News


Festo provides international training expertise for the water sector at WISA 2014

September 2014 News

Hosted in Nelspruit, this year’s Water Institute of South Africa (WISA) 2014 Biennial Conference was the ideal forum at which to present the results of the international Festo-GIZ project in water management.

The Festo-GIZ project began in 2011, when a partnership was formed between Festo Didactic and the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) to address the water and wastewater sector in South Africa by designing training modules and course material for water professionals. Festo Didactic, together with the Institute for Urban Water Management from the University of Stuttgart, worked on the course material as well as a train-the-trainer programme. In conjunction with the University of Pretoria and The Water Academy the modules were implemented and evaluated in line with an experiential training methodology.

Professor Heidrun Steinmetz, chair of sanitary engineering and water recycling at the University of Stuttgart, spoke on Resource Orientated Sanitation stating that wastewater is not waste, but rather a resource. She showed that the water demand of the world is steadily increasing and that we need a paradigm change to address this in the future. In addition, Steinmetz showed data on some other resources which are currently under pressure such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, in addition to water. Her message is that all of these could be retrieved from wastewater through new sanitary engineering methods to save costs, recycle energy and conserve our resources.

It is from this perspective that the modular training rig called the Environmental Discovery System (EDS) for water management was developed, teaching current and future water professionals how to run water and wastewater treatment plants in a sustainable way and optimise resources. Yvonne Salazar, representing Festo Didactic, presented on the results of the Festo-GIZ development partnership and the success of the EDS.

Proving the success of the project, Carl Sandrock and Paul Sonnendecker from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pretoria presented on 'Teaching open loop dynamic of a High Tower using the EDS equipment of Festo Didactic'. Third year students were able to interact with a working real-time system and learn the process dynamics beyond simulation. Results of testing before and after using the experiential learning showed an increased understanding amongst the students.

Horst Weinert, Festo Didactic manager for South Africa summed up: “The results of this project are extremely encouraging, both for the local water industry and also for other countries who need to train water professionals to manage and protect their water resources into the future.”

For more information contact Tracey Swart, Festo, 08600 FESTO, [email protected], www.festo.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Hytec opens fifteenth Mandela Day library
Bosch Rexroth Africa News
Over 200 learners at Monene Primary School in rural Limpopo have received their own containerised library. This is the fifteenth library since 2011, provided by Hytec South Africa and the Nelson Mandela School Library Project to schools across the country.

Read more...
CSIR survey on the state of cybersecurity in South Africa
News
The CSIR Information and Cybersecurity Centre has released four comprehensive national cybersecurity surveys. These delve into critical areas such as cybersecurity preparedness and resilience in the public sector, cybersecurity skills gaps, cybersecurity incidents, and the digital identity landscape in South Africa.

Read more...
Referro Systems partners with Festo in Northern Cape
News
Referro Systems has been recognised as an Authorised Official Partner Candidate for Festo in the Northern Cape, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering best-in-class automation solutions to customers.

Read more...
Heavy-duty tablet achieves global certification
Vepac Electronics News
In a significant advancement for the company’s rugged tablets, the Teguar TRT-5380-10 heavy-duty tablet from Vepac has successfully acquired 11 international certifications, setting a new standard in quality, safety, and security across global markets.

Read more...
Bühler Johannesburg transforms Little Star Daycare Centre
News
Little Star Daycare in Vanderbijlpark has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to the generous support of Bühler Johannesburg.

Read more...
Schneider Electric and Harmony accelerate skills development
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric has formed a strategic partnership with Harmony Gold Mining to upgrade the instrumentation workshop into a state-of-the-art facility.

Read more...
RS South Africa showcases mining products and solutions
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa recently exhibited at MTE Steelport in Limpopo, and MTE Sibanye-Stillwater in Gauteng.

Read more...
RS PRO expands automation range
RS South Africa News
As automation continues to revolutionise production facilities, RS PRO, the trusted own brand of RS, is expanding its product range to meet the growing demand for smarter, more efficient processes.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: Killer science
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
I couldn’t resist watching The World Industrial Reporter’s video on Ten Scientists Killed By Their Own Experiments. Some of them would have deserved the Darwin Award for taking themselves out of the ...

Read more...