South Africa
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Bioenergy > Regions > Africa > South Africa
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Information about biofuels and bioenergy in South Africa.
Contents |
Events
- 30-31 March 2011, Johannesburg: BioEnergy World Africa 2011. (Themes: biofuels, biogas, investment, markets)
2010:
- 24-26 February 2010, Sandton Convention Centre, South Africa: Energy 2010 - Solutions for Africa. (Themes: Africa, markets, policy, technology)
- 26-27 August 2010, Cape Town: Soy Innovation Africa. (Themes: Africa, agriculture, soy, technology)
2009:
- 11-13 March 2009, Bloemfontein: Food vs. Fuel Debate Forum. (Themes: food versus fuel debate, 2nd generation biofuels)
- 30 March-2 April 2009, Midrand: 4th Annual African Biofuels (Themes: Africa)
2008:
- 20-21 November 2008, Cape Town: Biofuels Markets Africa (Themes: markets, sustainability, Africa)
2007:
- 5-6 November 2007, Cape Town: Biofuels Markets Africa
2006:
- 30 November - 1 December 2006; Cape Town: Biofuels Markets Africa
Background
Initiatives
- Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGI-SA) The initiative aims to meet the Millenium Development Goals and to halve poverty and unemployment by 2014. Biofuels is being finalised as a sector for special priority attention, because it is labour-intensive, rapidly growing worldwide, suited to South African circumstances, and open to opportunities for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and small business development.
Policies
- Research Support
- Subsidies
- Tax credits
- Tariffs
Proposed laws and policies
News
- S. African Biofuel Plan May Boost Sorghum Sixfold, Grain Says, 12 December 2011 by Businessweek.com: "South Africa’s proposed mandatory blending of biofuels with gasoline and diesel may signal the start of a biofuels industry and boost sorghum output sixfold, an economist at the farmers’ body Grain SA said."
- "The nation produced 155,000 tons in the last season, according to the Crop Estimates Committee. The average annual crop was 226,000 tons in the five years to 2006, according to a report on the National Agricultural Marketing Council website."
- "A 2007 government proposal to establish a commercial biofuels industry was insufficient to attract investments. Sasol Ltd., South Africa’s largest fuel supplier, Ethanol Africa Ltd. and National Biofuels Group Ltd. canceled or delayed projects."
- "South Africa could introduce mandatory blending of as much as 10 percent 'without compromising food security in terms of food availability,' he said."[1]
- New era dawns for mini synfuels, 11 March 2011 by Mail and Guardian Online: "South African technology, already demonstrated in Australia and China, is being used to generate liquid fuel from coal and gas but can also be used to make fuel from biomass, including municipal waste."
- "Advances in the development of synthetic fuel by the University of the Witwatersrand's Centre of Materials and Process Synthesis (Comps) mean that smaller modular plants, which can produce both fuel and electricity, can do so while releasing 30% less CO2."
- "The creation of fuel from biomass through a further application of the technology means municipal garbage dumps and landfills could become energy stores instead of expensive problems for future generations."
- "The process, put simply, works as follows: coal is converted into gas, mainly carbon monoxide and hydrogen, through what is known as gasification. This gas is then converted into liquid fuel through the Fischer-Tropsch process, named after German scientists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, who invented it in the 1920s."
- "Similarly, gas to liquids (GTL) converts natural gas to liquids and biomass to liquids (BTL) sees the gasification of waste, and the resultant gases are then converted to fuel."[2]
- Strong land use policy is key to developing South African biofuels, 10 April 2007 from biofuelreview.com. South Africa is considering a variety of feedstocks for biofuels, including corn, sugarcane, and jatropha. However, many are concerned over finding the right balance between food and fuel, while protecting the land.
- Algae biofuel company's claims questioned, 3 April 2007 from Biopact.com. A report has questioned South African company De Beers Fuel claims of having produced large quantities of biodiesel from algae.
- S. Africa to develop biofuel 8 December 2006, from the People's Daily. South Africa's Cabinet has approved a draft industrial strategy for biofuels, using excess crop production and expanding the use of underutilized arable land to contribute up to 75 percent of renewable energy by 2013.
- Company signs agreement to build 90 biodiesel reactors in South Africa 14 November 2006, from biopact.com. Green Star Products has signed an agreement with De Beers Fuel Limited to build 90 biodiesel reactors in South Africa, each of which will be capable of producing 37.8 million liters (10 million gallons) of biodiesel each year for a total production capacity of 3.4 billion liters (900 million gallons). This is 4 times greater than the entire U.S. output in 2006.
- South Africa's President wants national biofuels strategy ready for publication in November October 25, 2006 by Creamer Media's Engineering News. President Mbeki has instructed the biofuels task team and Cabinet to have the national biofuels strategy ready for publication in November, which was previously supposed to go through a lengthy process of feedback before finalization.
Organizations
Governmental organizations
Nongovernmental organizations
The Southern African Biofuels Association (SABA), is a non-profit organization, which aims to facilitate the establishment of a viable biofuels industry and promote the sustainable production and use of quality biofuels in Southern Africa.
Companies
Publications
See books, reports, scientific papers, position papers and websites for additional useful resources.
- Sustainable Production of Second-Generation Biofuels: Potential and Perspectives in Major Economies and Developing Countries (PDF) by the International Energy Agency, February 2010. "The paper focuses on opportunities and risks presented by second-generation biofuels technologies in eight case study countries: Brazil, Cameroon, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand."
- National Biofuels Study (.pdf) - African Sustainable Fuels Centre, 20 March 2007. "An investigation into the feasibility of establishing a biofuels industry in the Republic of South Africa which was prepared to assist in the development of a national strategy."[1].
References
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