Page 38 - EngineerIt June 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS: PRODUCTS, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Blow to steel industry as Mozambican LNG projects falter

major blow has been dealt to the South African steel fabrication
A industry following the decision by French oil company Total to declare
force majeure on its Mozambique LNG project at the end of April, due to
an attack by Islamic State-linked militants the previous month.
Total acquired a stake as operator from the Anadarko Petroleum
Corporation two years ago, which at the time was the latter’s largest
foreign direct investment in Africa. Another significant LNG project affected
is at Rovuma, with US oil company ExxonMobil delaying its final investment
decision (FID) until 2023 due to the worsening security situation.
These two projects in northern Mozambique were expected to buy
huge quantities of South African steel, as well as other goods and services.
The total in-plant steel structure tonnage was estimated to be about 70 The LNG projects were also an important focus of the Steel Industry
000 tonnes for Rovuma alone. Master Plan 1.0 unveiled by the South African government in October
“We anticipated this tonnage to have been divided between three last year. The first draft emphasised the need to improve on investment,
to five fabricators, of which at least one or two were hoped to be South expand and create jobs, promote local productive capacity via localisation
African,” reports Simon Norton from the Africa Desk of the International and boost export-oriented manufacturing or import substitution
Zinc Association (IZA). A galvanising facility had also been on the cards to industrialisation, in line with the National Industrial Policy Framework.
be built in Mozambique. “We need to maximise African content in African projects. The IZA Africa
The IZA Africa Desk has been monitoring progress closely as a Desk, in promoting the uptake of galvanised steel, has a larger role in getting
potential opportunity to increase the local uptake of refined zinc, which other stakeholders involved to boost the local steel industry and South African
has plummeted from 86 000 t in 2015 to 47 000 t last year. “We have 20% industrial capacity. We must position South Africa as a source of engineering
of the world’s zinc deposits, but no longer refine any zinc following the and technical expertise and experience for these projects, including the
closure of the Zincor refinery in Springs by Exxaro at the end of 2011,” highest quality raw materials and professionals,” concludes Norton.
notes Norton. Up to that point, South Africa produced 110 000 t/y of
refined zinc worth about R4.3 billion. From 2014 to 2019, it instead International Zinc Association: Contact Simon Norton IZA Africa Desk
imported R15 billion worth of refined zinc. Phone: (021) 788 9980 Email: zinc@iafrica.com

CSIR establish programme develop graphene-based technologies and products. One of the key focus
areas of the platform is polymer nanocomposites, in which the Centre for
to stimulate adoption of Nanostructured and Advanced Materials has considerable expertise, as
graphene technologies in SA well as being equipped for the characterisation of these materials,” says
CSIR principal technologist, Dr Mike Masukume.
Unlike graphite, which has been used for centuries and which consists
of tightly packed carbon layers, graphene is described as sheets of single
he Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has established carbon layers – a million times thinner than human hair. Interestingly, this
Ta graphene programme to help South Africa to develop its own material, which was first discovered in 2004, has already proven to be
capabilities, technologies and products based on graphene. of great value in commercial products and it is estimated that the global
The platform is set to open the door to a wide-range of industries graphene market will be worth $2.1 billion by 2025.
to collaboratively explore and investigate graphene-based technologies. “The benefits of adding graphene in an epoxy such as those used
Graphene, a black powder, is highly electrically conducting and if in fibre glass components, is that it increases the toughness of that
incorporated in composites, can be useful in protecting electronic component multiple times. Such developments allow for the construction
equipment from static electricity and even an aircraft from lightning. It of revolutionary aircraft and helicopter structures, as well as prosthetic
is also 200 times stronger than steel and if added to plastic it can make limbs. Graphene is even assisting in the fight against Covid-19, where its
the combined material much stronger. Apart from improving the strength anti-viral properties are harnessed in face masks. It has also contributed to
of the plastic matrix, graphene can also help to improve resistance to major breakthroughs in battery technology and super capacitors, where it
chemical and thermal degradation. enabled faster charge cycles and capacity,” says CSIR principal technologist,
“Our graphene programme aims to make use of the vast Dr Manfred Scriba.
nanotechnology capabilities already established to, jointly with industry, In addition to the focus on the development of local technologies,
the CSIR is also establishing collaborations with international leaders to
set up routes to the possible licensing or localisation of graphene-based
technologies.
Masukume called on the industry to collaborate with the CSIR to
investigate graphene-based opportunities. “South Africa cannot fall back to
the position of simply importing graphene technologies; the country must
develop its own capabilities and to achieve this, we call upon progressive
enterprises to explore our graphene programme and work with us in
localising graphene-based technologies.”

EngineerIT | June 2021 | 36