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Antimicrobial tech could bolster copper beneficiation

2nd June 2017

By: Nica Schreuder

Journalist

     

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Nonprofit organisation promoting copper use in Africa the Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA) is negotiating the use of antimicrobial copper technology at healthcare clinics in copper-rich African countries, which could aid the continent’s beneficiation goals.

The initiative, launched in 2006, aims to improve conditions in hospitals and healthcare facilities, with installations of antimicrobial copper products initiated in South Africa and the CDAA endeavouring to set up presentations for the Zambian healthcare fraternity.

In 2012, the Ras SJ & Scheepers Veterinary Practice in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, received an antimicrobial copper table used for surgery. The clinic is now fitted with copper light switches, vaccine fridge door handles, disinfectant bottles and operation table handles. A maxillofacial and oral surgeon dental clinic in Alberton, Johannesburg, also installed copper touch surfaces and instrument surfaces. The CDAA has also been involved in other projects in Limpopo.

Recently the first set of antimicrobial copper products for a healthcare facility Lusikisiki Health Clinic, in the Eastern Cape, are being prepared in South Africa by the CDAA, which focuses on driving forward such innovation through research and development. “Hopefully this installation is successful, so we can roll out the technology at other clinics in South Africa.” Swanepoel added that opportunities for antimicrobial copper technology in South Africa are abundant. “If you look at the amount of hospitals in this country, there’s an incredible market for copper. I see this as a major growth opportunity for the copper industry.”

An antimicrobial agent kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth; antimicrobial copper is any copper alloy with a copper content greater than 60%. There are more than 400 different alloys available. Antimicrobial products implemented in healthcare environments comprise frequently touched surfaces. These surfaces are replaced with copper to prevent infection.

 

Copper reduces the bioburden of infections by 83%, according to Swanepoel, who points out that the demand for infection-free healthcare environments is increasing, with hospital-acquired infections increasing globally.

“We’ve been working on this since 2011 . . . [and had a] breakthrough last year. “It was a long process to get to the South African Department of Health, but we are now seeing results”, CDAA executive chairperson Evert Swanepoel comments, adding that the CDAA aims to install copper technology at all healthcare facilities in Africa.

In 2013, Swanepoel visited the University Teaching Hospital, in Zambia, to deliver a presentation on the benefits of copper surfaces. In the presentation, he explained that antimicrobial copper in healthcare would benefit the Zambian copper market and create job opportunities while helping the healthcare industry reduce infection rates.

Should the CDAA be allowed to install antimicrobial surfaces in Zambian clinics and hospitals, the surfaces would be manufactured in Zambia, using copper sourced in the country. The CDAA also believes that the country should take advantage of such beneficiation opportunities instead of focusing on exporting copper to other countries for value addition.

The products will not only boost production but also opportunities for manufacturers. As the project is in its infancy, the main difficulty is finding a manufacturer that is able to produce the small volumes initially required. “If you’re talking to a major manufacturer, they look at volume and we can’t offer them volume because we’re not there yet.”

However, Swanepoel is confident that the project will be a success and attract bigger manufacturers.

Copper-Cleaned Water
Cleaning water using a copper coil device was the brainchild of Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine director Dr Padma Venkat from India.

The idea stemmed from an ancient Indian practice of storing water overnight in copper pots to kill diarrhoeagenic pathogens. “Venkat took that concept and developed . . . a coil that you submerge in a plastic bucket of water. You leave it for 16 hours during which the contaminated water is cleaned,” Swanepoel explains, noting that the CDAA conducted tests in 2015 and is working on a protocol to implement the technology practically.

When conducting its initial tests, the CDAA used 8 mm copper rods curled into a coil to get the correct surface area to water volume ratio.

This copper coil technology is especially relevant in drought-stricken countries, as it makes rainwater harvesting possible. Rainwater cannot be used for drinking water, unless it is first filtered, says Swanepoel.

The CDAA’s device would aid water-scarce countries by ensuring that the correct ratio of copper to water is present in the water collection tank. The correct ratio, according to Swanepoel, is 12.6 mm² of copper for every 1 ℓ of water.

The device is also cost effective, which appeals to poverty-stricken regions in Africa, most notably regions that do not have access to clean, running water and resort to consuming contaminated dam water. It is important that the water is pH neutral to prevent copper leaching into the water being treated. The CDAA is testing the device in highly acidic and highly alkaline water to determine how it reacts under all possible scenarios, but is till trying to find a solution to prevent copper leaching. The tests are ongoing and will take

time, but the device is proven to be effective in killing pathogens in contaminated water, says the association. If the tests prove successful, Swanepoel explains that this would create an entirely new industry focused on the manufacturing of these devices, in turn, creating local employment, using local copper, to give local people and communities the necessary support and enable economic growth.

Renewable-Energy Application
Renewable-energy technologies require, on average, four times more copper than technology installed at coal-fired power stations, says Swanepoel. The CDAA has designed a two-day solar photovoltaic (PV) training course for designers and installers to promote the use of solar-powered electrical technologies.

Most of the copper used in renewable-energy technology, such as solar PV, is found in solar batteries and panels, symbolising significant growth for the copper industry in Africa, where various renewable-energy projects are under way.

Swanepoel predicts that the use of rooftop solar PV is going to expand faster than anyone could have anticipated, owing to the financial benefits associated with using less grid-based electricity.

Using solar during the day significantly decreases the amount of municipal power used and, if coupled with adequate battery storage, solar generated power can be used at night.

However, Swanepoel states that solar-generated power relies on good weather conditions.

South Africa’s largest utility PV plant in Kimberley, known as Jasper, operates at 95 MW. The country’s largest rooftop solar installation is at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, Gauteng,

while renewable-energy engineering, procurement and construction services group juwi Renewable Energies has most recently completed a 960 kW rooftop solar PV plant at Growthpoint’s Brooklyn Mall, in Pretoria.

Engineering News reported in April that juwi expected the commercial solar market in South Africa to undergo a significant shift in the coming months as independent power producers begin playing a more prominent role.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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