Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa) and waste management company GrnCat, have developed a solution to recover wax from spent catalysts.
Since the GrnCat plant was commissioned in 2018, Sasol has recovered and reused more than 6,000 tons of clean wax, thereby reducing waste volumes by as much as 50%. The creation of 30 new jobs associated with the process has added a social benefit to the environmental and economic advantages.
“We are gaining environmental and economic benefits from the reduction in landfill volumes and recovery of saleable product,” said Steve Radley, Sasol Vice President: Wax and Solvents, Energy Operations.
“We are also supporting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through established government funding institutions, which aim to promote economic growth and industrial development in the surrounding community.”
Founder of GrnCat Holdings, Dr. Jan Reynhardt, added: “Since the start-up of our wax recovery plant three years ago, we have been constantly optimising our processes. We have been able to increase our capacity by 60% to 400 tons per month of clean wax.”
“The collaboration with GrnCat is a pleasing success story for Sasol, GrnCat, the surrounding community and the environment. It also demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and to making sustainability a reality,” he added.