Chemical Technology May 2016

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Contents

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REGULAR FEATURES 3 Comment by Anthonie Cilliers

12 WACKER Silicones – New applications for silicone films

German chemical company, WACKER, operates globally with a network of production sites spanning all key regions, in Europe, the Americas and Asia. WACKER’s silicone division is one of the largest silicone manufacturers worldwide. Its portfolio ranges from silicone fluids, emulsions, resins, elastomers and sealants to silanes, silane terminated polymers and pyrogenic silica. by Glynnis Koch 16 Focus on corrosion and coatings RENEWABLES 20 Rehabilitation in a time of coral bleaching Divers consider the Great Barrier Reef, off the far northern coast of Queensland, Australia, to be one of the greatest destinations for viewing coral anywhere in the world. At 2 300 km long, the system is the largest living thing on earth, and it is dying. by Gavin Chait MINERALS PROCESSING AND METALLURGY 22 Volatiles removal from solids – An introduction to devolatising Devolatilisation is a mandatory step in the manufacturing of many commercial solids ranging from pharmaceutical products to waste streams. Excessive levels of residual solvents, monomers or other volatiles can create fires or explosions in subsequent processing or transportation steps, as well as discontinuities in product appearance. The residual solvents or monomers may also be odoriferous at very low concentrations, creating end user concerns. by Joe Bonem, Polymers and Process Engineering Consultant 25 Focus on minerals processing and metallurgy

28 SAIChE IChemE News

29 SAIChE IChemE ‘spotlight’

31 Et cetera

Transparency You Can See Average circulation (Q1 Jan – Mar 2016) 3 630

32 Sudoku No 114 and solution to No 113

COVER STORY 4 MSA – Harnessing new technologies to produce exceptional protective equipment ‘ChemTech’ recently paid a visit to the offices of MSA The Safety Company and spoke to Colin Oliver, director Sub-Saharan Africa region, about the company’s role and contribution to the safety market in South Africa and other African countries. WATER TREATMENT 6 The potential of water re-use in shale gas bed fracturing in South Africa New water treatment technologies and new applications of existing technologies are being developed and used to treat shale gas produced water. The treated water can be reused as fracturing make-up water, irrigation water, and in some cases even drinking water. New approaches and more efficient technologies are needed to make treatment and re-

Chemical Technology is endorsed by The South African Institution of Chemical Engineers

and the Southern African Association of Energy Efficiency

use a widespread reality. by Carl Schonborn, Pr Eng

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this journal are not neces- sarily those of the editor or the publisher. Generic images courtesy of www.shutterstock.com

10 Focus on water treatment

CORROSION AND COATINGS

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Chemical Technology • May 2016

http://www.chemicaltechnologymagazine.co.za/