Sasol O&S is the world’s largest producer of tri-ethyl aluminum during the production of alcohols at its Ziegler unit in Brunsbüttel, Germany and Lake Charles, LA, USA. The unit will enable Sasol to further benefit from of its existing strong position in the production and captive supply of TEAL. “Leveraging the existing base product allows Sasol to enter this growing market relatively quickly with quality and availability assured”, said André de Ruyter, Sasol Group general manager responsible for the chemical businesses. “It will increase our ability to supply customers around the world”.

Given Sasol’s position in linear alpha-olefins and polymers markets, the company has experience with the use of TEAL in these two application areas. Sasol has also signed a cooperation agreement with a leading gas-phase polypropylene technology provider to qualify the application of Sasol’s TEAL in their sensitive production process. “With its many years of experience in the handling of TEAL Sasol is able to ensure rigorous adherence to all safety requirements along the entire supply chain,” said Fleetwood Grobler, Managing Director of Sasol O&S. “It also ensures the safe and reliable supply of a high quality, key co-catalyst over long distances to customers world-wide”.

Since the new plant will only utilise a small portion of available Ziegler plant resources, Sasol remains well positioned to develop additional capacity, to meet future market demands.

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These credits represent a reduction of greenhouse gases that has already taken place, which are equivalent to 127 925 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The carbon footprint of the 2010 Soccer World Cup has been estimated to be equivalent to nearly 900 000 tons of carbon dioxide, excluding the emissions resulting from international travel to and from South Africa.

Aside from providing the best in world soccer, the 2010 Soccer World Cup presents an opportunity to enhance environmental sustainability for South Africa and it citizens. Over the past few years event greening has become a major focus of the FIFA event, and the event is South Africa is no exception. However, due to South Africa’s geography and infrastructure, the carbon footprint is expected to be much larger than that of the 2006 tournament.

The carbon credits donated by Sasol will allow the tournament’s local carbon footprint to be reduced by an estimated 14%. The donation by Sasol will go a long way to augment other initiatives in place to help offset the tournament’s carbon footprint.

Sasol recognizes and shares the global concerns regarding GHG emissions that contribute to climate change. Meeting the global demand for energy will accelerate greenhouse gas emissions unless effective technological solutions and management interventions are developed and implemented. “It is through such innovative solutions that Sasol earned the carbon credits that we are now able to donate to the 2010 OC to offset the soccer tournament’s footprint,” said Nolitha Fakude, Sasol Executive Director. “We are very proud to show our support for the 2010 Soccer World Cup by making a donation of these carbon credits.”

Ike Ndlovu, the Environmental Project Coordinator for the 2010 OC, said “Carbon offset programmes are one of the ways we hope to minimize the impact of the soccer tournament on the environment. Throughout the planning of the tournament we have looked at opportunities to offset our carbon footprint. We believe this generous donation by Sasol will go a long way to helping reduce that footprint.”

The new LECO Pegasus 4 GCxGC-TOFMS (comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatograph combined with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer) has been commissioned at UP’s Separation Science Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry to gain better insight into the influence of trace components in synthetic diesel, and the application of such fuels in engines, turbines, and other devices.

The acquisition of this expensive equipment was made possible by financial support from Sasol Technology through joint research interest in the chemistry that underpins the physical properties of diesel fuels. The ability to obtain such chemical insight has only become feasible through the extreme analytical power of the GCxGC-TOFMS instrument, allowing for the identification and classification of literally thousands of compounds.

The initiative forms part of Sasol’s University collaboration initiative, a long term programme that supports the core objectives of world-class teaching and research capacity in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at selected South African Universities. This programme was initiated a few years ago and is already successfully established, using the framework of a hub-and-spoke collaboration philosophy, at several SA Universities.

Although primarily designed to protect Sasol’s competitive advantage of doing R&D in SA, this programme will have significant spin-offs benefiting South Africa in general. An important area related to Sasol’s fuels and lubricants research, is the rheological (study of the flow of substances under various conditions) and physical behavior of its synthetic fuels. The LECO Pegasus 4 GCxGC-TOFMS will enable scientists to make much more detailed analyses of how the more than 100 compounds that make up synthetic diesel fuel contribute to the likes of performance, viscosity, and lubricity of these fuels. This area of research is known as tribology.

