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 info@aptabiosciences.com.

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Chemical Technology • November 2015