PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

This programme is subject to change based on the final outcome of the paper review process.

Day 1: Tuesday, 13 August 2024
07:30 – 18:00 Registration ICC Arena Foyer
OPENING SESSION
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Dr Muhammad Kadwa
09:00 – 09:20 Welcome Dr Muhammad Kadwa, SASTA President
09:20 – 10:05 Keynote Address Prof Narendra Mohan
10:05 – 10:10 Vote of Thanks Dr Muhammad Kadwa, SASTA President
10:10 – 10:20 SASTA Patron Adv. Fay Mukaddam
10:20 – 11:00 Tea / Coffee Break Exhibition Hall
PLENARY SESSION
Sponsored by BMG
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Dr Sandy Snyman
11:00 – 11:25 A Review of South African Sugarcane Production in the 2023/2024 Season: Climate, Production and Economics Sithole P, Nicholson RJ, van Heerden PDF and Stranack RA
11:25 – 11:45 Biosecurity: An Overview of the 2022/2023 Season Basdew IH, McFarlane SA and Stranack RA
11:45 – 12:10 Ninety-Ninth Annual Review of the Milling Season in Southern Africa (2023/2024) Moletsane-Mbuyazi MR
12:10 – 12:30 SMRI 75th Anniversary Dewar J and Davis SB
12:30 – 12:50 Towards Empowering Small-Scale Growers to Improve the Sustainability of Sugarcane Farming Gokul A, Mofurutsi T, Buthelezi KNG, Mchunu L, Jumman A and Watt DA
12:50 – 14:00 Lunch Break Exhibition Hall
PANEL DISCUSSION: SO MUCH MORE THAN SUGAR (Open Session for SASTA Delegates)
Hall 4C 5B
Facilitator:
Ben Durham (Chief Director: Bio-innovation, Department of Science and Innovation)
14:00 – 16:30 Objectives of panel discussion:

– To update members on the latest developments in the Masterplan with a focus on diversification (Task Team 6).

– To highlight progress and stumbling blocks.

– To gain insights from an Indian perspective.

Click to view detailed programme.

Panellists

Prof Narendra Mohan (India)
Sifiso Mhlaba (SASA)
Kitty Foxon (SMRI)
Thomas Funke (SA Canegrowers)
Marilyn Govender (SAFDA)
Rolf Lütge (SASMA)
Adey Wynne (USM)
Portia Mpofu (SASA)

