The role of public participation in service delivery: a case of a selected township in the Cape Metropolitan Area, South Africa

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020Public participation in governance and public service delivery is increasingly pursued in a bid to improve the performance of government. Improving delivery of public services continues to be a key objective that has occupied the agenda of public administrators and researchers alike. Despite various legislative prescriptions, which encourage local community participation in service delivery initiatives, there is prevalence of a top-down approach when municipalities bring services to communities. This occurs when municipalities follow their own developmental priorities for communities and they do this without the consultation of the concerned communities. The main purpose of this study was to explore the involvement of communities in determining the infrastructure services that are delivered to them by government. The study was done in Khayelitsha, a township situated in the Cape metropolitan area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. A qualitative and quantitative methodology was employed in the study. It is relevant to the study and assisted the researcher to gain insight into the Khayelitsha municipality and understand the challenges caused by not involving the community in service delivery. The main findings reveal that the role of the community is not clearly defined during the process of service delivery resulting in poor public participation. Poor communication with communities also contributes to this problem and there is no formal collaboration between the community and the municipality. Thus, the study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on public participation and service delivery, as well as democracy. Furthermore, the study concludes that for the successful delivery of services to communities, it is essential that government officials comply with the legal prescriptions that are enshrined in the relevant legislation. In addition, communities should begin to own service delivery initiatives and protect their facilities from vandalism

Process optimization and environmental assessment of municipal solid waste conversion to liquid fuels and/or chemicals

