In keeping with its priority Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): Responsible production and consumption, Sasol, together with waste management company GrnCat (pronounced ‘green cat’, with ‘cat’ being short for catalysts), has 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 percent.  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”, Steve Radley, Sasol Vice President: Wax and Solvents, Energy Operations said. “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.”
 
Dr. Jan Reynhardt, founder of GrnCat Holdings adds: “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 per cent to 400 tons per month of clean wax.” 

Steve Radley sums up: “Sasol has prioritised four relevant SDGs, including SDG12: Responsible production and consumption, to ensure our business is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. 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.”