16:30 – 18:30 Meet & Greet Welcome Reception Exhibition Hall
Day 2: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
07:30 – 17:00 Registration ICC Arena Foyer
AGRICULTURE SESSION 1: SOILS AND NUTRITION
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Dr Dimpho Elephant
FACTORY SESSION 1: EXTRACTION AND BOILER
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Rainer Talanda
09:00 – 09:25 An Assessment of Soil Fertility Status in Sugarcane Cropping System in Zimbabwe from 2018 – 2022 Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W 09:00 – 09:10 Comparison of Theoretical Assumptions Versus Real Life Measurement When Applying a Fatigue Failure Analysis to a Diffuser Headshaft Gopaldass D and Vogel A
09:25 – 09:45 Boron Status in Zimbabwe Sugar Industry Soils Johane T, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W 09:10 – 09:35 Accessing Boiler Health and Diagnosis of Faulty Boiler Components Using Data Driven Techniques Van Den Berg CS, Marais F and Rawlins BT
09:45 – 09:55 Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Sugarcane: The Case of Ubombo Sugar Shongwe S and Tfwala CM 09:35 – 10:00 Suitable Flue Gas Cleaning Equipment for Bagasse Fired Boilers to Comply with New Environmental Regulations Moor BStC and Bezuidenhoudt D
09:55 – 10:05 Optifert: Development of An Application to Optimise Fertiliser Type and Rate Rhodes R, Govender P, Singh S, Titshall L, Paraskevopoulos A and Wilkinson D 10:00 – 10:20 An Overview of the Traditional and Typical Equipment Located on the Back-end of Boilers in the Sugar Industry Frost MC and Dauvellier R
10:05 – 11:00 Tea / Coffee Break Exhibition Hall 10:20 – 11:00 Tea / Coffee Break Exhibition Hall
PLENARY SESSION
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Gavin Smith
11:00 – 11:20 A Short Review of Industry Cane Quality Trends in South Africa: 1981-2023 Davis SB and Kadwa M
AGRICULTURE SESSION 2: VARIETIES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Dr Shailesh Joshi
FACTORY SESSION 2: BOILING HOUSE OPERATIONS
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Shaun Madho
11:30 – 11:55 Sugarcane Traits Associated with Ratooning Ability Dlamini NE, Zhou M and Franke AC 11:30 – 11:40 Hybrid Bagasse Dryer Technology – Integration of Waste Heat Recovery and Flue Gas Cleaning Verma R and Verma P
11:55 – 12:15 Comparison of the Performance of Coastal and Midlands Varieties at Harding, a Hinterland Environment Along the South Coast of South Africa Nxumalo TP, Zhou M and Khomo B 11:40 – 12:05 Sugar Drying and Conditioning Review: Debunking the Myths Smith GT
12:15 – 12:40 Sugarcane Mutation Breeding at SASRI: From Herbicide Tolerant N12 Zapyr to Prospects for Developing Climate-Ready Cultivars Rutherford RS and Snyman SJ 12:05 – 12:30 Using C-Centrifuge Camera Images to Improve Sucrose Recoveries Loubser RC, Barker B, Ndinisa NV and Mbuthuma Y
12:40 – 13:00 Assessment of Transgene Copy Number in Genetically Modified Sugarcane for Borer Resistance Makhetha T, Joshi SV, Jacob R and Ghai M 12:30 – 12:55 Comparative Results from White Boilings Using Conventional Slurry-Seeding and Seeding with Seed from A Continuous Seed Preparation System Utilising Sound Wave Induced Nucleation Rahiman SN, Mbuthuma Y, Love DJ and Davis SB
13:00 – 13:10 NovaCane®: So Much More Than Pain-Free Seedcane! Mkhize L and Snyman SJ 12:55 – 13:20 Improvements in Sugar Colour and Boiling House Recovery at Maidstone Mill Naidoo S, Mncube F, Ndlovu V and Ninela M
13:20 – 13:30 Vertical Continuous Vacuum Pans for High- and Low-Grade Massecuites in Cane Sugar Factories Thaval OP and Lehnberger A
13:10 – 14:10 Lunch Break Exhibition Hall 13:30 – 14:30 Lunch Break Exhibition Hall
AGRICULTURE SESSION 3: PATHOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Dr Malcolm Keeping
FACTORY SESSION 3: PROCESS CHEMISTRY
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Dennis Walthew
14:10 – 14:20 Forty Years of Service: Sugarcane Quarantine Facility at Mount Edgecombe Koch AC, McFarlane SA and Snyman SJ 14:30 – 14:55 A Review of Maillard Reaction in Molasses Storage Tanks Munsamy SS
14:20 – 14:45 Sugarcane Rusts: A Review McFarlane SA, Kistan CJ, Koch AC and Rutherford RS 14:55 – 15:20 Evaluation of the Impact of Dextran on The Brix-Pol Factor at The Noodsberg Sugar Mill Ngidi K and Chetty M
14:45 – 14:55 Orange Rust: Preliminary Research Findings Kistan CJ and McFarlane SA 15:20 – 15:30 Steps Taken to Address Undetermined Losses at the Pongola Sugar Mill Nkwanyana NG
14:55 – 15:15 Impact of Oxamyl and Imidacloprid on Sugarcane Yield Gain Under Different Stress Indices: Variety Evaluation Nqayi SB, Nxumalo TP, Gokul A, Keeping MG and Rutherford RS
15:15 – 15:35 Dose Mapping of An X-Ray Irradiator with Application to the Sterile Insect Technique for the Control of Eldana saccharina in South African Sugarcane Singh SA, Malinga LN, Weldon CW and Conlong DE
14:00 – 17:00 Exhibition Open Afternoon
Cash bar sponsored by Rotex / GNV Enterprises (Pty) Ltd
Exhibition Hall
Evening Authors Dinner (by Invitation Only)
Day 3: Thursday, 15 August 2024
07:30 – 17:00 Registration ICC Arena Foyer
AGRICULTURE SESSION 4: IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Dr Washington Mutatu
FACTORY SESSION 4: HEAT EXCHANGE AND REFINERY OPERATIONS
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Malesedi Moletsane-Mbuyazi
09:00 – 09:10 The Effectiveness of Elfer Percolate in the Reclamation of Saline-Sodic Soils – A Pot Experiment Johane T, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W 09:00 – 09:20 Plate Condensers in the Sugar Industry Dobrescu DM
09:10 – 09:20 Replanting Sugarcane with Subsurface Drip Tape in situ in the Cropping Season 2021/22 Shabangu MW, Nkambule NT and Mkonta ST 09:20 – 09:30 Widegap Plate Heat Exchangers Dobrescu DM
09:20 – 09:40 Impact of Polymer on the Sugarcane Yield and Water Use Under Subsurface Drip Irrigation in Eswatini Mkhaliphi PV, Mhlanga BE, Dlamini EN and Mtsetfwa ZB 09:30 – 09:55 A Sustainable Approach to Decolourisation of Fructose Syrup at Tongaat Hulett Using Reactivated Granular Carbon Phokwane K, Falconer JG, Rolfe W, Hardwick EK and Pokhan N
09:55 – 10:20 Improving and Standardising Refinery Yield Calculation Ndinisa NV and Davis SB
10:20 – 10:30 Ion Exchange Resin Longevity Enhancement by Chemical Treatment Khandelwal P, Yadav D, Sajith K and Mohan N
09:40 – 11:00 Tea / Coffee Break Exhibition Hall 10:30 – 11:00 Tea / Coffee Break Exhibition Hall
PLENARY SESSION
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Dr Ruth Rhodes
11:00 – 11:20 Value Analysis of Participatory Cane Quality Management Research van Heerden PDR, Botha P and O’Neill BJ
AGRICULTURE SESSION 5: MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Richard Nicholson
FACTORY SESSION 5: BIOREFINERY AND QUALITY
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Steve Davis
11:30 – 11:50 A Preliminary Estimation of The Financial Impact of Business Rescue on Sugarcane Growers In 2022/23 Kadwa M and Nicholson RJ 11:30 – 11:55 A Holistic Approach to the Optimisation of Industrial Co-Generation Plants Rawlins BT, Marais F and van den Berg CS
11:50 – 12:00 Comparative Analysis and Adoption of Farm Management Information Systems within the Sugarcane Sector Msimango S 11:55 – 12:20 Upscaling the Production of Potassium Sulphate from Stillage at a Kilo-Scale Urayayi J, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W
12:00 – 12:20 Implications of Water and Energy Access on Agricultural Production among Smallholder Farmers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa Kaula AT, Mudhara M, Senzanje A and Mukwedeya B 12:20 – 12:30 Packaging Powdery Sugar and Liquid By-Products into Various Compartments Petereit CU
12:20 – 12:30 The Importance of Family Succession Planning within the Sugarcane Sector Msimango S 12:30 – 12:40 Instruments for Dynamic Optimisation of the Separation Process in Batch and Continuous Centrifuges Bartels B and Nielsen BC
12:30 – 13:45 Lunch Break Exhibition Hall 12:40 – 13:45 Lunch Break Exhibition Hall
AGRICULTURE SESSION 6: DIGITAL AGRICULTURE
Hall 4D
Chairpersons: Dr Riekert van Heerden
FACTORY SESSION 6: ENERGY
Hall 4C 5B
Chairpersons: Hylton Taylor
13:45 – 13:55 Monitoring the Post-Harvest Deterioration of Sugarcane Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Kaseke K, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W 13:45 – 13:55 Active Control of Steam Turbines for More Efficiency in the South African Sugar Industry Conrad M
13:55 – 14:15 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Optical Data for Predicting Sugarcane Yield: A Case Study of the Nkomazi District Parag M, Lottering R, Peerbhay K, Agjee N, Tweddle P and Poona NK 13:55 – 14:05 WEG Africa Optimising Operations: Exploring the Advantages of Repairing Versus Replacing Steam Turbines Van Pype R
14:15 – 14:35 Drone-Captured Multispectral Imagery for In Situ Maturity and Ripener Efficacy Assessments of Sugarcane Crops Hoffman N, van Heerden PDR, Thompson I, Poona NK 14:05 – 14:15 High-Efficiency Compact Drive to Reduce Energy Consumption in Sugar Mills Patil M, Ramuageli R and Kristensen P
14:15 – 14:25 Novel Nano-Structured, Silicon-Doped Thin Films by E-Beam PVD for Solar Energy Materials Seroka NS, Taziwac R and Khotseng L
14:35 Congress Closing and Awards by Dr Sumita Ramgareeb
Chair: SASTA Congress Organising Committee
Exhibition Hall

Keynote Speaker 2024

SASTA is pleased to have secured Prof Narendra Mohan of the National Sugar Institute (NSI), India, as keynote speaker at this year’s Congress.

Prof. Mohan has a distinguished career in the sugar industry spanning four decades, including eleven years as Director of the institute, where he supervised and coordinated activities related to Sugar Technology, Sugar Engineering, Alcohol Technology, Agriculture Chemistry, Biochemistry and Instrumentation Engineering. He facilitated partnerships between the NSI, the sugar industry and other R&D institutions to attain common goals. He was also instrumental in increasing the institute’s global presence to the extent that NSI now provides services to various sugar producing countries including Austria, Switzerland, Indonesia, Nigeria, Bhutan, France, Kenya, Thailand, Egypt and Iran.

Prof Mohan has played a pivotal role in the diversification efforts of the Indian sugar industry which now produces bio-chemicals, other bio-products and bio-energy in addition to sugar. He has been involved in projects related to bagasse-based co-generation, ethanol blending in petrol and compressed biogas production from filter cake. He has formulated different models of sugar-ethanol production to suit relative economics and market demand, and was actively involved in developing technologies for production of graphene oxide, vanillin, surfactants, cosmetic ingredients, biochar and dietary fibre from bagasse. Furthermore, his passion to preserve natural resources saw many sugar factories moving to zero fresh water consumption.

He is the author of seven books, many book chapters and more than 200 scientific papers published in various reputed journals. For his contribution to improving the productivity and environmental sustainability of the Indian sugar industry, Prof Mohan has received numerous prestigious awards, including Dr Bansi Dhar Gold Medal, Industry Excellence Award, Global Education Leadership Award, Outstanding Academic Leader of the Year Award, Best Director of the Year Award, ABP News Award, ISSCT Excellence Award, Bharatiya Sugar Innovative Leader Award and Noel Deerr Gold Medal.

Prof Mohan remains a consultant to the Government of India and contributes significantly to many policy matters including price fixation mechanisms for ethanol made from different feedstocks and the minimum selling price of sugar.

We look forward to hearing about the Indian sugar industry’s diversification and sustainability journey.