Thesis (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020South Africa currently faces an energy security issue with regards to the country’s rather insignificant petroleum reserves. The Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis process has found great application in converting the reserves available to products of economic value in terms of fuels and chemicals finding the adequate application at Sasol and Petro SA alike. However, in the realisation of the fact that coal is a high pollutant and natural gas reserves at a critical low with Sasol and Petro SA respectively, new innovations have become of critical importance. Solid waste management has become an ever-growing problem world-wide due to rapid urbanization and population growth. South Africa was found to have generated 9 million tons of general waste in 2011 with the Western Cape generating 675 kg/capita/annum. The convention of management has been that of landfilling however, this method is fast becoming insignificant due to the lack of space and detrimental nature to the environment. Considering the energy security issue South Africa is facing, and the global drive of finding alternate sources of fuel with the depletion of fossil fuel, attention has turned to MSW as a sustainable source of energy while remediating its effect on the environment. Thermochemical conversions of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), this presents an attractive means of harnessing the potential value in this waste stream thus thermochemical conversion poses an attractive means of converting this waste stream into valuable fuel products. In the realisation of the 2 problems of energy security and solid waste disposal, Biomass to Liquid (BTL) technology was found to be the most suitable to tackle these issues. BTL is an established process that uses the thermal conversion of biomass into various liquid fuels products through a series of technologies. MSW is highly heterogeneous which poses a processing challenge, unlike virgin biomass which is normally used in BTL technologies. The study investigated the production of high-quality syngas through an Aspen simulation of thermal gasification which would be suitable for liquid fuels and chemicals via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to bridge the energy security issue in South Africa. As the study also possesses an environmental facet, it was necessary to assess the pollution load caused by the process of landfilling in terms of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides which will be determined by means of radionuclide analysis and heavy metal analysis. The procedures were accomplished by use of the gamma-ray spectroscopy, High Purity Germanium detector, (HPGe) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry, (ICP-OES) methods. The study was conducted by making use of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) pellets produced from the MSW. 4 Different binders in form of corn starch, guar-gum starch, waste palm oil and waste engine oil were used in the production of the pellets, thus the effect of this on energy content and thermal degradation behaviour was studied. The energy content of MSW in Cape Town was investigated using a bomb calorimeter and the thermal degradation behaviour was studied using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The South African Government, through the National Development Plan of South Africa, aims to provide access to the grid and off-grid electrical power to a minimum of 95 % of the population by 2030, of which 20 GW of the required 29 GW required for this needs to come from alternative and renewable energy sources. This study using the MSW from the City of Cape Town Municipality in South Africa shows that the MSW has a calorific value of approximately 19 MJ/kg which is significantly high, meaning that the waste can be directly used as fuel in many applications but more importantly that of electricity generation. The calorific value for the pelletised waste was found to be higher at an average of 23.9 MJ/kg which can be compared with South African coal being 25.1 MJ/kg. Using TGA, 3 distinguishable major mass loss regions were found between temperatures 55 – 265 ℃, 270 – 410 ℃ and 410 – 502 ℃. The total sample reduction was found to be more than 90 % on average which is a reduction of the waste. Heavy metals and Radionuclides (HM and R) are abundant in various types of municipal solid waste, including industrial waste, construction waste, medical waste, and household waste. Products containing HM and R are commonly disposed of in MSW or hazardous waste landfills and dumpsites. Approximately an average of 0.8 to 3 kg per capita per day of MSW is generated by suburban areas in South Africa. This method of managing or processing the waste has fast become inadequate and hence the need for new innovations. This has led to the focus on thermochemical conversion as an alternative. The soil is amongst the most considerable sources of radiation exposure to human beings and the migration for the transfer of radionuclides to the immediate environment. Exposure is a direct result of gamma-ray emissions that are produced by the most common terrestrial radionuclides, which are the member of the 238U and 232Th series and 40K of which concentrations differ with respect to the type of soil and the geology of the area. Environmental pollution by chemicals and heavy metals such as Cd, Ni, Zn, and Pb etc., showed a great increase in recent times due to various industrial operations including that of MSW disposal. All heavy metals at high concentrations have strong toxic effects and are regarded as environmental pollutants. Naturally occurring radionuclides activity was investigated at landfill sites from the City of Cape Town using a Hyper-Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector with appropriate shielding coupled to a Palmtop Multichannel Analyzer. Activity concentrations of the radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K were obtained from the activity concentrations of their respective daughter radionuclides. To obtain the overall combined effect in terms of activity concentration from the 3 parent radionuclides, the radium equivalent was calculated and 38.273, 41.019 and 83.007 Bq/Kg were obtained from Bellville, Coastal Park, and Vissershok respectively. Other radiological hazards in terms of Internal and External hazard indices and Representative hazard index were determined and found to be within safe limits. The dose rate in the air at 1m above the ground was determined to obtain a characteristic of the external gamma-ray and was found to be 17.490, 18.609 and 38.667 nGy/y for Bellville, Coastal Park, and Vissershok respectively. The health effects of the radiation in terms of annual effective dose and excess lifetime cancer risk were determined to be 0.031 mSv/y and 0.0961×10-3 which are lower than limits set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and the Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (NIASA). The gasification part of the study was through process simulation models on ASPEN Plus Process simulation software. This investigation proposes a model of syngas creation from Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Pellet gasification with air in a fixed bed reactor. The model (utilizing Aspen Plus process simulation software) is utilized to model the anticipated results of RDF gasification and to give some processes fundamentals concerning syngas generation from RDF gasification. The fixed bed reactors are an updraft fixed bed reactor which can be divided into 3 sections which are drying, pyrolysis and gasification. The model is based on a combination of models that the Aspen Plus simulator provides, representing the three stages of gasification. Thermodynamics package used in the simulation comprised the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) model. The model works on the principle of Gibbs free energy minimization and was validated with experimental data of MSW gasification found in the literature. The RYield module was combined with the RGibbs module to describe pyrolysis section, while the RGibbs module was used for the gasification section individually. Proximate and ultimate analysis of RDF pellets and operating conditions used in the model are discussed. The sensitivity analysis module of Aspen Plus was used to research the effect of air equivalence ratio, ER and temperature value on the syngas composition, and carbon conversion. The results indicate that higher temperature improves gasification as the composition of H2 and CO increase, as well as carbon conversion until a temperature of 900 ℃ and higher air equivalence ratio increases the carbon conversion while decreasing syngas quality as there is an increase in CO2 and H2. The most suitable binder for the gasification of RDF derived from MSW is maize starch, with the optimal process parameters for the production of syngas being that of temperature at 780 0C and airflow rate of 6 kg/hr which translates into a fuel-to-air feed ratio of about 1:2. Results obtained are in good agreement with the experimentally measured data in the literature

Copper and zinc in water, sediment and gastropods in the harbours of the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa

Thesis (Master of Environmental Health)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020The harbours in Cape Town are an important hub for development and socio-economic activities, some of which include shipping traffic, ship repair and maintenance, commercial and artisan fishing, construction (dredging and reclamation) and recreational vessel activities. These harbour related activities have contributed enormously to the influx of contaminants such as metals into the coastal environment. The semi-enclosed nature of the harbours associated with limited water exchange is conducive for water pollution. Thus, harbours are increasingly becoming a hotspot for metal loading into coastal ecosystems. Copper and zinc are metal-based biocides in present-day antifouling (AF) paints. Concerns have been raised over the effect of these metal ions in the marine environment with high levels being detected in areas of intense vessel activities such as harbour. The aim of the study was to determine concentration levels of copper and zinc in seawater, sediment and gastropods (Burnupena spp. and Nucella spp.) from selected harbours and reference sites in the Cape Town metropole. Also, to determine the suitability of the two gastropods for use as biomonitors of metal contamination as well as whether there was a causal relationship between copper and zinc content in the gastropods and the concentrations in water and sediment from the harbours. Samples were collected once-off seasonally in March (dry season) and September (wet season) 2016 from sampling point(s) in the harbours and reference sites at spring low tides. Samples of seawater, sediment and gastropods (soft tissue and shell) were acid digested and metal concentrations analysed in quintuplicate using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistical analyses were conducted using the SigmaPlot 13 software. Statistically significant differences in copper and zinc concentrations between sampling points in harbours and the reference sites were evaluated using a Kruskal–Wallis One-Way ANOVA on Ranks and Student Newman Kuels Method for post hoc tests as datasets were non-parametric. Dunn’s Method was used for Post hoc test after the ranked based ANOVA to evaluate significant differences in copper and zinc concentrations between harbours (unequal datasets). The Mann Whitney Rank Sum Test was used for comparisons in copper and zinc concentrations between the two seasons per sampling point, per sampling sites and between soft tissue and shell per sampling point. The Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation was used to determine if there was a relationship between the metal concentrations in the ambient samples (seawater and sediment) and soft tissue and shells of the gastropods. The results showed that the mean copper and zinc concentrations (mg/L) in seawater ranged between not detected (ND) to 0.0818±0.0494 and ND to1.7679±0.639, respectively. The corresponding mean concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) of copper and zinc in sediment were ND to 3432.16±2306.68 and 1.20±1.53 to 2380.43±1456.79, respectively. The highest mean copper and zinc concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) were found in Nucella soft tissue with a range of 19.84±6.43 to 2211.61±3168.07 and 77.20±15.14 to 5045.44±2447.15, respectively. The mean copper and zinc concentrations in seawater, sediment and gastropods (soft tissue and shell) were found to be generally higher in the dry season than the wet season. Generally, the mean copper and zinc concentrations in the soft tissue of the gastropods were higher than in the shells. The findings indicated that variations in copper and zinc concentrations in seawater, sediment and gastropods (soft tissue and shells) at sampling points in the harbours could be attributed to proximity to contamination sources, the rate of water exchange, metal handling strategies of gastropods as well as changes in environmental factors. The highest mean copper and zinc concentrations were found at sampling points close to areas of intense vessel-related activities in the harbours. Therefore, it could be suggested that AF paints are a predominant source of copper and zinc in seawater, sediment and the gastropods in the harbours. The correlation analyses revealed that there were generally no significant correlations between copper and zinc contents in the soft tissue or shell of the gastropods (Nucella spp.) and the ambient environmental concentrations in the harbours and reference sites although some distinct trends were observed. It was shown that copper and zinc concentrations in the soft tissue or shell of Nucella spp. may not be directly affected by those of the ambient seawater and sediment. It may, therefore, be presumed that the changes in copper and zinc loading in seawater and sediment were not the only factors that influenced the level of bioavailability of these metals to the Nucella spp. It is possible that the bioaccumulation of copper and zinc in the soft tissue or shell of Nucella spp. may have been influenced by many physicochemical and biological parameters. By comparing the data with water and sediment quality guidelines, it was observed that mean copper and zinc concentrations in seawater from some of the sampling points in the harbours exceeded the South African Water Quality Guidelines (SAWQGs). Likewise, the mean copper and zinc concentrations in sediment from some sampling points in the harbours were moderately or seriously polluted based on the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem Sediment Quality Guidelines for southern Africa (BCLME-SQGs). It is, therefore, strongly suggested that source identification and continuous monitoring of copper and zinc in water, sediment and biota in the harbours is imperative

An exploratory study of public participation during the Integrated development planning process: a case study of Theewaterskloof Local municipality, Western Cape Province

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020The aim of this study was to explore public participation during the Integrated Development Planning process at a selected municipality, which is Theewaterskloof Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province. South Africa, as a democratic state, has a legislative framework that promotes public participation during Integrated Development Planning. Notably, a Bill of rights in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, encourages the protection of human rights through acknowledging of participatory democracy whereby all citizens have to be involved in decision-making on matters that affect them. Public participation should be understood as the working together of government and communities in governance on programmes and projects that uplift the society, at a local government level. Community participation creates a platform whereby communities at local government level have to inform people in authority directly what they want and what they do not want. Public Participation ensures that municipalities ensure a buy in from, and develop partnerships with stakeholders. It is also a concept that is often mentioned in discussions on community development. In this study the researcher adopted a use of a case study design which entails both a qualitative and a quantitative approach. In depth interviews were conducted by the researcher with senior management of the municipality. Self-administered questionnaires were also distributed to the community in a representative sample. The findings of the study were analysed using (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) SPSS version 17 data processing computer software (quantitative data analyses). The outcomes of the study revealed that; the community of Theewaterskloof Municipality did not actively participate during Integrated Development Planning. This thesis concludes with a set of recommendations largely stating that local government is obliged to develop an enabling environment that includes all stakeholders and should allow space for communities to interact with the municipalities on an equal footing. The recommendations are aimed at enhancing community participation in the IDP and ensuring the provision of democratic and accountable government for local communities

Factors influencing business continuity readiness of the Western Cape government

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020The research was focused on business continuity management as a key discipline towards building a resilient Western Cape Government. It provided an opportunity to identify existing business continuity processes to determine the level of preparedness of the Western Cape Government to ensure continued business due to a disruption. The inability of the public sector to manage and facilitate sound business continuity processes in anticipation of disruptive events have placed it in a position where it would be unable to deliver services to citizens and stakeholders. As the current business environment was continuously evolving, Government as an organization was therefore not immune to change and disruption, whether generated internally or externally. For government to be resilient it required the holistic management of risk but also the ability to adapt and respond to change with a limited impact on the delivery of services. Business Continuity was the core to building and improving organizational resilience. It had been a proven methodology that organizations should embrace as part of a holistic approach to the management of risks and threats. Legislation and/or policies have been drafted for the public sector to guide with the management of risks. As an organ of state and part of the public sector the Western Cape Government was therefore obliged to manage risks in a way that ensured that government was able to continue to render a service both internally and externally with as little impact as possible. Business continuity management identified the priorities of an organization as well as prepared solutions to address disruptive threats. The aim of the study was the exploration of the state of business continuity within the Western Cape Government. The objectives of the study were to: Identify current business continuity processes; Evaluate current business continuity processes; Critically analyse existing business continuity documentation; and Identify the links between business continuity and resilience. The research questions were focused on getting departments to express how business continuity was facilitated; clarity in respect of processes; input source of business continuity documentation; as well as determining whether departments acknowledged the benefits of having business continuity management towards building a resilient Western Cape Government. Previous work reinforced the importance of having sound business continuity processes in place. From the literature it would appear that business continuity in the public sector was fairly new and developmental in nature. Previous work also recognized that each and every organization was unique and as such the process should be aligned with the core functions and/or mandates afforded by legislation and/or policies. The research approach deemed most appropriate for this particular study was the Interpretivist approach. Not only was this approach value laden but it allowed for the exploration of the theory and obtaining of rich in-depth data from the participants. It also allowed for the contextualization of the problem as it related to the business continuity processes within the Western Cape Government. The research method was qualitative using interviews and document analysis as the most suited research instruments to elicit qualitative data required to render the research process as valid. It was concluded that having sound business continuity processes in place would greatly support organizations with the management of disruptions. Business continuity should be a proactive plan to avoid and mitigate risk associated with disruption of operations and needed to be managed in a way that objectives were met. Further to this it should be noted that the resilience maturity of the Western Cape Government remained reactive and concerted efforts towards becoming proactive should be considered

