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Chemicals

Sasol and Air Liquide initiate first phase of 900 MW renewables procurement process

By: Terence Creamer 13th April 2021 Sasol and Air Liquide have formally announced plans to jointly procure 900 MW of renewable-energy capacity from independent power producers (IPPs) by 2030 and have issued a request for proposal (RFP) through which they aim to procure an initial 600 MW this year. The transaction, the companies... →

Increase in tanks demand presents challenges

By: Darren Parker 9th April 2021 Despite a global increase in stainless steel tanks production over the past 12 months – particularly for the food and beverage sectors – some subsectors are facing challenges, says stainless steel supplier Columbus Stainless market development manager Lerato Mashigo. “The food and beverage sector... →

AGES LIKE A FINE WINE Over the recommended life span of a structure, stainless steel becomes more economical because of reduced maintenance and refurbishment required

Nyanza Light Metals invests R4.5bn in titanium dioxide plant at Richard’s Bay IDZ

By: Yvonne Silaule 8th April 2021 Chemicals manufacturing company Nyanza Light Metals has invested R4.5-billion on the construction of a plant to produce titanium dioxide at the Richard’s Bay Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), in KwaZulu-Natal. The announcement was made by Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube during a Public Sector... →

AECI, Origin Materials expands existing environment-friendly partnership

By: Simone Liedtke 7th April 2021 JSE-listed chemicals group AECI and sustainable materials-focused company Origin Materials have expanded their existing joint agreement to develop low-carbon materials based on renewable chemistry. AECI has been a strategic investor in Origin Materials since 2017. →

Conveyor Belt fire system to be awarded international certification

By: Halima Frost 2nd April 2021 Leading fire suppression company, I-CAT, has successfully completed and passed all required tests to obtain a verified certification from the UK national standards body, British Standards Institution (BSI) on its conveyor belt system. “I-CAT, the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the... →

HOT NEWS The Conveyor belt suppression system developed by I-CAT will be the first of its kind to obtain BSI Verification

J&J to produce 220m vaccine doses for Africa

By: Yvonne Silaule 30th March 2021 US multinational corporation Johnson & Johnson has signed a contract to deliver 220-million vaccine doses to Africa, with South Africa to receive 30-million doses. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement this week, saying he was pleased that J&J had signed a contract with the Africa... →

AECI sets 2025 sustainability targets

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th March 2021 Chemicals group AECI has set itself six group-specific sustainability targets for 2025, as shared in the company’s first-ever sustainability report published on March 26. The sustainability report includes a sustainability framework with ten overarching goals for “a better world” in the areas... →

AECI CEO Mark Dytor

Sasol, Eskom achieve dismal results in emissions benchmark study

By: Donna Slater 24th March 2021 Investor engagement initiative on climate change Climate Action 100+ (CA100+) issued its first Net Zero Company Benchmark of the world’s biggest corporate emitters, including petrochemicals and chemicals producer Sasol and State power utility Eskom. However, in a response to questions by... →

Biogas holds great power generation potential

By: Halima Frost 19th March 2021 South Africa has the potential to generate upwards of 10 000 MW of power if it were to harness and capitalise on all biogas opportunities, however, the greatest challenge is not a lack of capacity but more the lack of market opportunity, says Southern African Biogas Industry Association (Sabia)... →

POWER-TENTIAL Biogas has the potential to contribute significantly to the power mix in South Africa and globally

Survey shows notable increase in those willing to get Covid-19 vaccine

By: Donna Slater 12th March 2021 Just over one year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, a new World Economic Forum (WEF)/Ipsos survey found notable increases in people’s intention to take a Covid-19 vaccination, with a majority wanting to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Adults who strongly or... →

Aspen Pharmacare to supply J&J's Covid-19 vaccine by end-June

By: Reuters 12th March 2021 Aspen Pharmacare plans to start supplying Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine doses from its facility in South Africa before the end of June, its chief executive said on Friday. Stephen Saad told Reuters in an interview that the technology transfer from J&J has "gone very well and we are now... →

Sasol says unit's dollar-denominated notes offering oversubscribed more than 3 times

By: Reuters 12th March 2021 South African petrochemical firm Sasol said on Friday an offering of dollar-denominated senior notes by its unit was oversubscribed more than three times for a total orderbook of $4.60-billion. The offering consisted of $650-million of senior notes due 2026 and $850-million of senior notes due... →

Petrochemicals plant demolition under way

By: Darren Parker 12th March 2021 Demolition contractor Jet Demolition is wrapping up a petrochemical demolition project valued at about R20-million. Jet Demolition project manager André Botes tells Engineering News that the project, which started in September last year, was a welcome relief from an extremely challenging 2020. →

COLD CUTS Jet Demolition holds a number of highly specialised cold-cutting demolition tools and attachments for its fleet of demolition machines.

