BuaNews (Tshwane)
Nthambeleni Gabara
19 November 2008
Johannesburg — Government is to develop realistic mineral-specific proposals to establish secondary and tertiary industries.
This is according to Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena, who was speaking at the three-day conference of the Advanced Metals Initiative (AMI) on Tuesday.
"Government is committed to the promotion of beneficiation, and discussions are under way among government departments to develop realistic mineral-specific proposals to establish secondary and tertiary industries aimed at adding maximum value to mineral raw materials," he said.
The conference brings together researchers, industry and government players to share and debate the latest research and innovative solutions in the field of advanced metals.
It will provide insights into the activities of the AMI, which is part of the department's interventions in the area of advanced metals.
Mr Mangena said strategies are also being developed to leverage new investments and economic activity through key government procurement programmes, including the proposed Beneficiation Strategy by the Department of Minerals and Energy, the Department of Science and Technology's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy, as well as the proposed Technology Localisation Plan.
"These initiatives are aimed at increasing our technological capacity, and introducing the necessary legislation to support the production of processed metal products and value-added minerals.
"The world of minerals beneficiation is highly competitive. Hence, we need to create an enabling and sustainable environment," the minister said.
According to Mr Mangena, energy production, consumption and waste have become major factors in this particular industry.
"As a result, we need to focus our research and development initiatives at energy producing processes that have a low environmental impact, and technologies that are energy and water efficient.
"On the one hand, the Light Metals Development Network is on a quest to produce ultra-light, ultra-strong, recyclable metals, to meet the demand for low-emission vehicles and energy-saving devices for automotive and aerospace applications," he said.
The Precious Metals Development Network, the minister said, is focusing its research into auto catalysts and palladium membranes for use in hydrogen purification applied in fuel cells.
Looking to the future, the minister said, attracting students and retaining skills and experience will remain challenges in developing metal technologies further.
"We are convinced that by providing challenging and stimulating environments, with the appropriate funding, we will be able to meet this human capacity challenge. We are also looking at introducing two research chairs in the field of advanced metals spanning all three AMI networks," he said.
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