The Southern African Coal Processing Society awards were announced at its annual dinner attended by 650 guests in Johannesburg, Gauteng, earlier last month.

Project management company DRA minerals processing enginerring consultant Mark Cresswell won the Coal Person of the Year award. He has been involved in some of the largest coal plants built by the company in the past ten years and has been a member of the society for 30 years.

Cresswell plays an integral part in the educational sector of the society’s duties, especially with the role of sponsorships to universities and research organisations. He is also part of the editorial committee that compiled the 2002 Coal Preparation Handbook, which is currently being updated.
The Society’s University Nomination for Student of the Year was awarded to University of Johannesburg student Tsholanang Molati.

He completed Coal Processing and Usage Modules A and B for practical and theory and was the top achiever with an academic average of 79% in both coal modules achieving a pass rate over 80%.

Molati is currently employed by Royal Bafokeng Platinum, where he is doing experiential learning and working to complete his National Diploma in 2016, after which he hopes to continue to study for a Bachelor of Technology degree.

The Colliery Training College Top Student was awarded to coal mine Shanduka Coal operations manager Hendrik du Toit, who completed his Advanced Coal Preparation Diploma in 2014 with distinction as well as achieving a distinction for basic coal preparation.

His project was liquid solid separation of ultrafine coal and the motivation was to assess different technologies available to dry ultrafine coal successfully and to take advantage of turning a waste product into a saleable product.

The technology and method are based on using filter presses to ensure a moisture content of between 18% and 22% to make ultrafine coal easy to handle and marketable.

The society also introduced its new chairperson, Jaco Scholtz, whose term will be for the next two years.