Compounder adds new plant capacity

By: Darren Parker 12th March 2021 Speciality compound producer Continental Engineering Compounds has invested R25-million in building a new specialised production line at its Westmead factory, in KwaZulu-Natal. The added capacity will help the company to increase supply of locally manufactured compounds used for packaging,... →

EXTRA, EXTRA The capacity expansion will assist in terms of local supply to the industrial and automotive sectors

Production plant upgrade heralds next-gen coolant

By: Darren Parker 12th March 2021 Local petroleum and petrochemical products manufacturer African Oil Blending Corporation (AOBC) has secured about R130-million to repurpose and upgrade its Harrismith lubricant blending production facilities, in the Free State, pivoting to manufacture water-based and monoethylene glycol- (MEG-)... →

Photo by Adobe
COOL STUFF South Africa is a good location for water-based coolants because ambient temperatures seldom drop below freezing point

Czech chemicals company expanding into Africa, the Americas

By: Simone Liedtke 11th March 2021 Czech-based Draslovka Holdings will be expanding its footprint into Africa and the Americas. The company, a family-owned group producing cyanide-based specialty chemicals, has developed a new proprietary hydrogen cyanide reactor, which has been successfully operating in a production facility, in... →

Eskom, Sasol face government ultimatum to meet emission limits

By: Bloomberg 10th March 2021 Eskom Holdings and Sasol, South Africa’s two biggest polluters, must comply with emission limits even if it costs them tens of billions of rand, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said. The companies, which use coal to produce electricity and gasoline respectively, have sought to avoid... →

Chieta provides R1.64m in funding to universities

By: Schalk Burger 9th March 2021 The Chemical Industry Education and Training Authority (Chieta) will provide two South African universities with R1.64-million to support chemical industry research, innovation and work-integrated learning initiatives, as well as contribute towards curbing youth unemployment. The Sefako Makgatho... →

Probe finds Mpumalanga, Gauteng hydrogen sulphide levels above WHO recommendations

By: Schalk Burger 1st March 2021 An ongoing probe by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to determine the cause of the high levels of air pollution reported in Mpumalanga and Gauteng during the week of February 11 to 17 has determined that sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels were in compliance with ambient... →

AECI’s diversification strategy helped to deliver solid 2020 performance amid challenging year

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th February 2021 JSE-listed chemicals group AECI has declared a final cash dividend of 470c apiece for the year ended December 31, 2020, despite a 55% year-on-year decrease in profit from operations to R917-million. The total ordinary dividend for 2020 was 570c apiece, unchanged from the total dividend for 2019. →

Photo by Creamer Media
AECI CEO Mark Dytor

Sasol upscales renewables roll-out ambition to 900 MW, starts plotting big green-hydrogen role

By: Terence Creamer 22nd February 2021 JSE-listed Sasol announced on Monday that it would pursue a 900 MW renewable-energy roll-out at its Secunda and Sasolburg complexes by 2030, raising its initial deployment target of 600 MW by 50%. President and CEO Fleetwood Grobler said that the upscaled plan would be pursued in partnership with... →

The Secunda complex, in Mpumalanga

Sasol abandons rights issue as it secures $3.3bn from asset disposals

By: Terence Creamer 22nd February 2021 Chemicals and energy group Sasol confirmed on Monday that it would no longer pursue a rights issue in light of progress made, through assets sales and cost savings, to shore up its debt-laden balance sheet. In a recorded results presentation, president and CEO Fleetwood Grobler said that the... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Sasol CEO Fleetwood Grobler

Business gears up to support mass-vaccination campaign despite variant setback

By: Donna Slater 19th February 2021 While government’s belated, yet accelerating, efforts to secure enough doses of an effective Covid-19 vaccine to begin a phased mass vaccination roll-out gathers momentum, several business organisations are finalising their plans to support the endeavour – one that is seen as crucial for creating... →

Crime and (no) punishment: Why Africa's ports are vulnerable to counterfeit Covid vaccines

By: News24Wire 18th February 2021 Black-green tears of moss streak the facades of once-white buildings. The city is a maze of narrow streets, some cobbled with sea-stones, calcified by the centuries that have passed since they were laid. The air, always humid, is aromatic with sweet spices and fish, salt-washed from the nearby... →

