Secunda CTL
Secunda CTL is a synthetic fuel plant owned by Sasol at Secunda, Mpumalanga in South Africa. It uses coal liquefaction to produce petroleum-like synthetic crude oil from coal. The process used by Sasol is based on the Fischer–Tropsch process. It is the largest coal liquefaction plant and the largest single emitter of greenhouse gas in the world.
Secunda CTL consists of two production units. The Sasol II unit was constructed in 1980 and the Sasol III unit in 1984.[1] It has total production capacity of 160,000 barrels per day (25,000 m3/d).[2]
Greenhouse gas emissions
[edit]As of 2020[update] it is the world's largest single emitter of greenhouse gas, at 56.5 million tonnes CO2 a year.[3] However, if Afşin-Elbistan C power station in Turkey is built and operated at planned capacity it would emit over 60 million tonnes a year, though this project was stopped on the grounds of possible soil and air pollution.
Air Liquide acquired the 42,000 tons/day oxygen production in 2020, with plans for 900 MW power plants to reduce CO2 emissions.[4][5]
Unique plant infrastructure
[edit]The Sasol III Steam Plant has a 301 m (988 ft) tall chimney built by Concor, which consists of a 292 m (958 ft) high windshield and four 300 m (980 ft) reinforced concrete flues which together with a 1 m (3.3 ft) high temporary roof on the 4th flue make it the tenth tallest structure, and the second tallest free-standing structure in Africa.[6] It remains the tallest structure in South Africa, and the tallest free-standing structure in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Media
[edit]As a major component of South Africa's economy, Secunda was in turn a major target of the African National Congress during the apartheid era[citation needed]. Two ANC attacks (and their aftermath) were dramatized in the 2006 film Catch a Fire.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sasol's Secunda CTL plant: costly to build, but now it's a cash cow". Gas-to-Liquids News. 2005-11-01. Archived from the original on 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ Pat Davies (March 2004). Sasol Gas-to-Liquids. 32nd Howard Weil Energy Conference. New Orleans: Sasol Petroleum International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ "The World's Biggest Emitter of Greenhouse Gases". Bloomberg.com. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
- ^ Parkinson, Nick (2020-09-10). "Air Liquide finalises deal with Sasol". gasworld.
- ^ Creamer, Terence (13 April 2021). "Sasol and Air Liquide initiate first phase of 900 MW renewables procurement process". www.engineeringnews.co.za.
- ^ "SASOL Synthetic Fuels Steam Plant 3". Skyscraper Source Media. Retrieved 2009-08-02.