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FEATURE

INVASIVE ALIEN PLANTS AND GARDEN

WASTE ARE KEY FOR PRODUCTION OF

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

TEXT BY FARAI CHIRESHE, ENERGY ANALYST AND PROJECT OFFICER, WWF SOUTH AFRICA. PHOTOS BY RODNEY FEBRUARY, WWF SOUTH AFRICA.

South Africa has the potential to become a major producer of sustainable aviation
fuels which play a key role in de-carbonising the aviation industry. At the same
time, this would pursue important ecological objectives and make good use of
unwanted invasive alien plants and garden waste.

Dense invasion of mainly black wattle in the
Kouga catchment, Eastern Cape

ustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is of local competitive advantages, including aviation fuel would further improve
a low-carbon fuel alternative for an excellent resource base (invasive alien the balance of trade, generating about
Sthe aviation industry and is the plants and garden waste) and experience US$10,6 billion per annum from sales at
main climate mitigation measure for with promising SAF production the minimum sale price.
the ‘hard to abate’ aviation sector. These technologies such as Fischer-Tropsch
non-petroleum based aviation fuels synthesis. This is used by Sasol in its coal- Invasive alien plants and garden waste
are generally produced from bio-based to-liquids plant in Secunda. are potentially the largest available
feedstocks such as energy crops, waste ligno-cellulosic feedstocks in the country
and residues such as garden waste and A recent WWF report showed that and could be converted to produce 1.8
cleared invasive alien plants (IAPs). the highest achievable localisation of to 3 billion litres of sustainable aviation
sustainable aviation fuel production using fuel annually, using Fischer-Tropsch
The SAF provides an opportunity to IAPs would provide 26 000 direct and technology. This was found to be the most
decarbonise the local aviation sector 7 000 indirect jobs during the construction economic pathway to produce sustainable
and boost tourism, since more and more phase, and 15 000 direct and over 1 000 aviation fuel from IAPs and garden waste,
long-haul tourists are becoming climate indirect jobs over the 20-year operational and could be cost-competitive with the
conscious. It also represents an important period of SAF production plants. current cost of sustainable aviation fuel on
export opportunity for South Africa. the international market.
Reducing jet-fuel imports by developing a
South Africa is well positioned to take domestic SAF industry can improve South Conversion of landscapes
advantage of this momentum and build Africa’s balance of trade by US$7,9 billion The introduction of IAPs has led to the
a domestic SAF sector based on a number per annum. Full export of all sustainable unhealthy conversion of landscapes from
n

Landscape SA • Issue 118 2022 17