With the rapid changes in engine technologies globally, it is important to fully characterize the composition of these fuels in order to exploit their unique benefits. Such academic expertise in South Africa exists at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Chemical Engineering under the leadership of Professor Philip de Vaal.

In-depth chemical characterization of fuels and lubricants is absolutely essential in understanding their rheological behavior. Analytical chemistry support (separation science), under the leadership of Professor Egmont Rohwer, is therefore another vital pillar in the sustainability of this programme. The support of this research area at UP hence involves both the disciplines of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.

The ability to identify specific chemical compounds in extremely complicated mixtures will also help the University of Pretoria in other non-petrochemical research fields, including air and water pollution, forensic toxicology, and aroma analysis. In all these areas the LECO GCxGC-TOFMS will be used in combination with other unique analytical instrumentation and techniques developed at the UP Separation Science laboratories.

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The conversion of the branch office into a local entity will better position DuPont to maintain current market share, realize growth opportunities and maintain cost effective purchasing powers in South Africa and the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The South African legal entity will continue to cover activities of DuPont in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

DuPont has been operating in South Africa for over 50 years. Its products were first used in the local agriculture industry in 1956 when the DuPont Crop Protection Technical Support Office was established. In 1981 the local branch office was opened.

Over the years, the Company has grown at a steady rate and has expanded its focus significantly. Today, it covers a wide spectrum of industries and has a geographic footprint that extends to more than 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has sales capabilities in 35 African countries, which enables it to reach key economies in the region.

According to Carl Moyo, regional director for DuPont Sub-Saharan Africa, the conversion of the local branch office to a new legal entity in South Africa marks DuPont’s commitment to the African market. “South Africa is a significant market for DuPont from a strategic perspective; and an excellent springboard into Africa. The new structure enables us to become a truly South African company that will provide a solid platform and support structure for our operations in the African market”.

He says the entity change affords the company more local autonomy and a larger scope for growth activities. “High-level decision making will become a local responsibility and Sub-Saharan African operations will be optimised. In addition, by becoming a local subsidiary, DuPont de Nemours International S.A. becomes an accredited legal entity for BBBEE compliance and is able to meet the BBBEE requirements for all South African companies set by the government.”

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Some of the key figures from its first quarterly trading update released on Wednesday

·                  Sales increase by 7.8 percent to 3,512 million Euros
·                  Organic sales growth of 8.8 percent
·                  Adjusted operating profit: plus 79.1 percent to 421 million Euros
·                  Adjusted EBIT margin: plus 4.8 percentage points to 12.0 percent
·                  Adjusted earnings per preferred share (EPS): plus 93.5 percent

“Henkel has made a good start to the fiscal year, with all our business sectors contributing. Despite the persistently challenging environment, Laundry & Home Care and Cosmetics/Toiletries continued their successful development of recent quarters, while Adhesive Technologies also returned to robust rates of sales growth,” said Kasper Rorsted, Chairman of the Henkel Management Board, adding: “Once again our strong brands made a further major contribution to Henkel’s gratifying Q1 results. However, this very good performance is also down to our efforts in adapting our structures and reducing our costs, coupled with the good progress we have made in the implementation of our strategic priorities. Now we are looking forward to a noticeable improvement in our results of more than 15 percent for the full fiscal year versus 2009.”

In the first quarter of 2010, Henkel generated sales of 3,512 million Euros. In a recovering market environment, this constitutes an increase of 7.8 percent compared to the figure for the prior-year quarter. After adjusting for foreign exchange, sales rose by 7.5 percent. Organically, i.e. after adjusting for foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestments, the increase was a substantial 8.8 percent, representing the first significant rise against a prior-year period for four quarters. And it was a development to which all the company’s business sectors contributed. Laundry & Home Care again turned in a very positive performance with organic growth at 3.6 percent. And having increased sales organically by 5.5 percent, the Cosmetics/Toiletries business sector outstripped both the high levels of growth achieved in recent quarters and the overall rate of market expansion. Against a prior-year quarter weakened by the impact of the crisis, Adhesive Technologies reported double-digit organic growth amounting to a highly encouraging 14.5 percent.

