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| Pinky Deku with the only biodiesel pump in KwaZulu-Natal in 2012. |
KWAZULU-NATAL’S
sugar-cane growers are hoping they can start producing ethanol to supplement
fuel, as well as sugar.
Minister of Energy Ben
Martins admitted at the beginning of October that the government’s tactic to get
more biofuel pumped into people’s fuel tanks with a mix of rebates and tax
holidays is not working and he said it is time to use the law.
Hence, from October 1,
2015, fuel producers will begin a mandatory blending of petrol and diesel with
ethanol distilled from “under utilised” crops such as sugar cane, sugar beet,
canola and sunflower.
Energy’s chief director
for clean energy, Mokgadi Modise, told Parliament that these crops exclude
maize.
An implementation
committee is already working on resolving the operational aspects of blending
biofuels with mineral petrol and diesel, and the committee plans to present a
biofuels pricing framework by December.
The pricing framework
is eagerly awaited by SA’s largest two methanol producers, Illovu and Tongaat
Hullet — who hope it will enable them to invest profitably in recycling their
bagasse into fuel, rather than burning most of the crushed cane, as is currently
the case.
Earlier this year,
Thomas Funke, director of industrial affairs at the South African Cane Growers’
Association, said the industry’s 27 036 registered sugar-cane growers would
require at least 10% biofuel to be blended into mineral fuels in order to make
it viable to convert the mills into plants that produce sugar and ethanol.
Smaller biofuel
operations that distill used vegetable oil into biodiesel are also optimistic
about future growth.
One such a small
biofuel producer is Darryl Melrose of KZN’s leading biofuel maker, BioDiesel SA
(est. 2001).
He told Witness Wheels that the
government’s ongoing support has been a great help for smaller fuel
manufacturers.
Biodiesel SA offers a
delivery service from 1 000 litres to 4 000 litres, mainly to the farming and
transport industry in the KZN Midlands. “We have a diesel depot in Cedara, where
we also offer the service of selling to the public, filling small trucks and
LDVs. As a small manufacturer, we are only allowed to produce 25 000 liters of
biodiesel per month. Any more biodiesel produced would be subject to tax, and
would make it quite challenging to manufacture considering the price of
vegetable oil at the moment.”
Melrose said their
blends of biodiesel can save their clients up to R1,50 per litre.
Biodiesel SA is also
in the process of experimenting with the blending of petrol and ethanol, and is
in discussion with the government regarding the pricing.
Another
oil-to-biodiesel distiller is Professor Sanette Marx, national researcher at the
North West University’s faculty of engineering.
Marx recently started
the first biodiesel plant at a South African university and like many a small
operator, she turns cooking oil that is collected in bulk into biodiesel.
Her diesel costs less
than R10 per litre, but despite a lot of demand, she intends to use the
biodiesel in the campus vehicles and generators.
Marx next aims to
establish a bioethanol plant and a biobutanol plant. Biobutanol can combust in
petrol engines. The last phase will be a bio-polymer plant, which will use
biodegradable plastics to make oil. “Normal plastic takes hundreds of years to
break down,” Marx said.
She plans to use crude
glycerol, the co-product of making biodiesel, to make bioplastic, instead of the
more traditional soap. Marx also wants to ensure her supply of cooking oil by
stopping unauthorised people from collecting used cooking oil to clean it and
then sell it as new cooking oil. “We want to get them out of the market,” she
told sister paper Beeld.
