The City of Joburg has been given the thumbs up on its firm commitment to boost its Green Economy. This follows the hosting of the Green Research and Innovation seminar by the City’s Department of Economic Development, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg’s Engineering Faculty and the Built Environment (FEBE). The seminar’s purpose was to engage academics, labour, the research sector and facets of government in identifying the best and most sustainable green solutions going forward.
Roodepoort councillor Willie van der Schyf, the City’s Chairman of the Section 79 Committee for Economic Development, addressed participants at the seminar and said the ideas being explored had the potential to complement other green gains that had been made.
“Our Green Economy agenda has seen us launch our fleet of dual-energy green buses, which are much more energy-efficient and cost-effective, effectively building a sustainable urban transport system that places the environment first. We’ve also seen the first successful Green Fund Challenge that produced 10 patented green technologies,” he said.
Some of the initiatives presented at the seminar included a biogas project, solar PV technology and the conversion of stone to paper. On the biogas project, Professor Charles Mbohwa, Vice-Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation at the University of Johannesburg, said key findings from waste quantification measures at both the Robinson Deep and Joburg Market landfills had revealed that the initial proposed tally of one ton of food waste to fuel one bus daily was not feasible. He suggested that this be increased to at least 50 tons to run up to 20 buses on potentially converted biofuel.
Some ideas discussed at the seminar include the torrefaction of food waste as a possible alternative to coal in coal-fired boilers. Torrefaction is the conversion of food waste to biogas and bio-coal which has the potential to reduce pressure on landfill sites, create employment and reduce greenhouse emissions. Another idea on display was the implementation of solar PV technology on municipal buildings.
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