Due primarily to the substantial improvement posted by Adhesive Technologies, operating profit (EBIT) increased by 93.3 percent, from 218 million Euros to 422 million Euros. After allowing for restructuring charges (31 million Euros) and one-time gains (32 million Euros), adjusted operating profit improved by 79.1 percent, from 235 million Euros to 421 million Euros.

Return on sales (EBIT margin) increased significantly, from 6.7 percent to 12.0 percent. Adjusted return on sales rose from 7.2 percent to likewise 12.0 percent.

Financial result decreased slightly from -52 million Euros to -54 million Euros, with the positive effect of reducing net debt being more than canceled out by higher interest paid. At 27.7 percent, the tax rate was slightly above the level of the previous year.

Due to the increased EBIT, net income for the quarter rose by 119.8 percent, from 121 million Euros to 266 million Euros. After deducting non-controlling interests totaling 7 million Euros, net income for the quarter amounted to 259 million Euros (prior-year quarter: 117 million Euros).  Adjusted quarterly net income after non-controlling interests amounted to 258 million Euros compared to 130 million Euros in the prior-year quarter. Earnings per preferred share (EPS) increased from 0.28 Euros to 0.60 Euros. The adjusted figure was also 0.60 Euros compared to 0.31 Euros in the prior-year quarter.

Good progress was also made in the management of net working capital. Compared to the prior-year period, the ratio of net working capital to sales improved by 4.7 percentage points, to 8.5 percent.

Net debt versus prior-year quarter has undergone a substantial reduction of 1.4 billion Euros to 2.7 billion Euros.

Business sector performance
In the first quarter of 2010, the Laundry & Home Care business sector increased sales by 3.5 percent to 1,049 million Euros. Organic growth amounted to 3.6 percent. This gratifying rise in sales was due not only to performance in the emerging economies but also, and to a high degree, to a sales improvement in the mature markets Western Europe and North America. The organic improvement was exclusively volume-driven. Significantly outpacing the rise in sales, operating profit increased by 41.2 percent to 151 million Euros. Included in this figure is a gain of 15 million Euros from the sale of licensing rights. Successful measures geared to reducing cost and enhancing efficiency also again contributed noticeably to the increase in income. At 14.4 percent, return on sales improved by a substantial 3.8 percentage points compared to the prior-year quarter. In the Laundry segment, positive developments in sales came from successes in the growth regions of Africa/Middle East and Latin America, with Western Europe also contributing. These developments were further aided by the success of a number of innovations. One example is Henkel’s Persil Hygiene Rinser, which was launched in a number of countries in Western Europe. And Eastern European markets saw the rollout of Persil Gold Plus Active, an innovative product that reduces the amount of energy required per laundry wash. The Home Care business made a disproportionate contribution to the rise in sales. The geographic breakdown shows that Henkel registered growth momentum in virtually all its regions, particularly in Africa/Middle East, Asia and North America. In North America the focus was on the launch of products under the Soft Scrub brand for gentle surface cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen. Suitable for removing a wide range of soil types, they reduce the amount of effort required and accelerate the cleaning process on all surfaces.

