Integrated energy and chemical company Sasol has signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with diamond company De Beers and global mining company Anglo American for a renewable diesel pilot project in South Africa. The project will assess the commercial and technical viability of renewable diesel production.
The pilot project will utilize Solaris and Moringa crops in South Africa to generate vegetable oil. The vegetable oil will serve as a feedstock for Sasol’s existing facilities, which are equipped to produce renewable diesel at low-cost.
“Renewable diesel is transformative. It meets the technical standards of conventional diesel while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our customers can therefore use it as a drop-in fuel in their existing equipment and machinery to meet their greenhouse gas reduction commitments,” stated Dr Sarushen Pillay, Executive Vice President of Sasol’s Business Building, Strategy and Technology portfolio.
De Beers has already conducted pre-feasibility studies on renewable diesel production trials. The company will also provide up to 20 hectares of land where feedstock will be grown.
Alison Atkinson, Anglo American’s Projects and Development Director, said: “This is an important initiative to strengthen our commitment to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. It is an innovation that contributes to our sustainability journey as a business and our quest to maintain a healthy environment by creating carbon neutral operations.”
