Transitioning SA's Petrochemical Value Chain

Secunda’s Coal To Liquid (CTL) plant in Mpumalanga has at its core two (CTL) production units, Sasol II and Sasol III. It has a primary focus on synthetic fuel production via the Fischer-Tropsch process, although a range of chemical by-products are also produced. The product suite includes motor fuels, diesel, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, bitumen, base oils and waxes, as well as a range of petrochemical products such as polypropylene and polyethylene. The Sasolburg plant is focused on chemicals production. The Sasolburg plant is centred around Sasol I, Sasol’s first CTL facility, which has subsequently been converted to a GTL facility.  Sasol I includes an ethylene, a propylene, and an aromatics plant. Other products from this facility include paraffin wax and liquid petroleum gas.

The production processes at Secunda and Sasolburg are highly technically complex and interconnected with utilities, production units, waste treatment and handling, tank farms, and rail and road loading facilities. An overview is presented here, to give the reader an insight into both the range of products produced, and the interdependencies between and within Secunda and Sasolburg.

As can be seen from the Figure, Secunda and Sasolburg are highly interlinked, with a number of the outputs from Secunda acting as inputs to Sasolburg’s production processes. Secunda also sends product to the Natref crude oil refinery, which it part-owns.