Global chemicals and energy company Sasol is working in partnership with leading multinational mining firm Anglo American and diamond corporation De Beers to generate feedstock for renewable diesel production in South Africa.
The companies had entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to assess the technical and commercial viability of feedstocks, starting with vegetable oil from solaris (a variety of tobacco) and moringa plantations, Sasol said on 4 February.
“Partnering with Anglo American, we’re investigating the development of a local and cost-effective supply chain for sustainable feedstock, utilising vegetable oil to produce renewable diesel in our facilities,” said Dr Sarushen Pillay, executive vice president of Sasol’s business building, strategy and technology portfolio.
As part of the pilot project, the trial feedstock would be grown on land provided by De Beers.
“We worked closely with … De Beers … given their pre-feasibility studies on renewable diesel production trials within their mining operations and host communities,” Anglo American’s projects and development director Alison Atkinson said.
Although renewable diesel production in South Africa was not currently at a commercial scale, recent market developments indicated the country’s renewable fuels sector had potential, driven by customer demand and decarbonisation targets, Sasol said.
