The excitement was written in people’s eyes as they witnessed how carbon dioxide can be captured and presented as white solid materials using the pilot plant during the official handover and launching ceremony of analytical equipment as well as the pilot plant at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre n Bellville Campus.
During the ceremony Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, and Kaoru Okada from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), South Africa Office signed the certificate of handing over of the equipment and the pilot plant and (gave) the commitment of CPUT to secure and put it into appropriate use. The ceremony which included the cutting of the ribbon by Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships and Okada was preceded by a Joint Coordination Committee meeting, a yearly meeting to report on the progress of the project and the plan for the current year.
This is part of the Science and Technology Research Partnerships for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), a Japanese government programme that promotes international joint research collaboration and partnerships. It is a collaboration between the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), JICA, and the South African government through the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The programme aims to address science and technology challenges affecting society and business in South Africa, Japan and globally such as global warming, bio-resources, natural disasters, and infectious diseases– with research outcomes of practical benefit to promote mutual development.
This is a R60 million project with an additional R5 million running cost generously awarded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as a running cost for the project. During the meeting, the Principal Investigator and Project Manager, Prof Tunde Ojumu presented the project progress, and the management documents and plans were reviewed and confirmed. Ojumu also acknowledged the interest from industry stakeholders to be part of the project, support from the Japanese government and “the cooperation and the support I receive from CPUT management”.
He said the pilot plant was capable of handling carbonation reactions up to one cubic meter working volume. “The latter part of the year will be dedicated to roadshows when [we] will demonstrate on selected industrial sites in different parts of the country, the potential of cement/concrete and demolished concrete wastes to capture carbon dioxide, CO2 directly and indirectly as carbonates and/or pure calcium carbonate products.”
In his remarks, Okada said he had renewed appreciation for the work that researchers were doing to advance the development agenda. “I sincerely hope that they will follow the guideposts they aim for harmoniously like the two wheels of a horse-drawn carriage.
“At this opportune time, let me remind you of the project purpose, being to develop carbon recycling systems including resource recycling loops to reduce process-related CO2 emissions from the cement industry. Simply put, the project aims to develop a carbon recycling system for a decarbonised society through mineral carbonation.”
The team consists of:
SA Project Team
- Prof Tunde Ojumu - Principal Investigator and Project Manager (CPUT)
- Prof Leslie Petrik - Collaborator (University of the Western Cape)
- Prof Jochen Petersen - Collaborator (University of Cape Town)
- Dr Ravi Vadapalli - Collaborator (Council for Geoscience)
- Dr Henk Coetzee - Collaborator (Council for Geoscience)
Japan Collaborators
- Prof Atsushi Iizuka – Project Adviser (Tohoku University, Sendai)
- Prof H Ho - Collaborator (Tohoku University, Sendai)
- Dr Yoshito Izumi - Collaborator (SDIs)
Speaking at the event, Nhlapo said: “It’s quite a long road that we have traversed and I must say I am very proud of the two teams, the Japanese team as well as the CPUT team…And by the way, I will be remiss of my duty if I don’t acknowledge the role played by Prof Leslie Petrik from the neighbouring institution (UWC) as well as Prof [Jochen] Petersen from UCT, great role. To say there are challenges that knows no borders, so, it’s very important that when we tackle them, we tackle them together and of course I am also happy from one particular perspective, that our dream to make Cape the learning area, to claim that space of Cape or Western Cape as the intellectual hub of South Africa. I think it has also been served better by this project.”
The enthusiastic Ojumu added that the committee was happy with their progress despite the initial delay experienced due to the arrival of equipment, installation, and training. “The results [we] are getting are impressive. Although more rigorous experiment still needs to be carried out, the expectation is the implementation of our technology on the sites of relevant and interested industrial stakeholders. He said the reduction of carbon dioxide and acid mine drainage remediation are critical to ensuring a safe environment that “we live in”. The realisation of the seemingly insurmountable task of setting up state-of-art facility our department is exciting to me, thanks to my HOD, Prof Manimagalay Chetty, the Deanery of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, and more importantly the Management of CPUT for giving the time and space to lead this project.
“Our project is addressing a lot of the sustainable development goals. While developing this technology, some of our students are being trained at master’s and doctoral levels, locally and overseas in Japan.” The demonstration of the pilot plant itself has attracted an additional three doctoral, one master’s and three internship students to join my research”, Ojumu remarked.
Okada also thanked CPUT for receiving and “safeguarding the pilot plant and analytical equipment, South African researchers for trusting these items to bring about research results, and the Japanese researchers for investing resources, time in particular, to ensure that these items are appropriate in pursuit of attaining project deliverables, now in the making”.
Minister, Embassy of Japan in South Africa, Atsushi Kuwabara voiced his wish for the success of this project and further expansion of cooperation in science and technology between Japan and South Africa. Kuwabara said: “Japan and South Africa have been enjoying strong ties in science and technology, especially since the signing of an Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology in 2003. I sincerely hope that the analytical equipment and the pilot plant will significantly enhance the research capability and make a big impact on the global fight against climate change.”
Written by Aphiwe Boyce
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