Framework to improve the safety of university student housing facilities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Thesis (Master of Construction (Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020In the recent time, knowledge of Facility Management (FM) has been found useful in academic settings. FM principles are now applied to ensure the appropriate management of facilities. FM can be applied to all forms of facilities, including educational facilities such as student housing facilities (SHFs). The provision of a safe SHF is very important as shelters form a significant part of man’s environment, including in higher learning institutions. However, studies reveal that safety and security measures are not given the necessary attention in tertiary institutions – particularly SHFs. The consequences of neglecting the aspect of safety and security in universities in South Africa has exposed students to several risks and hazards such as increase rate of accidents, theft, fire outbreaks, sexual harassment, and fatalities on campuses. Thus, the need to consider safety and security issues in the management of SHFs in universities in South Africa is paramount. This research aims to develop a framework to improve the safety of university SHFs in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. A mixed research method was used for the study. A case study approach was adopted where two universities were selected. Interviews, questionnaire surveys and observation were used to collect the primary data. A total of 460 questionnaires were administered to students living in on-campus SHFs which directly belong to the universities. Only 400 questionnaires were returned from both universities. However, 62 of the returned questionnaires were not fully completed. In essence, a total of 338 questionnaires were properly completed. Statistics package SPSS version 25 was used to execute the analysis of the data collected, where both descriptive and inferential statistics were carefully implemented to analyse the data collected accordingly. Observations were also carried out to validate the results. The reliability of the variables and the scale questions were tested with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The major findings are centered on the provision and level of importance of security measures, fire safety measures, traffic safety measures, building safety measures and general safety measures in the SHFs. In addition, the findings include the risk associated with the absence of these measures, as well as students’ satisfaction level with the performance of the above-mentioned measures in the on-campus university SHFs. The findings indicated a significant difference in the level of provision of security measures and fire safety measures between the two universities. Similarly, a significant difference exists in students’ satisfaction level with performance/functionality of different safety and security measures provided in the on-campus SHFs between the two universities. The mean score (MS) differences between the security measures and fire safety measures are quite high, whilst the MS differences between traffic safety measures, building safety measures, and general safety measures are comparatively low. The major issues of concern at university A were; non-functionality of the CCTV, lack of weapon detectors, lack of access control with functional smart card in some residences and inadequate provision of light at night. The lapses at university B include; lack of weapon detectors, inadequate provision of CCTV in the SHFs and around the campus and lack of access control with functional smart card in some residences. Issues of concern across both universities are; inadequate provision/non-functionality of the CCTV, lack of weapon detectors, and absence of electronic coded locks on the doors at the hostels. The findings further revealed that students across both universities ranked all the variables/measures adopted in this study as important and/or extremely important in the SHFs. Likewise, the majority of students across both universities acknowledged that the absence of these measures poses a very high risk to their safety in the on-campus SHFs. Thus, this indicates the need to ensure the appropriate management of the security and safety measures of the on-campus SHFs across both universities. It is essential because peaceful living and effective learning can only take place in a safe and secured environment. The scope of the study is limited to 2 universities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Effect of precursor anion in alcohol/water solutions during hydro/solvothermal synthesis on cobalt oxide morphology and catalytic ability

Thesis (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020The textile industry requires water for practically every step during its manufacturing process, and would benefit from water reuse systems. This is challenging, as the reactive dyes used in this industry often escape the conventional wastewater treatment methods used. The use of advanced oxidation processes combats these challenges, as it allows for the conversion of organic toxic waste to harmless H2O and CO2. Potassium peroxymonosulphate (Oxone®) has become popular in these treatment methods, as highly active sulphate radicals are activated once in contact with a transition metal. Such reactions are dependent on the catalyst used, and therefore require control of its morphology for enhanced capabilities. Cobalt oxide is deemed the best activator of peroxymonosulphate. The use of alcohols in its synthesis has been studied, but a systematic study increasing the alcohol chain lengths, in addition to the cobalt anion during hydro/solvothermal synthesis, has not been studied. Although the cobalt complex formed from cobalt chloride in water and alcohol has been studied, the use of these complexes as a precursor to cobalt oxide nanoparticles has not been studied. Cobalt hydroxide precursors were therefore synthesised in pure alcohol, pure water and alcohol/water solutions in the ratios 1:1 and 1:0. Five alcohols were selected, namely methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol and octanol. and cobalt chloride hexahydrate and cobalt nitrate hexahydrate were used to study the effect of the anion. The effect of calcination temperature was also studied by varying it between 300°C and 500°C. The resulting particles were characterised using TEM, SEM, XRD, BET, EDS, FT-IR and ELNEFS, and its catalytic ability was tested treating a methylene blue solution in an in-house developed continuous reactor. Both α- and β-cobalt hydroxide polymorphs were encountered as precursors from cobalt chloride. The β-phase was evident when the water was exhausted from the system, whereas the α-phase was evident when water was present in the system. Only α-cobalt hydroxide was formed from cobalt nitrate. This provided a relationship between the cobalt complex formed to the phase of cobalt hydroxide polymorph. A blue, tetrahedral orientated precursor complex, produced pink β-cobalt hydroxide particles, while a red, octahedral orientated precursor complex, produced α-cobalt hydroxide. Cobalt oxide nanoparticles were formed from both α- and β-cobalt hydroxides. Anion morphology-dependent changes were observed in the presence of alcohol only. Rods were formed in the presence of the nitrate anion, while rhombic shapes dominated in the presence of chloride anions. Only rods were produced in water. An increase in the calcination temperature increased the crystallite size, which negatively affected the catalytic activity. It was also noted that a crystallite size between 8 and 11 nm resulted in highly active cobalt oxide particles for both anions explored. The catalytic ability of the cobalt oxide resulting from the β-phase was better than that of the α-phase. The best catalytic activity was produced by the cobalt oxide synthesised from cobalt chloride hexahydrate precursor salt in 100% methanol for which the ELNEFS analysis revealed a Co3+/Co2+ ratio of ten times that of its 50% counterpart

The value of context awareness within information technology audit and governance

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020A shared common understanding or context awareness (CA) of IT Audit and Governance among all the internal stakeholders of a business remains an important factor. This context awareness is needed between the business itself, the IT department, and the Audit and Risk functions of the business. The research problem states that there is a lack of shared context awareness among all stakeholders when conducting IT audits and implementing IT Governance. To answer the research questions, a case study research strategy was followed using an International Services Group of companies operating from South Africa. The case study offered a diverse group of companies and vast experience in the South African Services, Trading, and Distribution sector. The diversity of this group of companies made it a perfect candidate for understanding context and the value of context in IT when conducting IT audits. The following research questions were asked: i) What are the factors affecting a shared context understanding among the stakeholders when conducting IT audits and implementing IT Governance? ii) How can a shared context understanding among stakeholders be achieved when conducting IT audits and implementing IT Governance? The aim of the study was to explore the value of context awareness within IT Audit and Governance in order to identify the value of shared context understanding. Data collection was done by means of interviews using semi-structured questionnaires and an interview guide. Qualitative data analysis techniques were adopted for this research. The conclusion of the study highlights the importance of a collective understanding of the business’s context in order to obtain alignment in business, IT, and Audit. It refers to the same or a similar understanding of the business processes; this takes time and is unique on all levels

Analysis and characterisation of a closed-loop control system for laser cooling and trapping experiment