The first quarter of 2010 saw the Cosmetics/Toiletries business sector continue unerringly along its successful growth path.  In an unrelenting, highly competitive market environment, it posted a strong 5.5 percent rise in organic sales against already high prior-year levels. Registering double-digit rates of increase across the board, the growth regions of Asia-Pacific, Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe turned in excellent results, and a significant contribution to growth also came from the mature markets of Western Europe. This highly impressive sales performance was supported by a rigorous and ongoing innovation offensive which led to the launch of numerous new products. At 10.1 percent, the rise in operating profit far outstripped the increase in sales, with the 100 million euro mark being reached for the first time in a first quarter. Return on sales improved by 0.5 percentage points to 13.1 percent. The Hair Cosmetics segment reported a remarkably positive set of figures, expanding its market shares and posting record results in all three of its subsegments. The Hair Care business developed exceptionally well as a result of a relaunch of the Schauma Volume series with push-up effect, accompanied by the introduction of the new Gliss Shea Cashmere line. In the Colorants business, priority was given to the launch of the Syoss Color line and driving forward the further successful expansion of Essential Colors. In the Styling business, the introduction of the Taft Volume line for tired hair contributed to a positive overall performance. The focus in the Body Care segment was on a number of innovations launched around the world. In Europe, the Fa brand was extended by the new deodorant line Active Pearls and the body wash series Fa Yogurt Smoothies. In the USA, the introduction into the market of NutriSkin under the Dial brand also helped generate further growth momentum. The priority in the Skin Care business was on expanding the anti-aging line Diadermine Lift+. The Oral Care segment successfully strengthened the Theramed 2in1 series with the launch of the new freshness variant 16h Xtra Fresh. And in the Hair Salon business, Schwarzkopf Professional returned to a good level of growth in the first quarter, expanding its market share in a continuing difficult market environment. The main impetus here was provided by a number of high-performing innovations in the colorants category.

Sales of the Adhesive Technologies business sector exceeded by 12.4 percent the level of the first quarter of 2009, rising to 1,651 million Euros. And in organic terms, revenues increased by an even more respectable 14.5 percent, due in large part to substantial volume increases. All businesses and regions contributed to this exceptional expansion in sales: the growth regions of Asia-Pacific, Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe once again performed above average, and there were also substantial increases in sales in the mature markets Western Europe and North America. Operating profit likewise underwent a significant improvement – compared to the prior-year quarter it almost quadrupled, coming in at 185 million Euros. The basis for this very strong increase was provided by measures introduced in the last financial year aligned to optimizing earnings. Return on sales rose by a substantial 8 percentage points to 11.2 percent. After adjusting for the disposal of the adhesive tapes business in North America, the Adhesives for Craftsmen, Consumers and Building business posted further growth, with all segments contributing. Substantial improvements versus the prior-year quarter were achieved in North America and Africa/Middle East especially. After considerable market-related declines in the previous year, the Transport and Metal business registered significant increases in sales in the quarter under review. Business with customers in the metals industry and, in particular, sales to the automotive sector were significantly higher than in the first quarter of 2009. The General Industry business also showed an improvement compared to the prior-year period, with the highest growth rates being achieved in North America, Asia-Pacific and Africa/Middle East. The Packaging, Consumer Goods and Construction Adhesives business likewise made gains, with sales in the regions of Asia-Pacific and Africa/Middle East substantially above the levels of the first quarter of 2009. However, the strongest growth rate was achieved by the Electronics business. Here, not only were sales in all the growth regions significantly above the levels of the prior-year quarter, the regions of Western Europe and North America also developed exceptionally well.

Regional performance
In the Europe/Africa/Middle East region, sales improved organically by 6.0 percent compared to the first quarter of 2009, coming in at 2,139 million Euros, with all three business sectors contributing. Africa/Middle East once again realized double-digit organic growth, while developments in Eastern Europe continued in the positive single-digit range. Western Europe including Germany returned to growth in the mid single-digit range after an organic decline in sales in the fourth quarter of 2009. The share of total Group sales attributable to the region as a whole remained unchanged at 61 percent. After a decrease in the fourth quarter of 2009, sales in the North America region improved organically by 7.9 percent compared to the prior-year quarter, closing at 645 million Euros. Sales of the Laundry & Home Care and Adhesive Technologies business sectors developed exceptionally well. The region’s share of Group sales declined, ending the period at 18 percent. Meanwhile, the successful development of the Latin America region continued unabated. Here, organic sales increased by 10.6 percent to 216 million Euros, with all business sectors contributing. At 6 percent, the share of Group sales attributable to the region remained constant. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region continued to recover compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, growing organically by 27.6 percent versus the prior-year quarter and ending the period at 462 million Euros. Strong sales increases in the Adhesive Technologies and Cosmetics/Toiletries business sectors contrasted with stagnation at Laundry & Home Care. The share of total sales accounted for by this region rose to 13 percent. In the growth regions of Eastern Europe, Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Asia (excluding Japan), sales increased by 17.2 percent to 1,339 million Euros. Compared to the prior-year quarter, organic growth amounted to 14.2 percent, which was also an improvement over the figure for the fourth quarter of 2009. All our business sectors contributed to this achievement, particularly Adhesive Technologies and Cosmetics/Toiletries which each recorded double-digit organic growth rates. The share of sales of the growth regions increased from 35 to 38 percent.

