2014-05-30-fa48-sasol-h2s-proposal-a20a27011aaef7b4.pdf

This report by Sasol outlines the company's proposal to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) regarding hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emission standards for its Synfuels facility in Secunda. Sasol argues that the published 2010 standard of 1,000 mg/Nm³ is unachievable within the required timeframes due to technical constraints, the uniqueness of the Sasol process, and market limitations for sulphuric acid. The company proposes alternative standards based on stack averaging and specific points of compliance to ensure practical and sustainable air quality improvement.

• Sasol proposes that the H2S emission standard for existing plants be set at 8,400 mg/Nm³ (equivalent to 7.5 t/h) to be met within five years of publication, which would represent a 29% reduction from its current APPA Registration certificate limits.
• For new plants, Sasol proposes a standard of 4,200 mg/Nm³ to be met within ten years of publication. Achieving this would likely require the construction of a second Wet Sulphuric Acid (WSA) plant on the Western side of the facility, though Sasol notes this carries technical and commercial risks.
• Sasol argues that the 2010 published standard of 1,000 mg/Nm³ is unachievable because it equates to a total allowable emission of 1.2 ton/hour for the entire facility, which is an order of magnitude lower than current emissions.
• The company identifies significant technical and timeline barriers to implementing new abatement technology. Based on the experience with the WSA East plant, which took approximately 56 months for basic engineering and execution, Sasol estimates a total project timeline of 68 months from pre-feasibility to beneficial operation.
• Sasol reports that the WSA plant installed on the East side in 2008 has faced technical difficulties and is not fully operational, producing only 61% of its expected maximum production during its first year after beneficial operation.
• Market constraints for sulphuric acid in South Africa, which is approximately 150,000 tons and currently in balance, make the production of additional sulphuric acid via a second WSA plant economically and environmentally risky.
• Sasol claims that reducing H2S emissions from 7.5 t/h to 5.0 t/h would cost more than R 1 billion while providing only a minor reduction in 1-hour odour threshold exceedances (from 14.6 to 12.7 days per year).

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). 2014-05-30-fa48-sasol-h2s-proposal-a20a27011aaef7b4.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-05-30-FA48-SASOL-H2S-proposal.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. 2014-05-30-fa48-sasol-h2s-proposal-a20a27011aaef7b4.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-05-30-FA48-SASOL-H2S-proposal.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=2014-05-30-fa48-sasol-h2s-proposal-a20a27011aaef7b4.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-05-30-FA48-SASOL-H2S-proposal.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsnd20140530fa48sasolh2sproposala20a27011aaef7b4pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{2014-05-30-fa48-sasol-h2s-proposal-a20a27011aaef7b4.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-05-30-FA48-SASOL-H2S-proposal.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }