Alternative fire lighting reduces pollution, ups energy savings

Coal-mining company Anglo Coal won the second annual Nedbank Capital Green Mining socioeconomic award last year for implementing the Department of Mineral and Energy- (DME-) endorsed alternative fire-lighting method, Basa Njengo Magogo (BNM), in the Vosman township. These awards acknowledge the contributions that respons- ible mining and mineral beneficiation make to economic development of Southern Africa.

Anglo Coal sustainable develop- ment analyst Linda Watson says that the township of Kwaguqa, outside Witbank, and particularly the Vosman and Hlalanihahle wards of Kwaguqa, were chosen in 2006 and 2007 as the locations for these demonstrations, owing to the proximity of the township to Anglo Coal’s operations.

The BNM fire-lighting project identified air pollution as an area of concern for the company and the local community.

In South Africa, recorded pollution levels caused by burning coal for cooking, space or water heating have reached between 10 and 15 times the international health standard levels, particularly in winter when coal is not only used for cooking, but as an essential heating source.

The estimated social and health costs associated with the results of air pollution amount to about R800-million a year, and about 2 000 children die every year as a result of respiratory infections caused by air pollution, which is considered the sixth-largest killer of children under the age of four, in South Africa.

The benefits of the method were demonstrated to over 12 000 households in 2006 and over 19 000 households in 2007. Demonstrations took place in the streets, at local schools and in private households. Over R1-million was spent on the project rollout over the last two years.

The BNM coal igniting technique provides enough energy from the top of a fire stack to ignite coal at the bottom of a stack. The method involves first placing most of the coal to be used at the bottom of a stove or fireplace, and then placing crumpled paper and wood on top of the coal and lighting the fire. When the wood is burning well, a handful of coal is packed on top of the wood.

Benefits, as a result of the BNM method, include a significant reduction in ambient air pollution, thereby reducing environmental and health impacts. A decreased use of coal leads to considerable cost savings, fires last longer and are ready for cooking much sooner. Additionally, the method requires no new equipment or financial outlay.

The company plans further investment in this project and is growing the roll-out to include other sponsor companies who operate in the same areas. It will also include other target areas, such as Middleburg and Delmas. The next phase is being planned over three years, instead of the initial one-year period.

Watson says that new endeavours in light of the findings from this project will pass government responsibility from the DME to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Deat), which is interested in acquiring more funding for investing in this initiative for a national campaign that will involve radio and television advertisements, and cover much greater areas than those possible through street demonstrations.

National campaigns would also allow for more comprehensive air quality monitoring.

Anglo Coal is interested in becom- ing involved in Deat’s plans and is awaiting further information. Depending on the finalisation of the Deat plans, Anglo Coal “is likely to tackle an adjacent area to the Hlalanihahle section, and continue air monitoring, as one year of monitoring is too short to draw any conclusions,” says Watson.

The campaign was supported by the DME, the Emalahleni local municipality and township ward councillors.

Training and management support firm Onke Training (formerly Palmer Development Consulting), air quality monitoring firm Ecoserve, coal merchants, local schools and the university of the Witwatersrand were also involved.