SA-VSBK A MODEL OF SUCCESS AT COP17

December 21st, 2011  

Amid discussions on the implementation of green technologies and a low carbon economy, as well as hands-on demonstrations of the Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln technology, SA-VSBK made international headlines through its participation at the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17), which took place at the Durban International Convention Centre from the 28^th November to 09^th December 2011.

COP17 is the 17^th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is an international environmental treaty focussed on stabilising greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere as a proactive means of protecting the global climate system from damaging consequences.

With the brickmaking sector being ranked among the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, COP17 provided a platform for SA-VSBK to showcase its cleaner energy efficient brick-firing technology as part of the Swiss Technology Transfer Programme supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Swisscontact and Skat.

This open source technology displayed at the Swiss Pavilion, in the form of a fully operational model that replicates the hydraulics of a typical VSBK shaft, drew the attention of high profile dignitaries, and decision-makers from both local and international government, as well as professionals from the built environment and the media alike. So much so, that many important connections were made with key decision-makers from across the globe, with a vested interest in this technology transfer initiative. This included a request from one of the neighbouring African countries for a feasibility study to be undertaken by the VSBK global pool to support the implementation of the technology in that country.

“We were also honored by the interest of Doris Leuthard, the Swiss Head of Environment, Transport and Energy, as well as Bruno Oberhle, the Swiss Head of Environment who both lauded us for the inroads we were making on the SA-VSBK Project thus far,” added project coordinator Luca de Giovanetti.

“The high level of interest and publicity generated through the model confirmed the SA-VSBK project is on track and fits in perfectly with the global demand for environmentally friendly manufacturing technologies and building products with lower embodied energy”, said John Volsteedt, Project Manager, noting that the embodied energy of the VSBK clay bricks currently produced out of Langkloof Bricks, the first pilot plant in SA, is currently less than 1mJ per brick (and expected to be lower in the very near future) compared to +/- 2.75 mJ per brick as produced in clamp kilns.

While many enquiries pertained to the cost of the VSBK technology, how it works and where the VSBK brick units can be sourced from, from a project point of view, there was a lot of interest in the overall scope of the project, how the technology transfer works and the CDM component.

Fittingly, the CDM component of the SA-VSBK Project was also put in the spotlight through its participation in two important discussions hosted by IETA (International Emissions Trading Association) with regard to:

1.         Opportunities to Fast Track CDM through Programmatic Approaches

This discussion organised by Standard Bank and CDC Climat, and moderated by Geoff Sinclair, Head of Carbon Trading, Standard Bank addressed the ‘rush of investment in Programmatic CDM’.

Sitting in on this panel with some of the worlds best minds in Carbon Trading and Climate Change was Kevin Fruin, founder of the SA-VSBK Project, who discussed the experiences of SA-VSBK as an example of a PoA project within the CDM mechanism.

“Besides the significant reductions in energy and thus CO₂ emissions of +/- 680 – 840 tons per annum per shaft equating to +/-  950 000 tons per annum achievable through the VSBK technology, the PoA was selected as  a mechanism to reduce costs for individual brickyards throughout South Africa. This was initially viewed as one of the key incentives for the brickmakers to adopt this technology,” said Fruin.

“However, financial viability within the current global economy and finding the balance between risk and reward to ensure inclusion of the smaller CPAs, as well as a clear lack of vision for the future of CDM given the PoA’s 28 year timeline are some of the key challenges that need to be addressed. If these key barriers can be overcome, then the benefits of the PoA to the brickmaker will ensure a significant reduction in financial risk due to technology adaptation,” emphasised Fruin.

2.         Kickstarting Africa’s Carbon Markets: Success Stories from the Field

This event moderated by Mark Radkha, Chief Energy Branch, United Nations Environment Program showcased successful examples of financing and implementing CDM and Gold standard VER projects in Africa. It also highlighted some of the lessons learned by developers and financial institutions involved in the ACAD facility to make carbon financing work in Africa.

Here, Kevin Fruin represented VSBK in an interactive discussion, which focussed on how to scale up and replicate these demonstration projects and enhance the impact of the ACAD Partnership in its second phase.

This session was organised by the African Carbon Asset Development Facility (ACAD), a partnership between UNEP, Standard Bank and the German Federal Environment Ministry.

Sitting in on discussions pertaining to the recent implementation of the new SANS204 and SANS10400XA Building Regulations for Thermal Efficiency in Buildings, both John Volsteedt and Luca de Giovanetti echoed that the timing of the SA-VSBK technology into the SA construction sector was spot on. “It was confirmed that all buildings in South Africa (excluding low cost housing) must comply with the new regulations. Although clay bricks are renowned for their inherent thermal properties, what sets VSBK apart is the cleaner, energy efficient nature of our brickfiring technology and the fact that these bricks have the lowest embodied energy. I am confident that through these new regulations, there will be an increasing demand for VSBK clay bricks in SA, thus stimulating the demand for the SA-VSBK technology in this country,” said de Giovanetti.

