Fluoro-materials Science
This page is still under construction
Welcome to the Fluoro-Materials Group page.
Contents
Introduction
The Fluoro-Materials Group was established late 2007 in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The initiative was introduced by the DST through what is called the Fluorochemical Expansion Initiative.
South Africa has the second largest reserve of calcium fluoride in the world and currently has the third largest mining operations. Calcium fluoride or fluorspar is the most abundant, naturally occurring, form of fluoride. It is also the starting point for the production of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, fluorine, tetrafluoroethylene and various other industrially important fluorides.
The Fluoro-Materials Group mainly focuses on research in the following areas:
- Production and production technology of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and fluorine.
- Depolymerisation and polymerisation of polytetrafluoroethylene.
- Extraction of various metals from local ore and ore found in southern Africa.
- Production of various polymers, other than PTFE, by means of co-polymer additions to tetrafluoroethylene.
Useful Links and Downloads
- To view more information on postgraduate studies in the Department of Chemical engineering click here.
- To download a copy of the departmental guideline for technical reports click here.
- For versions of the standard declaration form regarding plagiarism click here.
Staff
| Member | Title | Position | Tel. | Office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip L. Crouse | Prof. | Chair: Fluoro-materials Science and Process Integration | philip.crouse@up.ac.za | (012) 420-2856 | Eng I, R 8-7 | |
| Denise Jacobs | Miss | Administrative Assistant | denise.jacobs@up.ac.za | (012) 420-4668 | Eng I, R 8-8 | |
| Paul W. Sonnendecker | Mr. | Technical Officer | paul.sonnendecker@up.ac.za | (012) 420-3161 | Eng I, R 8-13 | |
| Onias Sitando | Mr. | Laboratory and Instrument Assistant | s29684995@tuks.co.za | Eng II, R 3-52 |
Students
| Member | Title | Position | Tel. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryno Pretorius | Mr. | M.Eng. (Chemical) | r.nielater@gmail.com | 07765608180 | |
| Paul W. Sonnendecker | Mr. | M.Eng. (Chemical) | paul.sonnendecker@up.ac.za | 07794917802 | |
| Onias Sitando | Mr. | M.Sc. (Applied Sciences) | s29684995@tuks.co.za | 07765079493 | |
| John Kabangu Mpinga | Mr. | M.Sc. (Applied Science) | johnmpinga@yahoo.fr | 07731014541 | |
| Ncamsile Maseko | Miss | M.Sc. (Applied Sciences) | 07822138323 | ||
| Tando Kili | Mr. | B.Eng. (Hons)(Chemical) | |||
| Atang C. Sauli | Mr. | M.Sc. (Applied Sciences) | 07765447550 | ||
| Keegan M. Baloyi | Mr. | B.Eng. (Hons)(Chemical) | |||
| Lucas Dube | Mr. | B.Eng. (Hons)(Chemical) | 07787888808 | ||
| Rendani Munandi | Miss | B.Eng. (Hons)(Chemical) | 07729549377 | ||
| Melanie Jansen van Rensburg | Miss | B.Eng. (Hons)(Chemical) | 07765855638 | ||
| Athi-Enkosi Mavukwana | Mr. | B.Sc. (Hons)(Applied Sciences) | 07784953176 | ||
| Gerard J. Puts | Mr. | B.Eng. (Chemical) | gerard.puts.up@gmail.com | 07767884811 | |
| Anré M. van der Westhuizen | Miss | B.Eng. (Chemical) | anre.v.d.west@gmail.com | 07842122232 |
Modules
The Fluoro-Materials Group facilitates one post graduate module, CFT 732 Fluoro-Materials Science, for B.Eng. (Hons) Chemical Engineering or B.Sc. (Hons) Applied Sciences. For more information on this module, please refer to the CFT 732 study guide.
Projects
Post Graduate Projects
Production of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and fluorine
- Prof Philip Crouse - Project supervisor
- Paul Sonnendecker - Project leader
- Joubert du Plessis - Student contributor
- Arno van den Berg - Student contributor
Depolymerisation of polytetrafluoroethylene
- Prof Philip Crouse - Project supervisor
- Gerard Puts - Project leader
- Paul Sonnendecker - Technical contributor
Extraction and purification of lithium ietsie ietsie ietsie
- Prof Philip Crouse - Project supervisor
- Onias Sitando - Project leader
Extraction and purification of niobium ietsie ietsie ietsie
- Prof Philip Crouse - Project supervisor
- John Kabangu - Project leader
CSC 411 Research Projects
The Fluoro-Materials Group offers several undergraduate research topics for the CSC 411 Research Project module. These topics are usually integrated in one of the post graduate research projects or as an initial step toward a new research opportunity in the group.
2008
- Reports
- Jakkie Myburgh - Heat Transfer Modelling and Reaction Kinetics for the Depolymerisation of PTFE
- Mariné van der Merwe - PBMR Particle Treatment - Design of Spouted Bed using Non-Equilibrium Plasma Conditions
- Richard Dietrich - A Kinetic Model for the Thermal Decomposition of Tetrafluoroethylene in a Monel Reactor
- Sibusiso Khumalo - Quantification of Solid Carbon Formation during C2F4 Pyrolysis
- Stacey Heüer - Investigation into the Reaction between Molten Aluminium Bifluoride and Mild Steel
- Posters
- Jakkie Myburgh - Heat Transfer Modelling and Reaction Kinetics for the Depolymerisation of PTFE
- Mariné van der Merwe - PBMR Particle Treatment - Design of Spouted Bed using Non-Equilibrium Plasma Conditions
- Richard Dietrich - A Kinetic Model for the Thermal Decomposition of Tetrafluoroethylene in a Monel Reactor
- Sibusiso Khumalo - Quantification of Solid Carbon Formation during C2F4 Pyrolysis
- Stacey Heüer - Investigation into the Reaction between Molten Aluminium Bifluoride and Mild Steel
2009
- Reports
2010
- Reports
2011
- Reports
- Gerard Puts - Pyrolytic Production of Tetrafluoroethylene from its Bulk Polymer
- [ Arno van den Berg - ]
- [ Gerard Potgieter - ]
Instruments
PerkinElmer Lambda 750s UV/Vis Spectrophotometer
PerkinElmer Spectrum 100 FTIR Spectrometer