Thesis (MEng (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020This research is aimed at analysing the performance of a closed-loop feedback system of an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) for a laser (Doppler) cooling and atom trapping experiment. External cavity diode lasers (ECDL) are commonly used in laser cooling exper-iments involving rubidium atoms. The laser frequency is controlled by adjusting the cavity length and the diode current. Using feedback control method, the laser is locked to an appropriate rubidium transition using a saturation absorption spectroscopy (SAS) setup together with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. At the CPUT Quantum Physics research group, we have a laser cooling and atom trapping experimental setup. This setup is a combination of multiple optical, electrical and mechanical components. We first analyse this system experimentally using test signals. By passing in basic test input signals, we were able to measure the system by identifying and extracting certain properties such as the resonant frequency, the damping constant and transient response of the system. The re-sults generated from the experimental analysis further enabled us to estimate the transfer function of the external cavity diode laser (ECDL). We then analyse the feedback setup numerically using known parameters from the experiment, and estimated parameters from the experimental analysis. We do this by first getting the mathematical model of the laser and then solving the differential equation using Euler methods in Matlab. By numerically analysing this feedback system, we are able to understand its transient behaviour. We were also able to test the system for different test scenarios e.g. tests for various controller constants, system response to different disturbance types and so on. The similarities observed between the experimental and numerical analysis pro-vide a reliable framework for future improvements when developing the feedback system. Elements such as the integrator constants, disturbance magnitudes and so on can be evaluated using the developed numerical closed-loop system

Reuse of a treated textile effluent from cobalt oxide and sulphate radical-based advanced oxidation process

Thesis (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020Reactive dye waste effluents are the most difficult to treat, as they are highly polluted due to the structure of the dyestuffs and chemicals used during the dyeing process. Due to the water shortage and environmental pollution, textile industries are encouraged to treat the waste effluent produced during dyeing processes so as to facilitate its reuse, as this will contribute to mitigating environmental pollution and minimise water consumption. However, relatively few of the treatment technologies employed for the treatment of textile wastewater are applicable for water that is intended for reuse. Many treatment technologies exist for the treatment of textile waste effluents, but are either limited in efficiency or high in operating and energy cost. Chemical treatment methods such as the cobalt oxide mediated sulphate radical-based advanced oxidation process (CO-SR-AOP) shows promise but have not yet been evaluated for the reuse of textile wastewater in the dyeing process. The purpose of this work is to study the reusability of a treated reactive dye effluent obtained from dyeing cotton fabrics using peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activated by a cobalt oxide (Co3O4) catalyst and using a laboratory-scale continuous wastewater treatment reactor. In order to achieve this, a cobalt oxide catalyst was hydrothermally synthesised, cotton fabrics were bleached as pre-treatment prior to being dyed using blue reactive dye and tap water to produce the necessary textile waste effluent. The produced waste effluent was treated with Oxone (PMS) and a cobalt oxide catalyst; then reused in the next dyeing process, using an identical dyeing recipe. The pH of the treated effluent was corrected to neutral before its reuse. The waste effluent from the first cycle of dyeing was treated before its next reuse. This process was carried out for a maximum of three cycles. The dyed fabrics obtained using the treated effluent were compared with the ones dyed with tap water in terms of colour fastness. The optimisation of the reusability of a treated effluent from cobalt oxide and sulphate radical-based advanced oxidation process was carried out using Design-Expert software version 11.1.2.0 using a Box-Behnken design taken from response surface methodology. The effects of three factors were studied: Oxone level, dye concentration and reuse cycles at low, high and medium levels in fifteen experimental runs. Colour fastness of the dyed fabrics was studied as the response of the trials. Based on the preliminary results, the treated effluent can be reused in two successive reuse cycles without altering the fabric’s quality. To obtain more or less 80% colour removal, waste effluent with 3% dye concentration must be obtained and treated with a high dosage of Oxone (3.5 g/l). Salt can be recovered by using this process, but with a darker shade of dyed fabric as a result, when compared with the reference. Varying dilution factors and standing times of the treated effluent were investigated but did not have significant influence on the colour quality of the dyed fabrics. A useful model was found to predict the colour fastness of dyed fabrics with an effluent treated with the continuous wastewater treatment reactor system using PMS activated by Co 3 O 4 . The study of the interaction effects of all three parameters led to the finding that to obtain good colour fastness grading of the dyed fabrics, the treated effluent can be reused a maximum of two iterations, with a dye concentration of 5% and an Oxone concentration of 1 g/L. The predicted optimum process conditions for this process were 1.3 g/l of Oxone used to treat a waste effluent with 4.4% dye concentration and reuse in a maximum of three reuse cycles