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Ambassador Peschke visits Sasol to continue sustainable aviation fuel development partnership
On 26 October 2022, German Ambassador Andreas Peschke visited Sasol's Sasolburg Operation as part of the partnership between Germany and Sasol in South Africa to decarbonise the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
On 26 October 2022, German Ambassador Andreas Peschke visited Sasol's Sasolburg Operation as part of the partnership between Germany and Sasol in South Africa to decarbonise the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Earlier this year, Sasol announced that it has partnered with Germany’s Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin – under the Catalyst Research for Sustainable Kerosene (CARE-O-SENE) research project – to lead a consortium to accelerate the development of next-generation catalysts that are essential to produce green kerosene on a commercial scale through its pioneering Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology. Catalysts are used to speed up chemical reactions, increase the yield and improve the quality of refined products. The new FT catalysts are expected to increase the kerosene yield of the process to over 80 percent, thereby optimising use of resources. The technology enables Sasol to produce sustainable products which are increasingly sought after, in a low carbon world.
To date, Germany, through its Ministry of Education and Research, has invested 30 million Euro in the research project, and Sasol 10 million Euro.
Sustainable kerosene is not based on fossil-based raw materials like conventional kerosene but on green hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The technology contributes significantly to sustainably decarbonising sectors such as aviation, since fossil fuels are particularly difficult to replace in this area.
Said Sasol President and CEO, Fleetwood Grobler: “Sasol's transformation journey includes focusing on decarbonising our operations, while preserving and growing value. We have set a target to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, off a 2017 baseline, and our ambition is to achieve net zero by 2050. Our expertise in FT technology and catalysts makes us the ideal partner to help Germany and the world decarbonise the aviation sector and make it sustainable over the long term”
Sasol's Sasolburg Operations, which is also where the company's journey started 70-plus years ago, is where the testing of the CARE-O-SENE catalyst will take place.
Said Ambassador Peschke: “The CARE-O-SENE project, which was symbolically started on 24 May by the President of South Africa and the German Chancellor, is our largest research cooperation project with a substantial investment from the German Government.
The use of renewable kerosene in aviation is an important building block towards a green and clean future.”