The Just Fuel Africa project, spearheaded by Werner Euler, is dedicated to the conversion of solid biomass, including invasive plants, forest and agricultural residues, and industrial waste, into liquid fuels while ensuring an equitable distribution of benefits. However, navigating the intricate biofuel value chain presents significant challenges in terms of pre-treatment and production, necessitating collaboration with partners who possess the expertise to facilitate market entry.

Euler emphasizes that the program will require a substantial investment of R9 billion but offers substantial returns, including an annual reduction of approximately 4 million tons of CO2 emissions, the creation of 7,000 new direct permanent jobs, the restoration of 30,000 hectares of land from invasive alien plants, and the revitalization of 1 million liters of groundwater annually.

Notably, several key stakeholders have already committed to the initiative, such as the Dutch embassy, KLM, and the COEGA Biomass Centre. This collaborative consortium aspires to produce 1 million metric tons per annum of synthetic aviation and biofuels for use within South Africa. Leveraging the nation’s abundant natural resources and existing assets, including SASOL and PetroSA, could position South Africa as a frontrunner in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.