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The chemical industry has been around for a very long time, but not always in the way we think of it today! Dyes, perfumes, medicines and soaps are all examples of products that have been made from chemicals that are found in either plants or animals. However, it was not until the time of the Industrial Revolution that the chemical industry as we know it today began to develop. At the time of the Industrial Revolution, the human population began to grow very quickly and more and more people moved into the cities to live. With this came an increase in the need for things like paper, glass, textiles and soaps. On the farms, there was a greater demand for fertilisers to help produce enough food to feed all the people in cities and rural areas. Chemists and engineers responded to these growing needs by using their technology to produce a variety of new chemicals. This was the start of the chemical industry.
In South Africa, the key event that led to the growth of the chemical industry was the discovery of diamonds and gold in the late 1800's. Mines needed explosives so that they could reach the diamonds and gold-bearing rock, and many of the main chemical companies in South Africa developed to meet this need for explosives. In this chapter, we are going to take a closer look at one of South Africa's major chemical companies, Sasol , and will also explore the chloralkali and fertiliser industries.
Oil and natural gas are important fuel resources. Unfortunately, South Africa has no large oil reserves and, until recently, had very little natural gas. One thing South Africa does have however, is large supplies of coal . Much of South Africa's chemical industry has developed because of the need to produce oil and gas from coal, and this is where Sasol has played a very important role.
Sasol was established in 1950, with its main aim being to convert low grade coal into petroleum (crude oil) products and other chemical feedstocks. A 'feedstock' is something that is used to make another product. Sasol began producing oil from coal in 1955.
The first interest in coal chemistry started as early as the 1920's. In the early 1930's a research engineer called Etienne Rousseau was employed to see whether oil could be made from coal using a new German technology called the Fischer-Tropsch process. After a long time, and after many negotiations, Rousseau was given the rights to operate a plant using this new process. As a result, the government-sponsored 'South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation Ltd' (commonly called 'Sasol') was formed in 1950 to begin making oil from coal. A manufacturing plant was established in the Free State and the town of Sasolburg developed around this plant. Production began in 1955. In 1969, the Natref crude oil refinery was established, and by 1980 and 1982 Sasol Two and Sasol Three had been built at Secunda .
Today, Sasol is an oil and gas company with diverse chemical interests. Sasol has three main areas of operation: Firstly, coal to liquid fuels technology , secondly the production of crude oil and thirdly the conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel .
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