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Project Solaris starts first local seed selection

Project Solaris starts first local seed selection

1st December 2016

  

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From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:
South African seed selection for research and development company Sunchem’s solaris crop – a nicotine-free tobacco variety that yields significant amounts of sustainable oil for biojet fuel feedstock – has started taking place locally for the first time since the launch of Project Solaris in 2014.

Anine Kilian:
Solaris is an Italian crop and, up until now, all of the seed selection was done in Italy. Sunchem south Africa project manager Samantha Hampton explains that the seed had been selected to get the variety that would produce the best yield.

Sunchem SA project manager Samantha Hampton
 

Anine Kilian:
Solaris is the first crop in the region to achieve certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials. The international organisation sets criteria for sustainable biomass production and conversion and is the best-in-class in the field, having also received widespread support from the aviation industry.

She said that initially, when the project was launched, we wanted to prove that we could successfully grow this crop in South Africa, as well as process it and fly with it,” she said, noting that the initial objectives had been achieve but that, as it is a small-scale project, most of the processing had been outsourced.

The result of the first harvest was put towards producing aviation fuel for the first biofueled flight in Africa, which took place in July in conjunction with South African Airways.

Sunchem SA project manager Samantha Hampton

Anine Kilian:
The tobacco plant is semi drought resistant, making it useful for planting in marginal soils and in areas where rainfall is low.

Meanwhile, Hampton explained that the long-term goal of Project Solaris was to set up a local biojet fuel refinery in South Africa to enable the full value chain to take place locally as there were no biojet fuel refineries in the country.

She noted that there are different ways that scaling up can happen. Given that our crop is mostly a feed crop, and the oil is a bonus, we can actually turn the whole crop into animal feed to increase volumes and reach capacity to fill a local refinery,” she said.

She added that upscaling would need to happen in an organic fashion, as increasing the property from 50 ha to 40 000 ha a year would not be viable.
Hampton further noted that it would also be possible to divert oil to the local biodiesel industry.

She said that there isn’t a lot of clarity from government regarding a biofuels programme in terms of the road transport sector. However, it could be a mechanism to scale up, because biodiesel can be made in South Africa today.

She added that, to grow Project Solaris, a partnership between the public and private sector was crucial.

Hampton noted that last season was tough for many farmers in the area and that a large percentage of farmers’ crop yields was lost owing to the ongoing drought currently facing the country.

Hampton noted that, while extreme weather events were becoming more prolific, owing to climate change, there would always be “an El Niño year or two” at the Solaris Project, given the history of the area where the Solaris crop is grown.

Sunchem SA project manager Samantha Hampton
 

Anine Kilian:
“Farming is a five-year exercise; you get a year or two where drought is prevalent and then three years usually make up for it. We’re not worried that the drought might be a disaster for our project, but it’s tough for our farmers,” she concluded.

Also commenting on the drought RSB southern African regional representative Arianna Baldo said that RSB is the only sustainability standard that does not limit its scope within the boundaries of farms.

"Certified operations must assess their impact on the quality and quantity of surface and ground water resources, developing plans to use the water efficiently and without affecting neighbouring farms and communities," she said.

Sashnee Moodley:
Dairy products and juice manufacturer Clover last month launched its R40-million visitors centre at its Clayville factory in Midrand – the first such centre in the South African dairy industry. Anine Kilian has the story.

Anine Kilian:
The facility, which took three years to complete, will be open to the public from February 2017. CEO Johann Vorster told Engineering News Online that the centre had various benefits.

He noted that the benefits of dairy products, especially for children, was a subject the visitors centre dealt with.

CEO Johann Vorster
 

Anine Kilian:
He added that it allows guest to experience Clover’s milk and beverage bottling and packaging facility through educational tours to groups of between 20 and 40 people, twice a day, four days a week.

Vorster stated that the facility was designed with an emphasis on sustainability, reflected by the company’s low water and electricity use.

CEO Johann Vorster
 

Anine Kilian:
In addition to the visitors centre, the complex comprises a manufacturing facility, warehouse facility and distribution centre. The distribution centre supplies all Clover’s inland branches and supports the biggest cross-dock facility in South Africa with the company’s City Deep hub.

CEO Johann Vorster

Anine Kilian:
Over R170-million was spent on key projects over the past few years including projects such as sit infrastructure improvement and new access entrances.

The manufacturing facility packs South African fruit mix brand Tropika and Clover fresh milk.

The Clover visitors centre will be run by professor Elain Vlok who heads up Clover’s corporate services division and champions the company’s CSI programme – the Clover Mama Africa Project.


Sashnee Moodley:
That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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