SME development programme to benefit the local chemicals sector

By: Schalk Burger 9th February 2021 Chemicals sector education and training body the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (Chieta) and the University of Johannesburg Centre of Entrepreneurship have launched a small business development programme to help grow the number of small and medium-sized (SME) chemicals... →

Sasol, GrnCat welcome success of solution to recover wax from spent catalysts

By: Donna Slater 9th February 2021 In keeping with its goal of responsible production and consumption, petrochemicals and chemicals manufacturer Sasol and waste management company GrnCat, have partnered on the recovery ofwax from spent catalysts. Since the GrnCat plant was commissioned in 2018, Sasol has recovered and reused more... →

DuPont covers used to protect Covid-19 vaccines

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 5th February 2021 The arrival of the first AstraZeneca vaccine doses in South Africa on February 2 was a significant moment for the country, says chemicals company DuPont, which notes that its Tyvek AirCargo covers were used to offer a critical level of protection by completely enveloping the pallet containing the... →

Lubricants offered for high temperatures

5th February 2021 Lubrication products used in certain applications are subjected to much harsher conditions or higher temperatures than others. This is why lubrication specialist Lubrication Engineers (LE) believes in continuously improving its products and creating solutions for particular applications. →

Pumps design to handle flow, pressure of liquids

5th February 2021 Engineering solutions provider BMG’s SEIM spindle screw pumps efficiently handle a range of liquids – such as oils – at different flows and various pressures. BMG is the exclusive distributor of manufacturer SEIM screw pumps throughout Africa. →

ALL CLEAR The design of these low-maintenance units prevents the possibility of pollutants being released into the medium

Growth in use of bioplastics must be part of holistic policy approach to sustainability, says TIPS

By: Schalk Burger 2nd February 2021 South Africa must leverage a range of policy interventions, from developing new production inputs, incentives and taxes, to public procurement and consumer engagement initiatives, to effectively tackle plastic waste and secure sustainable social, environmental and economic benefits from the use... →

Energy multinational outlines South Africa’s $100bn green hydrogen export opportunity

By: Terence Creamer 2nd February 2021 French energy multinational Engie says that South Africa is ideally positioned, by virtue of its solar and wind endowments, to emerge as a global leader in the production of green hydrogen and derivative carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals, which could generate domestic and export revenues worth... →

Eskom, Sasol rebuffed, Creecy says as she fights pollution suit

By: Bloomberg 2nd February 2021 Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creec said she rejected pleas for leniency from senior executives at the country’s two biggest air polluters as she responded to a lawsuit that says her office has breached constitutional rights to clean air. In a 260-page answering affidavit to a lawsuit... →

Sasol to report higher interim EPS, HEPS but lower Ebitda

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th January 2021 Petrochemicals giant Sasol expects to deliver a strong set of results for the six months ended December 31, 2020, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a severe decline in crude oil prices and softer chemical product sales. Additionally, the company’s Lake Charles production, in the US,... →

Covid-19 pandemic brings health inequalities, inequities into sharper focus, says NPC

By: Simone Liedtke 28th January 2021 The Covid-19 crisis has brought into sharper focus the realities and experiences of the poorest people of South Africa, which also brings into sharper focus the existing and more recent health inequalities and inequities, National Planning Commission (NPC) commissioner Professor Viviene Taylor... →

Investment firms offer help to recapitalise Ascendis

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th January 2021 JSE-listed pharmaceuticals company Ascendis Health has advised of Blantyre Capital and L1 Health's interest to have the company be recapitalised, instead of it continuing to pursue a divestment strategy. The divestment strategy was effected to reduce the highly-leveraged position of Ascendis... →

UFS to undertake trial to determine efficacy of Ivermectin for treating Covid-19

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 25th January 2021 University of the Free State (UFS) clinical research company FARMOVS, together with several medical and scientific experts at the university, is in the process of preparing a clinical trial protocol to determine the efficacy of Ivermectin for treating Covid-19 in a randomised, controlled study... →

Positive and passionate Kim Pratley passes away

By: Schalk Burger 22nd January 2021 South African industrial chemicals and supplies manufacturer Pratley has announced the passing of CEO and MD Kim Pratley on January 19. “As a company, we mourn the passing of our beloved father, dedicated MD, mentor, friend and colleague. His passing leaves a deep hole in the lives of everyone... →

Kim Pratley

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