Sales and profits forecast 2010
In Henkel’s estimation, the overall mildly positive market conditions currently prevailing in the real economy and in the financial markets remain fragile. Based on the forecasts for the current year, Henkel expects the world economy to grow by around 3 percent, but without any anticipation of a sustained upturn.

Henkel is confident of again outperforming its relevant markets in terms of organic sales growth. A number of measures have already been introduced on the operational side, from which Henkel expects further positive momentum to develop. For example, it anticipates further contributions to profit arising both from the synergies created through the integration of the National Starch businesses and from a strictly disciplined cost management approach. All these factors will positively influence the development of adjusted operating profit (EBIT) and adjusted earnings per preferred share (EPS). Following the very successful start made to the new financial year, Henkel expects both these metrics to show a noticeable improvement of more than 15 percent compared to the figures for 2009.

For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies that make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful through its three operating areas: home care, personal care, and adhesive technologies.

Henkel is the name behind some of South Africa’s best-known brands. From Pritt® to TecTalis®, Pattex ®, and Loctite® adhesives, Henkel brands are part of your daily life. Henkel has grown rapidly in South Africa during since 1964 and has approximately 550 South African employees with a strong representative background. In 2006, Henkel sold 26 percent of the shares in its shares in its South African business to BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) investor Vuya Investments.

As environmental awareness has grown, people have also become more conscious of the pivotal role that environmentally sound construction can play in protecting against climate change. Add to this South Africa’s pressing need to conserve energy because its future electricity demands outstrip supply, and it is clear that going “green” makes more than just ecological sense.

Implementing sustainable design and construction practices makes financial sense too. Nobody wants to pay higher utility bills than they absolutely have to, and this means an energy-efficient home or office will be far more attractive to potential buyers or tenants.

New technologies and chemical products are helping to deal with global challenges such as the conservation natural resources and investors are including sustainability aspects more and more in their investment decisions.

Green Building Conference and Exhibition 2010
Of course, these ideas are all great in theory, but exactly how does one go about actually implementing eco-building? Well, this is the question that the Green Building Conference & Exhibition, now in its fourth year, aims to tackle.

This is especially important given the fact that some of driving forces for Green Building in South Africa right now are new initiatives from Government, a heightened residential demand for green construction and dramatic improvements in the number and range of options of sustainable materials and products available to designers.

The South African Green Building market is also tracking the growth trends in international markets and authorities have committed to this growth by adopting global ideals.

The Conference will be held on 29 and 30 April at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, and once again, the construction industry in South Africa will gather to learn from and share ideas with various world-renowned built-environment experts and personalities.

Around 800 delegates are expected to attend, and the event will present the South African Construction industry with an opportunity to learn from the advancements made by leading countries in the field of sustainable construction.

BASF at the Green Buildings Conference
BASF supports the drive to conserve energy, and as part of The Chemical Company’s focus on ‘greening’ the South African construction landscape, BASF will once again be a major sponsor of this year’s Green Building Conference.

As a leader in the production and supply of energy efficient solutions to the construction industry both locally and abroad, BASF has a great deal to offer the local construction industry in terms of both expertise and product range. It is with this in mind, that BASF has brought in experts to share their knowledge at the conference.

