From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.
Sashnee Moodley:
Mining technology integration partner Dwyka Mining Services launched US-based robotics developer Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot, known as Spot, in South Africa last year. Creamer Media contributing editor Donna Slater attended the launch.
Sashnee Moodley:
The dog-like robot can perform a variety of tasks and is designed to undertake several of them in a fully-autonomous manner thanks to Spot’s 360 degree field of view and collision-avoidance systems.
Spot was launched at the Gold Reef City Theme Park, which gave Dwyka Mining Services access to the old Crown Mines shaft, where Spot’s underground mining capability was showcased. Dwyka Mining Service CEO and founder talks to Creamer Media’s Donna Slater about Spot’s capabilities.
Dwyka Mining Services CEO and founder Jamie van Schoor:
Dwyka Mining Services operations director Rethabile Letlala:
Sashnee Moodley:
Food and beverage manufacturer Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region has piloted an industrial-scale, artificial intelligence-driven plant that reduces carbon dioxide emissions, recycles wastewater and creates sustainable green products from production processes at its Industrial Park, in Hammanskraal. Natasha Odendaal tells us more.
Natasha Odendaal:
The industry-first pilot project leveraged partner Emissions Capture Company’s WhiteBox technology, a machine learning-based system that captures CO2 from flue gas emissions.
Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region corporate communications and public affairs director Saint-Francis Tohlang:
Natasha Odendaal:
Data collected from the industrial scale pilot to date, which has been in successful operation for over 8 000 hours, combined with machine learning techniques, demonstrates that WhiteBox can capture between 25% and 70% of Scope 1 CO2 emissions, mostly through direct air capture and energy-efficient gas processing, using low-fuel consumption methods.
Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region corporate communications and public affairs director Saint-Francis Tohlang:
Natasha Odendaal:
The green products can be sold directly for animal feed, human food, consumer goods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals or used to eliminate sulphur dioxide emissions without the need for water.
Emissions Capture Company WhiteBox Director Greg Meneses:
Natasha Odendaal:
The success of the industry-first technology on the African continent is taking Nestle to the next phase, where the company will be looking to scale this operation to other factories to deliver significant reductions in Scope 1 emissions in the East and Southern Africa Region.
Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region corporate communications and public affairs director Saint-Francis Tohlang:
Sashnee Moodley:
That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.