Chemical Technology January 2015

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Regular features 3 Comment 27 SAIChE IChemEnews 35 Et cetera 36 Sudoku No 101 and solution to No 100 / Et cetera Cover story 4 The ℮ -mark and other marking requirements for products by Janet Tomkow, BSc, LLB Control and instrumentation 6 A centrifugal microfluidic platform for point-of-care diagnostic applications The lab-on-a-disc centrifugal microfluidic platform has the potential to provide new diagnostic solutions in health and industry-related areas, paving the way for providing resource- limited areas with improved services and reduced diagnosis times. by Suzanne Hugo and Kevin Land of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, (Materials Science and Manufacturing), South Africa, and Marc Madou and Horacio Kido of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, USA Contents

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Water treatment 22 Water production, technical issues and economics Can calcium and magnesium ('hardness') in drinking-water contribute to preventing disease? In both developed and developing countries, typical diets are often deficient in calcium and magnesium, which are essential for development of strong bones and teeth, and for cardiovascular function. At the same time, there is evidence that consuming 'hard' drinking-water may be associated with reduced risks for some diseases. by Perialwar (Regu) Regunathan, Regunathan & Associates Inc, Illinois, USA Minerals processing and metallurgy 30 Aspects of coloured precious metal intermetallic compounds This article provides a review on coloured gold-, platinum- and palladium intermetallic compounds which are used in jewellery. Some of these compounds are used as barrier coatings on turbine blades for jet engines, and research is ongoing into potential uses as, for example, catalysts, sensors and capacitors. by Elma van der Lingen, Department of Engineering and Technology Management, Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria, South Africa 28 Focus on water treatment

Transparency You Can See Average circulation (July – September 2014) Paid: 17

Free: 3 968 Total: 3 715

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

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35 Focus on minerals processing and metallurgy

Pumps, valves and actuators 14 Actuators aid pump station pressure surge solution With their variable speed functionality directly integrated into the firmware, SIPOS's VSAs have been identified by Pipestone Equipment as the optimum solution for minimising, or avoiding, water hammer using intelligent control of pump or pressure compensation valves. by David Buchwald, president, Pipestone Equipment and Steffen Koehler, SIPOS Aktorik, part of the AUMA Group, represented in South Africa by AUMA ZA

and the Southern African Association of Energy Efficiency

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

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