• Plenary speaker, Dr. Dirk Funhoff, from BASF SE, Germany, will share a case study case study on “The Nottingham House”, an example of a zero carbon, sustainable design solution.
• Margit Pfundstein, BASF SE, Germany, will discuss BASF’s Insulating Materials and Insulating Solutions
• Samantha Govender, from BASF Polyurethanes South Africa will offer her insights on Energy Efficiency and Green Building Construction Materials.
• Warren Trew, BASF Construction Chemicals SA, will describe the Synergy EIFS System from BASF

Sustainable Construction
Buildings contribute up to about 40% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. This means that it plays a decisive role for climate protection to significantly reduce their energy consumption by increasing the energy efficiency of buildings.

BASF products reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector by reducing the energy demand of buildings (insulation materials) and by extending the service-life of buildings (repair mortars, sealants, coatings). BASF’s low-VOC dispersions reduce indoor emissions in buildings, contributing to comfort and health, and its cement and concrete additives make construction faster and more efficient and allow the re-use of industrial by-products in concrete.

In fact, BASF’s Corporate Carbon Footprint shows that BASF products account for the reduction of 287 million tons of CO2 equivalents per year, which is 3 times as much as needed for their production.

BASF will showcase its range of energy efficient construction solutions at the Green Building Conference, and visitors to the BASF exhibit, which can be found at stands 110 -117, can meet BASF’s specialists, learn more about BASF’s offerings participate in Q&A sessions and a mini quiz, and even win prizes.

Polyurethanes and EIFS in eco-building in South Africa
According to Samantha Govender from BASF Polyurethanes South Africa, the powerful insulating properties of polyurethanes make them ideal for “green” construction applications. “Polyurethane offers a light-weight solution, with improved insulation properties to minimize heat loss and increase the comfort factor in buildings, thus offering the ideal solution for use in green buildings. Polyurethane also presents a wide array of application methods to adapt to the requirements and contours of the building, thus ensuring versatility of application to suit most green building needs,” says Govender.

Warren Trew, from BASF Construction Chemicals South Africa, believes that BASF’s Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) also offer tremendous benefits. “They are well suited for retro-fit as well as new construction and offer many benefits that include energy efficiency, design flexibility, cost effectiveness and a range of varied aesthetic capability. As the price of electricity continues to rise, the opportunity for EIFS in the commercial sector is becoming more viable,” he says.

Further collaboration and research
With sustainability such a key focus for The Chemical Company, it is no surprise that it has entered into a collaborative agreement with the CSIR.

The CSIR and BASF Holdings SA (Pty) Ltd recently signed the two year memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement with the aim of fostering cooperation in technical or other innovations within the broader construction, construction materials, building and infrastructure, and related industries. The focus will be on introducing green building technologies in the SA construction sector.

The unit will enable the Sasol Group to add further value to its monomers feed streams originating from the Secunda complex and will boost ethylene production by approximately 48 000 tons per year.  The ethylene will be used in the manufacturing of polyethylene and will greatly benefit the plastics conversion industry in South Africa that currently imports large quantities of this raw material.

This investment confirms Sasol’s commitment to the South African chemical industry and will enable significant downstream value addition in terms of locally manufactured consumer products such as plastic bags, packaging materials and containers.

Grey-water from showers, baths, hand basins, laundry tubs and washing machines can provide a solution to our water scarcity challenges. A joint pilot study, conducted by the Universities of Witwatersrand (WITS), Johannesburg (UJ) and Cape Town (UCT), and funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC), is proving that the use of grey-water can be an effective way of saving our high quality water.

A Wits student working on the WRC project

A dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system is a system consisting of separate pipes that supply grey-water (for only toilet flushing in this project) and drinking water, respectively, to the end user. This is the first dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system for high-density urban buildings currently piloted in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Hillman Block) at WITS, collects its grey-water from 13 hand-basins and conveys it to a 200 litre tank.

