Leading physical asset management company, Pragma, was named the winner in the Innovation and Optimised Sites category for the third quarter of this year in the international Shell Engineering Team Excellence Awards and also walked away with third place at the prestigious Shell Batho Pele Awards, acknowledging the company’s outstanding Shell Ultra City Recycling Plant.
Both awards were given for their totally green approach to water supply, which resulted in the treatment of black water and sewage on site with a water recovery of between 60 and 70%. The 150m3 per day effluent treatment and grey water recycling plant was installed at the Shell Ultra City Three Sisters.
Willie Brynard, Project Coordinator at Pragma, says the team is delighted with both awards. “The awards recognise the work we’ve done in collaboration with our contractors. It definitely inspires and motivates us to develop further innovations. South Africa has many areas where there is a shortage of water and saving water is a passion of ours. This project has proven that the pressure on borehole water can be lifted. It’s also aesthetically appealing and due to its size, easily maintainable. As long as it’s serviced regularly, it should be operational for a long period of time.”
The installation has resulted in daily water recovery of between 25 000 litres out of season and 120 000 litres in season. It has an enormously positive impact on the environment, as the water table is not burdened with huge extraction on a daily basis.
Says Brynard: “The cost effective design makes it possible to erect these plants in only ten days with minimal disruption on site. Water needs to be saved at many sites as constant drilling of boreholes is not the solution. The recycled wastewater is polished and reused in toilets and urinals. The wasted 30% is then used to irrigate the site as it conforms to the discharge and irrigation standards.”
Since the completion of the Three Sisters site, Pragma has done similar installations in remote areas where there is no municipal water. “We’re doing projects for Shell at Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal, Beitbridge in Limpopo as well as Middelburg in Mpumalanga, with more sites to follow,” Brynard adds.
According to Brynard, these awards recognise that Pragma always meets the expectations of clients. “The benefits to the recycling plant are huge, including a reduction in environmental impact in the Karoo, improving Shell’s green status, a reduction in ground water usage, no need for more boreholes and less maintenance on the boreholes. We hope to implement similar projects for other clients in the near future,” he concludes.
As an engaged asset management partner, Pragma is geared towards focused improvement and ensuring that they help clients to maintain and preserve all their assets to the benefit of the company as well as the environment.
