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Lights, Camera, Action!

Matutu Milling was recently featured on the Afrikaans Breakfast News program Ontbytsake. The segment included a brief overview of the Mining and Manufacturing facilities as well as a interview with Matutu’s Managing Director Dewald Haasbroek.

During the interview Ontbytsake’s Dawie Roodt delved into the properties of Matutu’s Attapulgite products as well as its uses. They also discussed the various sectors that we supply. 

Please watch, like and subscribe to Matutu Millings Youtube channel for future videos.   

Ontbytsake onderhoud

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Matutu’s New Product Range

Part of Matutu’s vision has always been to branch out in many new sectors. It is thus with pride that we are announcing our new product range today!

At the beginning of 2021 Matutu Milling embarked on the commissioning of its new milling facility. This facility is setup to produce several new products. These include the following:

Attabond®

This is Matutu’s own bonding agent which can be used in the manufacturing of Ferrochrome.

ViscoMod®

This is Matutu’s new and exciting Viscosity and Rheology modifier. ViscoMod can be used in a variety of applications including the manufacturing of fertilizers, paints and coatings.

AtBleach®

AtBleach is Matutu’s own brand bleaching earth. Atbleach is a natural unactivated bleaching earth which is suited for the bleaching of Palm, Coconut and Corn oils

SAkadama

Matutu has also added a new Low Volatile Matter product called SAkadama. SAkadama is used as growing media for Bonsai Trees. SAkadama is typically mixed with Pumice, Pine bark and Perlite to create the ideal growth mix for each trees individual needs. SAkadama promotes moisture retention and drainage whilst being light weight. These unique properties increases root growth and branch development.

 

Below we have attached a PDF document which briefly describes each of our new products together with our existing product range.

For any additional information don’t hesitate to contact our offices @ 011 824 4600 or email info@matutu.co.za

Download PDF
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Bush Clearing for New Community development projects

As part of Matutu Milling’s continued commitment to community development Mr Derrick Nxumalo and Mr Jabulani Nkosi has been very busy this week clearing bush for two new exciting projects!

The first is an Adult Learning center close to Rakoko Highschool, in Mabeskraal. Matutu was approached by the Department of Education a few weeks ago with a request for assistance. At that stage our TLB was down for repairs but once up and running we made it a priority to go out and assist where we can. Education and training is very important for the upliftment of South African citizens and we hope that this new center will assist with this great need.

As you might know Adult learning is one of the objectives of the Social Labour Plan set out by the Department of Minerals and Energy and the construction of this site will ensure that the local mines have a place to send those who need this training.

The second project is a brick making factory initiative by the tribal authority of the Batlhko Ba Matutu. Matutu Milling has been in talks with the Tribal authority for several years looking at such a factory as some of the residues from the Matutu Process can be used in these products. The project aims to produce paving bricks that can be used by the municipality to upgrade local roads.   

In the coming weeks Matutu will also start with the construction of the road leading up the mountain where it plans to build a radio tower. Watch this space for more updates. 

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Using CalSorb for Transformer Oil Regeneration

Transformer Oil Regeneration

With the world becoming ever more environmentally conscious, the dumping and replacement of hydrocarbons have come under the spot light. To try and alleviate the problem suppliers have started looking at recycling spent oil. One of these products that can be very effectively regenerated/recycled is transformer oils.

Transformer oil or insulating oil as it is also known is used in the insulating and heat dissipation of transformers, high voltage capacitors and high voltage switch gear. This oil is very stable at high temperatures which is very important when arresting sparks or electrical arcs. The oil is mainly mineral oil based.

Transformer oil is subject to various electrical and mechanical stresses during the operation of transformers and electrical switch gear. To ensure the safety and effect operation of these equipment pieces transformer oils need to be tested regularly to ensure that the oil is still with in specification.

Oil that is no longer in specification can often be drained and treated with a oil regeneration plant. The regeneration plant aims to do three things. The first is to remove water. This is achieved by heating the oil and placing the oil under vacuum causing the water to boil off while still retaining the oil. Next step aims to remove particulate matter. This is done by using very fine screens and filters. These are typically around 1 to 2 micron filters. 

The last step is the clarification of the oil. Traditionally this is done by passing the oil through columns filled with activated bauxite which is imported into South Africa. Matutu Milling produces a locally manufactured alternative to Bauxite called CalSorb. CalSorb is a heat activated low Volatile Attapulgite based product. Being locally manufactured this product can be supplied at a greatly reduced cost as compared to the imported product. 

The CalSorb has two functions in the Clarification Columns. The first is to form a micro sieve. Attapulgite naturally has a needle like micro structure with fine passages along the grains of the clay. These passages create a very fine sieve adding a next layer of filtration. The second function is clarification. When Attapulgite is heat activated, water is removed from the crystal structure. This process creates charged pockets or pores. These charged pockets act like a magnet capturing heavy metals and other organic impurities. 

After the clarification process is completed the absorbed oil remaining in the column needs to be removed. This is done by a process called regeneration. Unfortunately the clarifier medium, be it Bauxite or Attapulgite, can only be regenerated a certain amount of times before it is no longer effective and has to be discharged.  In local tests Matutu’s CalSorb has shown to handle more regeneration cycles that its competitors thus increasing the amount of times it can be used before it needs to be replaced.

In summary Matutu Milling’s CalSorb is a great locally produced replacement for Bauxite in Transformer Oil Regeneration plants. CalSorb reduces cost as well as increasing the life span of the clarifier medium.

Consider CalSorb in your Regeneration Plant! 

 

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Matutu Milling

Open for Business

Matutu Milling is classified as an essential service producing products for the agricultural, food, pet and food transportation sectors. Matutu has taken the utmost care in screening and implementing various control measures to ensure the safety of its employees and customers.

If you require any product that fall into these categories please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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The Sekelbos project

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Sekelbos or Dichrostachys Cinerea is a invader plant that needs to be managed by farmers. As part of its social labor plan Matutu Milling has put in place the Sekelbos Project. This project aims to manage the communal farm lands and remove the Sekelbos to ensure that the veld can recover for cattle grazing. By removing Sekelbos the farming capacity of the land is improved and this positively effects the local farming community. 

The project was awarded to Mosupatsela Farming Co-operative a 100% black owned company which employ several members from the Mabeskraal community. Matutu Milling assisted with the start up capital for the machines and the first months labor as well as mentoring. 

The Sekelbos project can deliver several tons of braai wood per week. Currently the business is producing its first few months of stock which should be ready for sale soon. 

Matutu Milling Plans to expand this project to include the production of charcoal as well as briquettes in the near future

This all complies with Matutu Millings vision of mining inclusively with the community.

For any bulk sale related queries you are welcome to contact Micheal on +27 62 130 1595 

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The Best a Cat Can Get

Introduction

We all love our fury friends and we only want the best for them. When looking for cat litter a lot of things come to mind. Some of these might be:

  • Is this safe for my beloved cat?
  • What happens if whiskers where to eat it?
  • Will it make a mess or leave paw marks all over my house?
  • Will it create a nice dry bed for my cat to use?
  • And will it eliminate the smell of having an indoor cat? 

At Matutu Milling we have all the answers!

Is it safe?

The main ingredient in Matutu’s cat litters is Attapulgite clay. The Attapulgite used is a naturally occurring white absorbent clay mined and produced in Mabeskraal in the North West. This clay has some amazing characteristics. Being a totally natural product it is safe to use in litter boxes and will not harm or burn your cats feet

What if your cat ingested some of the clay?

Attapulgite has been used as a cure for diarrhea for many years and is thus safe for human and animal consumption. Due to is abortive properties it binds the stomach and assisting with nutrient absorption. It has also been proven to reduce alpha toxins in the gut. Attapulgite is frequently used as a feed additive to various animal feeds. Crystal cat litter uses the same ingredients as silica gel desiccants, like the ones typically found in those little packets in your new shoes. The manufactures of these cat litters claim that they are totally safe to ingest but maybe it is something to consider next time you go out to buy your cat litter.

Is the product dusty and will it leave paw marks? 

Matutu’s cat litter is produced in state of the art drying facility. This industrial process ensures, unlike our competitors who sun dry there product, that Clean Cat is totally dry and dust free. It product contains no fibrous silica which can cause respiratory deceases in humans and animals.

Will it dry effectively?

Clean Cat has been tested against its closest competitors in the South African market and the results are impressive. When measuring drying efficiency we look at the amount that the material can absorb compared to its own mass before becoming saturated. For example a clay that absorbs 50% will absorb 500g of water for every 1 000g material used. 

 

 

And here are the results: 

  • Competitor 1 – 50% of its own mass absorbed 
  • Competitor 2 – 77% of its own mass absorbed
  • Matutu Milling’s Clean Cat – 82%!! of its own mass absorbed

The reason for this impressive performance is due to the purity of the litter. Attapulgite is a white clay when dry, the whiter the more pure. It is thus easy to compare clay based on its color.

Will it eliminate smell?

Attapulgite has the unique property of having a charged needle like structure. What it means is that when viewed under a microscope the clay has little straws that can suck up fluids. The charge on these straws also act like magnets trapping the fluid inside. These factors combined creates a mineral that traps bacteria and ammonia eliminating smells.

Conclusion

If you want piece of mind product that out preforms local alternatives then Matutu Milling’s Clean Cat litter is the answer. 

Available in 5 & 10kg bags.

 

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Matutu Milling Helping young upstarts

Matutu Milling as always been an active part of the Mabeskraal community. Its latest community involvement project has been the establishment of a small new business venture with Ms. Lynette Botlhe Ositilwe, a young female entrepreneur that showed great promise. Ms. Ositilwe approached the Matutu Management team looking for an business opportunity, we quickly saw that she had a great drive and started thinking about what she could sell or market for us, or maybe some other improvement that she could help with. That is when a new plan fell into place.

At the beginning of 2020 Matutu realized that it had a lot of broken bulk bags. These bags are used for the sell of the various Matutu Milling products, but over the years some of the damaged bags where starting to pile up. Matutu wanted first to pay to dispose of these bags but due to the location of the mine this would be a very costly exercise and this was where Ms. Ositilwe came into play. 

When a bag gets a small hole the bag can no longer be used as the material is granular and would leak out, but these bags can still be used for the collection and transport of other goods like recycled paper, cans and bottles. We thus offered the bags to Ms. Ositilwe for free and she quickly jumped into action sorting the different bags. 

So in summery this just goes to show that the old statement is true, one mans trash can really be another treasure. Ms. Ositilwe as effectively saved Matutu Milling money, cleaned up the environment by reusing waste while still creating an opportunity for herself. A great entrepreneur with a great spirit. We here at Matutu wishes her all the best in her future ventures and look forward to working together in the future.   

If you are looking for used Bulk Bags in the Mabeskraal area you are welcome to contact her on 066 419 6227 or  073 885 8348