Sasol Limited Sustainability Report 2021 - Book - Page 51
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SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE AGAINST OUR FOCUS AREAS: MINIMISING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT (CONTINUED)
Waste management
Our waste management approach
centres on complying with applicable
regulatory requirements and adhering to
waste management hierarchy principles.
The waste footprint of each business
differs depending on its feedstock and
process activities. As a result, each has its
own tailored roadmap of programmes to
implement to meet legal requirements.
Our approach
•We continue to explore ways to improve on waste management practices, notably in implementing waste minimisation initiatives and alternative usage solutions.
•Most waste disposal practices have been discontinued and the legacy sites closed. Rehabilitation of closed sites is either planned, underway or completed.
Purpose
Progress
Advancing the application
of the waste hierarchy.
Minimise waste to
landfill and drive waste
beneficiation opportunities.
SEO continued with its landfill avoidance drive, with 39% of its hazardous waste recycled in 2021, compared to 29% in 2020.
Finding and implementing
technically viable and cost
effective solutions for some
specific waste streams.
Reduce operational cost of
waste streams.
SEO worked to find sustainable non-landfill options for six waste streams that presented an opportunity to be re-used. The re-use
opportunity is with third party vendors that can substitute their raw materials with the waste streams. SEO has applied to DFFE to exclude
the waste stream from the definition of waste. Once approved, the waste streams can be diverted to the third party vendors.
Secunda Operations and Sasolburg and Ekandustria
Operations (SEO) continue to work to increase sales of coarse
ash in response to the call from the DFFE. We also actively
participate in the activities of the South African Coal Ash
Association to drive ash beneficiation.
Ensuring third-party
waste service providers
sustainably accommodate
waste streams.
Conservation of valuable
natural resources.
We continuously engage with third-party waste vendors to reduce the risks associated with our waste streams.
We have undertaken an extensive review of the ash utilisation
environment so that we can prioritise the development of the
most promising opportunities.
Making ash available
in line with government
expectations to support
an ash beneficiation sector.
Beneficial use of waste.
SEO had an ash neutral / negative footprint as we sell more legacy ash than the volume we generate.
Update on ash
For the reporting year 9 735 kt of ash was generated by
Secunda Operations and 468 kt generated by SEO. Further,
the volume of ash recycled at Secunda Operations was 218 kt.
Focus area
API sludge management: Collaborative research with a waste management company showed that API sludge could be bioremediated
and used as daily intermediate cover, rather than top soil, which is considered a valuable natural resource. In 2021, we bioremediated
28 987 tons of API sludge.
For Secunda Operations, we have evaluated several ash beneficiation opportunities. Before pursuing the recommended next steps, we are
gathering input and agreement with relevant interest groups. Tentatively, we recommend priority is given to:
• aggregate applications;
• mine rehabilitation;
• artificial building panels; and
• cement kiln feed.
We require additional external input to decide which road construction applications have the highest likelihood of success.
Total waste (kilotons - kt) - excluding ash
(kilotons - kt)
800
Alternatives to landfill
Since September 2020, we have implemented a sustainable solution to divert a waste stream previously disposed of at an external landfill. Kwanda Resources removes composite waste from
Secunda Operations' catalyst preparation plant, screening the material and blending it with other materials before selling it into the ferro silicate market. This initiative comes at no cost, allowing us
to realise savings while diverting waste from landfill.
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400
Operations feedback
200
0
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Non-hazardous waste
Recycled waste
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We continue to work to find alternatives to landfill for our waste streams. By collaborating with waste management service providers, we have established a number of opportunities, some of which
we have implemented:
SEO
Hazardous waste
•Total biosludge waste stream diverted from landfill
for application in land remediation.
Policy engagements
We continue to actively participated in a review initiated
by the DFFE of the National Waste Classification
and management regulation and supporting standards.
These contributions were given with the intent to inform
refinements to the existing legislation. Sasol also supported
a Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) led review of the now
published third edition of the National Waste Management
Strategy (NWMS) which had been published for public
comment. While the NWMS proposed introducing much
needed reform to the sector, a concern was highlighted
regarding the introduction of untested waste minimisation
targets which may not be achievable by the sector.
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
•Waste methanol is being sold into the market
as an alternative fuel.
Progress
•All the 'heavy ends' streams are being used
as an alternative fuel, thus avoiding landfill.
• API sludge bioremediated and used as intermediate
or daily landfill cover, thereby conserving topsoil,
which is considered a valuable natural resource.
• Technical evaluation undertaken on High Organic
Waste stream to establish potential for recovering
saleable chemicals from this stream. This
opportunity is considered a circular approach to
advance waste-to chemicals.
SECUNDA OPERATIONS
• Established a dedicated ash sales steering committee,
which intends to engage with various government
departments and is developing a marketing plan to
increase sales.
• Beneficiation of our spent catalyst by a third party
-- Kwanda Resources -- since September 2019. In 2021,
we diverted more than 4 000 tonnes and realised
savings of just over R3 million.
• Improved the handling of API sludge, by contracting
service providers to bioremediate the material. Before
2021, API sludge was disposed of to landfill internally
and - at times - externally. The bioremediated material
can be used in various beneficial applications, thereby
moving the material up the waste hierarchy.
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Sasol Sustainability Report 2021