In another discussion on the German stand pertaining to the long term environmental impact on Mega Cities when hosting a Mega Event, much emphasis was placed on 2010 Soccer World Cup in Cape Town. “In the future, event organisers will need to be held accountable for environmental issues, and not just walk away and make it the hosting countries’ problem. What this means for SA-VSBK is that as more and more pressure is placed on event organisers to use environmentally friendly products with low embodied energy, it is quite likely that products like our VSBK bricks will be specified,” said Volsteedt.

Overall, SA-VSBK’s presence at COP17 proved to be an outstanding success. Besides reaching a broad base of visitors from across the globe including Mexico and the Philippines much exposure was gained through Swiss, French and German radio and TV interviews with a series of articles published across a spectrum of newspapers and other print media.

“The Swiss Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, both received confirmation of the value of this project through the good press coverage received. The international mix of the visitors, as well as the positive press coverage, has strengthened the SA-VSBK “brand” and has shown that SA-VSBK is a serious contender on both a local and global scene as a viable and cleaner clay brick firing technology,” said Volsteedt.

SA-VSBK ACHIEVES GLOBAL INTEREST AT COP17

December 8th, 2011  

As the 17^th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 17) enters its final stages at the Durban Convention Centre, the Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) technology continues to receive widespread attention. This cleaner, more energy efficient brick firing technology displayed on the Swiss Pavilion, in the form of a fully operational model that demonstrates the hydraulics  of a typical VSBK shaft, has received much acclaim, by both local and international government, industry and media representatives alike. So much so, that many important connections have been made with key decision-makers across the globe, with particular interest in this technology transfer initiative supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Swisscontact and Skat.

The SA-VSBK Project has also made international headlines through the participation of key representatives in important discussions focusing on the implementation of green technologies and a low carbon economy.

For first hand insight into this new environmentally friendly brickmaking technology, and its impact on climate change, be sure to visit the VSBK at the Swiss Pavillion, before Friday 09^th December 2011. The expo is open every day from 10:00 until 18:00. The SA-VSBK team looks forward to meeting you there.

SA-VSBK FIRES UP FOR COP 17

November 29th, 2011  

 

On Monday 28^th November until the 09^th December 2011 all eyes of the world will focus on the annual UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP17) taking place at the Durban International Convention Centre.

This high profile event aims to address critical concerns pertaining to climate change and global warming, among other key issues, and provides an all-important space for entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world to demonstrate new technologies and alternative business practices aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

One such project is the SA-VSBK (Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln) Project that makes use of cleaner brickfiring processes to strike the essential balance between environmental, social and economic sustainability in the construction sector.

This North-South and South-South Technology Transfer initiative forms part of the Swiss Energy Efficiency Building Programme and is supported by the Global Programme for Climate Change (GPCC) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in South Africa, with the necessary implementation project management undertaken by Swisscontact and Skat.

With at least 100 000 visitors from all parts of the globe expected to pass through the doors of COP17, SA-VSBK will be showcasing its environmentally friendly brickmaking technology at the Swiss Pavilion, along with SDC and SECO, as well as the Economie Suisse (representative of the Swiss Economy) in the Climate Change Response (CCR) Exhibition Centre.

To demonstrate the capacity of this technology and its contribution toward reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by as much as to 50%, a full scale model of the VSBK counter- current principle will also be on display. This innovative working model was developed by Jez Rowe Construction, who played an instrumental role in the construction of the first VSBK shafts in South Africa, at Langkloof Bricks in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape.

For those interested in the practical application, SA-VSBK has also made provision for a delegation of journalists to visit Langkloof Bricks to see this energy efficient brickmaking technology in operation.

COP17 will be the second time that the VSBK will be in the public eye this year. In October, SA-VSBK took advantage of showcasing its cleaner brickmaking technology to the building and construction industry at the Green Building Conference and Expo held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. This was the first time this technology had been introduced to professionals in the SA built environment, with the aim of stimulating new conversations and thinking in building green.

The VSBK stand was consistently active with many enquiries pertaining to  the energy efficiencies of the VSBK technology compared to others, the counter-current operational principle and how it works and from where the VSBK bricks can be sourced. There was also much interest in the Swiss involvement in the project and its contribution to such Climate Change initiatives.

Stricter enforcement of ambient air quality standards for brick manufacturing

October 17th, 2011  

The Air Quality Act, No 39 of 2004, will be used to outlaw the use of energy- intensive clamp kilns used by the brickmaking industry unless there is a transition to cleaner production, says Department of Environmental Affairs air quality management and climate change chief director Peter Lukey.

Original article can be found here: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/stricter-enforcement-of-ambient-air-quality-standards-for-brick-manufacturing-2011-10-14

14th October 2011

He spoke at the inauguration of South Africa’s first vertical shaft brick kiln – the SA-VSBK project, at Langkloof Bricks, in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape.

Lukey said there would be increasingly enforcement of ambient air quality standards. Brick manufacturers could be expected to follow the course of the operators of Copeland reactors and mobile asphalt plants, which involved submitting appropriate phase-out plans or minimum standards for controlled emitters.

 

“United Nations Environment Programme action plan ‘Near-Term Climate Protection and Clean Air Benefits: Actions for Controlling Short-Lived Climate Forcers’ states that, in some regions – primarily developing countries – production of bricks and coke in traditional kilns and ovens is considered to be a likely source of significant emissions of black carbon.”

While black carbon, which is a short-lived climate forcer, is not a greenhouse gas, it is receiving increased attention. Instead of absorb- ing infrared radiation and trapping the heat in the atmosphere, black carbon warms the atmos- phere by intercepting sunlight and absorbing it.

Lukey explained that clamp kilns, especially those using poor-quality coal, fuel wood and garbage as fuel, emitted high levels of black carbon.

“Viable mitigation options include the replacement of these kilns with larger and more efficient ones, such as the VSBK and tunnel or Hoffman kilns, which require about 50% less fuel and, consequently, produce less emissions.”

The VSBK brick firing technology was made available to South Africa by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by Swiss private-sector devel- opment organisation Swisscontact and the Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development.

Langkloof Bricks executive director Nico Blake says the company decided to invest in the VSBK in 2007, as it was the most energy efficient firing technology in the world.

The Langkloof VSBK, built by Rowe Construciton, comprises six back-to-back shafts and was commissioned in August.

The continuous updraught kiln has a vertical shaft, with an unloading tunnel running through the centre of each kiln enabling access to both sides of the shaft.

“The bricks are loaded by batch at the top of the shaft. Measured amounts of coal are spread evenly between layers of the stacked bricks to control the firing temperature. The position of the fire in each shaft, in relation to the updraught, is determined by the rate at which the bricks are removed and loaded into the shaft. This enables the rising heat to be reused,” explains the SA-VSBK project team.

A full brick-firing cycle is usually completed in 24 to 30 hours.

Rowe Construction says the Langkloof Bricks design incorporates all the systems and personnel requirements for up to 18 VSBK shafts. Looking at the building, it can be seen that the snapped header course has made effective use of all the half bricks on site, ensur- ing minimal waste and cost savings.

SA-VSBK project initiator and Namakwa Stene director Kevin Fruin notes that, in South Africa, between 3.5-billion and 5-billion clay bricks are produced a year, with 80% manu- factured in clamp kilns. This accounts for 1.5% of South Africa’s coal consumption.

“Meanwhile, energy prices continue to rise and there is little scope for alternative fuels in coal-fired clamp operations, while coal is a finite resource. The Air Quality Act has also set first-time emission targets for clamp kilns, as global warming is a reality,” he says.

Swisscontact South Africa country representative Juancho Hagnauer says, if 50% of local brick production used VSBK technology, an estimated 380 000 t of coal would be saved in South Africa a year.

“This equates to 950 000 t of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year, with each VSBK shaft implemented conserving 324 t of coal a year and reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 810 t. Meanwhile, emissions of other gases and particulate matter less than 10 μm will be reduced by an anticipated 90%.”

Hagnauer says the SA-VSBK Project can make a significant contribution to South Africa’s climate change migation policy, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 32% by 2020.

Other benefits of the VSBK include improved labour efficiencies and safe working conditions, production flexibility, low breakages and increased skills levels and remuneration potential.

South Africa’s first vertical shaft brick kiln

August 8th, 2011  

South Africa’s first vertical shaft brick kiln (VSBK), which boasts material energy savings, is being constructed at clay brick manufacturer Langkloof Bricks, in the Eastern Cape.

This article was edited by Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu of http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/

This news item was also published here: http://jbaynews.com/2011/03/12/local-brick-maker-uses-green-technology/

The technology transfer project is occurring in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), together with its implementation partners, Swisscontact and Skat.

The kiln, being built by Langkloof Bricks at its factory located between Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay, will be complete and commissioned in August this year.

The open-source technology kiln, which was originally used in Asia, is an environment-friendly project that reportedly satisfies all the criteria of sustainable development and complies with government’s call for a 33% reduction in South Africa’s carbon footprint by 2020.

Namakwa Stene owner and VSBK project initiator Kevin Fruin explains that the VSBK offers a solution that will reduce coal consumption by up to 50% and improve the energy efficiency of the brick-firing process as well as lead to a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The VSBK process cuts the time of brick firing from eight weeks using the clamp method to just 24 hours. It also reduces particle matter, which causes most of the respiratory illnesses in the labour force, by 90%.

“The VSBK offers safer and healthier working conditions, as workers are not exposed to the elements because of the roof over the top of the kiln. This will result in improved labour efficiency. In addition, the technology for the VSBK requires specialist skills, which will increase worker knowledge,” he says.

The SDC has committed to the Clean Development Mechanism registration of the project, which hopes to result in 700 000 potential certified emission reduction credits, trans- lating into R960-million in foreign capital inflow over a ten-year period.

The final target is to have VSBKs firing 50% of the bricks produced in South Africa, which will mean a CO2 saving of 1,305-million tons a year.

All brickmakers in South Africa use some form of fossil fuel and account for 1,5% of South Africa’s coal consumption.

The VSBK will allow brickmakers to experi- ment with different fuel types more efficiently than clamp operations.