Prior to the grey-water tank are two 2 mm sieves that collect any solid materials which find their way from the hand-basins. These sieves are cleaned once a week. Prior to the sieves are two chlorinators that disinfect the grey-water to kill any micro-organisms. “The grey-water tank had to be kept small so that water is used immediately” says Dr Adesola Ilemobade, project leader at the WITS School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The tank has two submersible pumps for directing water to the toilet when the toilet is flushed, using a switch within the toilet cubicle. Necessary measures were also put in place to avoid backflows.

The first phase of the pilot project is currently used to flush one female and one male toilet at the WITS Hillman Block. “If accepted by South African municipalities, the project will be beneficial to many water-scarce communities” says Dr Ilemobade. “At this stage the reuse of black water (sewage) is not considered due to the potentially higher public health risks” he adds.

A survey that was followed by a massive user awareness campaign at WITS, UJ and UCT indicated a high level of optimism amongst staff and students with the installation of a dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system on their campuses.

Dr Adesola maintains that the unit will offer several advantages including: the reduction in participating households’/institutions’ drinking water bills; in areas without waterborne sewerage, grey-water reuse may improve the performance of septic tanks; grey-water reuse supports the growth in greener water strategies; and water conservation.
“The next installation is in progress at a 16-room unit of the Student Village residence at the University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus where the collection of grey-water will be extended to showers and baths within the unit” says Dr Ilemobade.

“Municipalities constrained by finance will be better empowered to provide unserved communities with drinking water systems since the costs of the system will be reduced as a result of the reduced demand for drinking water due to grey-water reuse” says Mr Jay Bhagwan, a Director managing the study at the WRC. It will further cause reduced effluent discharges to the environment, leaving streams to their natural flow regime.

In January, Rep. Edward J. Markey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, sent a letter to the FDA requesting information about the status of FDA’s ongoing review of triclosan in consumer products.

In responding to the Chairman’s letter, FDA explained that, in light of animal studies raising questions about triclosan’s safety, the agency is engaged in an ongoing scientific review to incorporate the most up-to-date data and information into the regulations that govern consumer products containing triclosan. The FDA does not have sufficient safety evidence to recommend changing consumer use of products that contain triclosan at this time.

For some consumer products, there is clear evidence that triclosan provides a benefit. For other consumer products, FDA has not received evidence that the triclosan provides an extra benefit to health. At this time, the agency does not have evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.

This progression is highlighted in the 2010 edition of the OGP Standards Bulletin, published by the Standards Committee of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) whose members in 80 countries produce more than half of the world’s oil and about one third of its gas.

The OGP strongly supports international standards for the petroleum and natural gas industries and actively promotes the development and use of ISO International Standards, as well as those of its partner the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

ISO standards for the sector are primarily developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 67, Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries, in which hundreds of experts from 29 countries participate, with another 30 countries as observers. In 2009, 21 new or revised standards were produced by ISO/TC 67 and 23 are planned for first publication or revision by the end of 2010. Currently, the TC’s portfolio comprises 145 standards, plus updates.

For industry, International Standards reduce costs and delivery times, and facilitate trade across borders by replacing the multiplicity of existing industry, regional and national standards, as well as specifications developed by individual companies.

An example cited by the OGP Standards Bulletin is the three-part ISO 21809 on pipeline coatings which, by providing a consistent and unified approach for implementation worldwide, replaces multiple existing specifications and so cuts costs and complications for the oil and gas sector.

The bulletin also quotes the successful example provided by Russia which in 2008 based 11 national standards on ISO standards.

For regulators, International Standards provide the technical basis for regulations, while achieving high levels of safety because standards are continually reviewed to maintain them at the state of the art. Standards thus play an important role in the technical definition of safety levels set by regulators for oil and gas installations.

The latest OGP Standards Bulletin reports that compared with a European survey in 1996, a new survey reveals a “significant increase” from 16 % to 38 %  in regulatory references to international standards and “a sharp decrease” from 39 % to 14 % in references to national standards.

The OGP Standards Bulletin can be downloaded as a PDF file from the Websites of ISO and the OGP itself.