other industries on the continent.

Tenova Takraf Africa air environment manager Jimmy Tomlin tells Engineering News that over the last 40 years, the company has installed more than 2 700 air-pollution-control solutions and related systems in Africa, including in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mali.

“With the increased stringency of recently released national air-quality regulations in South Africa, we have noticed an upswing in demand from, not only the mining industry but also, general industries across the board. Currently, we are preparing quotations for several projects for fume-extraction and dust-control systems,” he explains.

Promulgated in the South African Government Gazette, South Africa’s air-quality regulations are additions to the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (Nemaqa). The Act is aimed at imposing a carbon emissions tax and also enforcing gas-emissions limitations that are on par with global standards.

“As is the case globally, pressure on industry from governmental institutions and civil society to reduce air pollution and its carbon footprint is steadily increasing. As a result, companies are either introducing new or upgrading their air-pollution-control technologies,” elaborates Tomlin.

He further highlights that Tenova Takraf Africa designs, manufactures and supplies its solutions and systems according to the new regulations, through matching unique client needs to the regulated requirements, then providing the best solution for full compliance. In addition, the company offers its clients full support after-sales service.

“We have also noted a significant increase in orders for spares and maintenance of existing systems; for instance, we are providing quotations for the refurbishing of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), installed in 1992,” he says.

Implats Project
Tenova Mining & Minerals South Africa was awarded a contract in July last year to construct a Boiler Emissions Abatement (BEA) plant. The award for the plant was for platinum miner Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) refinery in Springs, near Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tomlin states that the BEA Plant project is believed to be the first of its kind in Africa. It is also the largest air environmental plant order that Tenova Takraf Africa has received to date.

“The Implats BEA project will result in installation of an integrated plant that can efficiently and effectively remove pollutants, such as fly ash particulate, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from boiler flue gas. Further, to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the plant will reduce particulate matter from the boiler flue gas to less than 25 mg/Nm3, SO2 to less than 200 mg/Nm3 and NOx to less than 150 mg/Nm3,” he explains.

Other Projects
Tenova Mining & Minerals South Africa is working on a project to supply reverse pulse bag filters to replace existing ESPs at Pretoria Portland Cement’s (PPC) slurry facility in Mahikeng, in the North West, and at its De Hoek cement plant, in the Western Cape. The slurry facility contract was awarded in July 2013, while the De Hoek contract was awarded in September last year. Both are due for completion at the end of this month.

“Replacing the ESPs with reverse pulse bag-filter technology is part of PPC’s company-wide initiative to upgrade its dust control systems. The initiative is in line with the company’s ongoing commitment to ensure a safe and clean working environment for its employees and to meet Nemaqa requirements. “
Our scope of work on both contracts covers design, supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and performance testing of the bag filters, as well as demolishing of the existing ESPs,” explains Tomlin.

“The technology employed in the reverse pulse bag filter handles flow rates that start at 0.5 m3/s to 100 m3/s. Further, the technology enables collection of dust at high filter rates, at collection efficiencies of 99.99 % and, the reverse pulse bag-filter system is fully automated and self-cleaning. In addition, the system ensures that all dust stays within the system, thereby boosting recovery, while ensuring that the operation does not contribute to polluting the environment,” concludes Tomlin.