Fluoro-materials Science

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This page is still under construction

Welcome to the Fluoro-Materials Group page.

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 fluoridein 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.

Staff

SA Research Chair in Fluoro-materials Science and Process Integration
  • Miss Denise Jacobs
Personal Assistant to Prof Philip Crouse
  • Mr Paul W. Sonnendecker
Technical Officer
B.Eng. (Hons) Chemical Engineering
  • Mr Onias Sitando
Laboratory and Instrument Assistant
B.Sc. (Hons) Chemical Engineering

Students

  • Mr John Kabangu
B.Sc. (Hons) Chemical Engineering
  • Mr Ryno Pretorius
M.Eng. Chemical Engineering
  • Mr Gerard J. Puts
Undergraduate
  • Miss Melanie Jansen van Rensburg
B.Eng. (Hons) Chemical Engineering

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 nyobium ietsie ietsie ietsie]

Prof Philip Crouse - Project supervisor
John Kabangu - Project leader

Instruments

Spectro ARCOS ICP-OES

The Spectro ARCOS inductive-coupled plasma is a state-of-the-art inorganic measuring instrument for quantitative and qualitative measurements of most metals. The FMG lab has in excess of twenty standards for the determination of most heavy metals, ferrous and non ferrous metals and many more.

PerkinElmer Lambda 750s UV/Vis Spectrophotometer

PerkinElmer Lambda 750s Spectrophotometer

PerkinElmer Spectrum 100 FTIR Spectrometer

PerkinElmer Spectrum 100 FTIR

Documents


Back to Institute of Applied Materials.