Chemical Technology

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32 Chemical Technology • November 2015
Congratulations to twoSAIChE IChemEmembers
who were officially shortlisted for the IChemE
Global Awards 2015:
• Young Chemical Engineer in Industry
Category: Veeash Oomardath, Tronox,
KZN Sands.
• Food and Drink Category: ‘Winery ef-
fluent constructed wetlands’, Associate
Professor Craig Sheridan, University of
the Witwatersrand.
SAIChE IChemE Gauteng Members
Group
THE place to be on the evening of the 6th
August 2015 was at 39 Melrose Boule-
vard, the new WorleyParsons building!
No amount of cold weather, horrific traffic
or stressful daily routines could stop the
chemical engineers of the SAIChE and
IChemE organisations from gathering for a
fun-filled renewable energy evening titled,
‘Expert energy expositions’. Renewable
energy was the discussion topic of the day
but it was also cleverly translated into the
calorie rich food and wine as well as elec-
trifying discussions among the engineers
and friends. An eclectic mix of chemical
and non-chemical engineers made for a
thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The evening started with Senior Manager
for Energy at WorleyParsonsRSA, Dr Trevor
Dudley PrEng, giving a brief introduction to
WP, their core capabilities and the markets
where they operate. Their commitment to
health and safety was stressed during this
introduction with a short presentation of the
values that WorleyParsons stand by. Lisa
McDonald, a visiting member and IChemE
representative from the UK, graced us with
her presence handing out award certificates
to longstanding members here in South
Africa. She is a wealth of information not
only on chemical engineering topics and
always brings with her good ideas and ad-
vice for the Gauteng group. The importance
of networking events such as this was
emphasised not only to learn more about
the specific topic selected for the evening’s
discussion but to get to know the role play-
ers in the entire industry a little better.
Rentia van Tonder and Jaco Kriek were,
of course, the absolute highlight of the
evening, both experts in their field and inter-
nationally recognised as such. For the audi-
ence members not au fait with the South
African Power Industry, the current situation
was put into perspective. This included
Eskom’s power generation capabilities
and where the need for alternatives arises
as well as what steps the government has
already taken and is still taking to ensure we
are not going to face a dark future. Rentia
presented some examples she has been
involved with in the areas of generating
power by utilising wind, solar, gas to power
and nuclear. She also shared with us how
the South African Renewable Energy IPP
Procurement Programme operates, which
was most insightful. They also shared with
us their personal views on the readiness of
the country for renewable energy sources.
Key to these events are our students
and I would like to specifically mention
their contribution to these evenings. We
welcome their eagerness to learn, always
asking questions and getting involved in
organising the events. If anybody has any
internship positions available, please get
in touch with us at the Gauteng members
group of SAIChE IChemE. These are a very
important part of their careers, and they
clearly help to mould their decisions and
bridge the gap between their student career
and their arrival into the working world.
Written by Dominique Tharandt, on behalf of
the Gauteng Members Group
Longstanding member award winners
proudly displaying their certificates
Presentation on renewable energy by Rentia
van Tonder
Networking is a large part of these fun gatherings,
here with Dr Trevor Dudley and Rentia van Tonder
Apta Biosciences awarded H2020 EU grant to incorporate Seligo technology
Apta Biosciences (ABS) is a biotech SME
that has developed a unique targeting and
detection technology called Seligo that
combines the strengths of DNA structural
integrity with the flexibility of antibodies.
The company recently announced that
it has been awarded an H2020 grant from
the European Union in collaboration with
the Austrian Institute of Technology (Vienna,
Austria), Imperial College (London, UK),
Aarhus University (Aarhus, Denmark) and
Albert-Ludwigs University (Freiburg, Ger-
many) to use its Seligo technology in the the
project whose long term goals are antibiotic
replacements for infectious diseases. The
overall grant is over €3million of which Apta
will receive €940 thousand.
The programme, called MARA, combines
three novel technologies to create a DNA-
basedmolecular toolkit for the characterisa-
tion of pathogens.
First, the detection of pathogen-associ-
ated antigens will be performed by Autono-
mous Detection Nucleic Acids (AUDENA)
that are independent of any laboratory
instruments and sophisticated processing.
The realisation of the AUDENA concept will
lead to an autonomous, stable, simple and
very economic novel sensor class applicable
for any water-soluble substances.
Second, a novel approach in protein
mimicry and creation of artificial enzymes.
Third, the development of a molecular
drill that can specifically identify target cells
and destroy them. This Molecular Robot
(MORO) will be made of self-assembling
DNA. The MORO will be used for the lysis
of bacterial cells to release intracellular
antibiotic resistance-associated antigens.
Using specially designed, artificial mo-
lecular machines for a highly targeted at-
tack on pathogens or tumour cells may well
cause a paradigm shift in our approach to
disease therapy and open up a whole new
area in molecular medicine.
For more information on Apta Biosci-
ences or the project, please contact
.
etc