Research Articles (Process Engineering)
Recent Submissions
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Prediction of gas holdup in a column flotation cell using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
(The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2019-01)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was applied to predict the average gas holdup and the axial gas holdup variation in a 13.5 m high cylindrical column 0.91 m diameter. The column was operating in batch ... -
Investigation of flow regime transition in a column flotation cell using CFD
(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2019-02)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Flotation columns are normally operated at optimal superficial gas velocities to maintain bubbly flow conditions. However, with increasing superficial gas velocity, loss of bubbly flow may occur with ... -
Incorporating anaerobic co-digestion of steam exploded or ammonia fiber expansion pretreated sugarcane residues with manure into a sugarcanebased bioenergy-livestock nexus
(Elsevier, 2019)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The co-digestion of pretreated sugarcane lignocelluloses with dairy cow manure (DCM) as a bioenergy production and waste management strategy, for intensive livestock farms located in sugarcane regions, ... -
Modelling the dynamics of granular particle interactions in a vortex reactor using a coupled DPM-KTGF model
(Elsevier, 2020)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this work, a shear-driven two-phase particulate flow of monodispersed and polydispersed granular materials has been studied experimentally and numerically as a function of solids concentration and ... -
Cyanobacterial growth in minimally amended anaerobic digestion effluent and flue-gas
(MDPI, 2019)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an important industrial process, particularly in a biorefinery approach. The liquid effluent and carbon dioxide in the off-gas, can be used to produce high-value products through ... -
Investigating the behaviour of PGEs during first-stage leaching of a Ni-Fe-Cu-S converter matte
(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a first-stage atmospheric leach in a Sherritt Ni-Cu matte leach process, a Ni-Cu-Fe-S Peirce-Smith converter matte is contacted with recycled aqueous copper sulphate/sulphuric acid solution (spent ... -
Investigation of secondary zinc oxides as an alternative feed to the Skorpion Zinc process : Part 2 - process considerations and economic analysis
(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Skorpion Zinc is investigating the possibility of using secondary zinc oxides as an alternative feed to supplement the zinc oxide ore feed and to extend the life of mine. Part 1 of this communication ... -
Investigation of secondary zinc oxides as an alternative feed to the Skorpion Zinc process : Part 1 — leaching alternative zinc oxides
(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Skorpion Zinc processes zinc oxide ore using a sulphuric acid leaching, solvent extraction, and electrowinning process to produce Special High Grade zinc. The company investigated the possibility of ... -
Scalable methanol‑free production of recombinant glucuronoyl esterase in Pichia pastoris
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2019)Objective: Glucuronoyl esterase (GE) is an emerging enzyme that improves fractionation of lignin-carbohydrate complexes. However, the commercial availability of GE is limited, which hinders the research of GE-based ... -
Desorption of isobutyl acetate into air as a low-cost alternative system for the measurement of liquid phase mass transfer coefficients
(AIDIC, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A study was conducted in enhancing the measurement of volumetric liquid phase mass transfer coefficients (K˪a) in packed columns, by re-considering the application of conventional desorption and absorption ... -
Hydrodynamics of a packed column operated under supercritical conditions
(AIDIC, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is a lack of hydrodynamic data under supercritical conditions, in particular in systems that attempt to isolate hydrodynamics from mass transfer. This paper presents hydrodynamic data focusing on ... -
The effect of fluid properties and packing size on the hydrodynamics of packed columns
(AIDIC, 2018)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The effect of fluid physical properties on the hydrodynamic behaviour in a packed column with 1.5” and 2.5” fourth generation random packing was investigated by measuring the pressure drop and liquid ... -
Expanding the semantic range to enable meaningful real-world application in chemical engineering
(HESA, 2019)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Legitimation Code Theory has proven to be useful in analysing the relationship between theory and practice. Semantic gravity can be used to illustrate teaching and learning processes that move between ... -
Frequency sensitive mechanism in low-intensity ultrasound enhanced bioeffects
(Public Library of Science, 2017)This study presents two novel theoretical models to elucidate frequency sensitive nuclear mechanisms in low-intensity ultrasound enhanced bioeffects. In contrast to the typical 1.5 MHz pulsed ultrasound regime, our group ... -
Numerical and physical modelling of tundish slag entrainment in the steelmaking process
(The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2017-05)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Physical and numerical modelling methods were followed to identify mechanism(s) for tundish slag entrainment in a bare tundish and one with a flow control device (FCD). The physical and numerical models ... -
Characterization of precipitate formed during the removal of iron and precious metals from sulphate leach solutions
(The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2017-08)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nickel sulphate leach solutions produced in the first leaching stage of base metal refineries contain impurities such as iron as well as precious metals (Rh, Ru, and Ir). Iron precipitation results in ... -
A potential source of undiagnosed Legionellosis : Legionella growth in domestic water heating systems in South Africa
(Elsevier, 2018-12-02)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Legionella is a genus of pathogenic bacterial mesophiles that cause a range of diseases collectively referred to as Legionellosis, with immunocompromised individuals being particularly susceptible. Water ... -
The applicability of nanofiltration for the treatment and reuse of textile reactive dye effluent
(Water Research Commission, 2015)The main aim of the study was to test the feasibility of using nanofiltration (NF) processes for the treatment of reactive dyebath effluents from the textile industry, in order to recover the water and chemicals (salts) ... -
Solvent extraction of polyphenolics from the indigenous African fruit ximenia caffra and characterization by LC-HRMS
(MDPI, 2018)Indigenous and non-commercial fruits can be an important source of antioxidant polyphenols; however, the identity and content of polyphenols from non-commercial fruits are often poorly described. The study aimed to ... -
Ethanol production potential from AFEX™ and steam-exploded sugarcane residues for sugarcane biorefineries
(BioMed Central, 2018-05-04)Background: Expanding biofuel markets are challenged by the need to meet future biofuel demands and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, while using domestically available feedstock sustainably. In the context of the ...