WP1 Summary report: Optimising waste biomass supply for production of sustainable aviation fuel in South Africa

The report finds that South Africa has sufficient waste biomass to meet the potential demand of Sasol's Secunda plant, with availability estimated at 2 to 4 times the maximum potential demand. Garden waste and sawdust are identified as the lowest-risk feedstocks. Fuel rods are the most cost-competitive densification option for woody biomass, while white pellets are cheapest for soft biomass. The study concludes that biomass feedstock would be 3-4 times more expensive than coal, though this could be offset by SAF premiums and carbon tax liabilities.

• Waste biomass availability in South Africa is sufficient to meet potential demand from Sasol (0.5 – 5 million tonnes of dry biomass per annum), with estimates showing "at least twice as much waste biomass available as the maximum potential demand from Sasol".
• Garden waste from major metros, particularly Johannesburg, and sawmill sawdust are the most suitable initial feedstocks because they are available in large quantities and "pose the lowest sustainability risks, including risk of indirect land use change".
• Sustainability risks vary by feedstock: corn stover and sugarcane bagasse are rated as 'High' risk due to soil health concerns and potential for indirect land use change (iLUC), while invasive alien plants and forestry residues are rated as 'Medium' risk.
• For woody biomass (invasive alien plants and forestry residues), fuel rods are the most economical densification technology, whereas for soft biomass (maize residues, garden waste, and sawdust), white pellets are the cheapest option.
• Sieving biomass prior to densification provides significant cost savings, reducing the price of black pellets by an average of 22.9% compared to non-sieved options.
• The optimal primary transport vehicle for bulk biomass is the walking floor vehicle due to its volume capacity and performance in rural South African conditions, while the super-link tautliner is optimal for secondary transport to Secunda.
• Rail transport is cheaper than road transport for secondary transport from only 6 of the 49 identified consolidation hubs: Ermelo, Germiston, Olifantsfontein (Pretoria), Vanderbijlpark, Mayfair, and Vryheid.
• Biomass feedstock delivered to the Secunda plant is estimated to be "3-4 times more expensive than coal", although this cost premium may be mitigated by airline premiums for SAF and Sasol's carbon tax liabilities.

APA

Bole-Rentel, T., Hugo, W., Baldo, A., Nardelli, A., Petersen, A., Görgens, J., Burger, B., & Sooklal, S. (2019). WP1 Summary report: Optimising waste biomass supply for production of sustainable aviation fuel in South Africa. WWF South Africa. https://dtnac4dfluyw8.cloudfront.net/downloads/w2w_wp1_summary_report_final_21082019.pdf

Chicago

Bole-Rentel, Tjaša, Wim Hugo, Arianna Baldo, Aurea Nardelli, Abdul Petersen, Johann Görgens, Berndt Burger, and Shivani Sooklal. WP1 Summary report: Optimising waste biomass supply for production of sustainable aviation fuel in South Africa. WWF South Africa, 2019. https://dtnac4dfluyw8.cloudfront.net/downloads/w2w_wp1_summary_report_final_21082019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bole-Rentel |first1=Tjaša |last2=Hugo |first2=Wim |last3=Baldo |first3=Arianna |last4=Nardelli |first4=Aurea |last5=Petersen |first5=Abdul |last6=Görgens |first6=Johann |last7=Burger |first7=Berndt |last8=Sooklal |first8=Shivani |title=WP1 Summary report: Optimising waste biomass supply for production of sustainable aviation fuel in South Africa |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=August 2019 |url=https://dtnac4dfluyw8.cloudfront.net/downloads/w2w_wp1_summary_report_final_21082019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bolerentel2019wp1, author = {Bole-Rentel, Tjaša and Hugo, Wim and Baldo, Arianna and Nardelli, Aurea and Petersen, Abdul and Görgens, Johann and Burger, Berndt and Sooklal, Shivani}, title = {{WP1 Summary report: Optimising waste biomass supply for production of sustainable aviation fuel in South Africa}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://dtnac4dfluyw8.cloudfront.net/downloads/w2w_wp1_summary_report_final_21082019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }