Sasol has showcased its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development capabilities to international clean energy researchers and industry leaders, opening its Research and Technology (R&T) facilities in Sasolburg to delegates attending the 8th Research and Development 20 (RD20) Conference for Clean Energy Technologies.
The visit on Friday, 23 October 2026, offered delegates a firsthand look at how research, pilot testing and semi-commercial-scale demonstrations can help advance sustainable fuel technologies and support industrial decarbonisation.
Held from 19 to 23 October at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, the conference brought together global experts under the theme “Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation: From Africa to the World”.
Launched in 2019, RD20 is a global research and development initiative that connects leading research institutions across G20 countries and regions to strengthen collaboration and accelerate clean energy innovation in support of the transition to carbon neutrality.
Sasol’s site visit formed part of the conference’s technical programme, alongside a visit hosted by Eskom. The programme gave delegates access to research and technology development facilities, direct engagement with experts and insight into innovations aimed at advancing clean energy and sustainability.
At Sasol’s Sasolburg campus, the spotlight was on the company’s sustainable aviation fuel development journey using Fischer-Tropsch technology. Delegates explored the process from laboratory research and pilot-plant testing to semi-commercial-scale demonstration, gaining insight into the research, innovation and scale-up capabilities required to move sustainable fuels closer to commercial application.
The visit built on Sasol’s contribution to the conference’s synthetic fuels session, where Dr Denzil Moodley, a senior scientist at R&T, presented “From Science to Scale: How Strategic Partnerships Accelerate Sustainable Fuel Technologies”. His presentation underscored the role of strategic collaboration in translating scientific research into scalable sustainable fuel solutions.
For Sasol, the engagement was also an opportunity to strengthen international knowledge-sharing and build partnerships that could accelerate clean energy innovation.
Andy Msiza, senior vice-president of R&T, said the company recognised the value of exchanging research, experiences and best practices with international peers.
“For Sasol, hosting delegates at our R&T facilities in Sasolburg provides an opportunity to demonstrate work underpinning our sustainable fuels journey and to contribute to international knowledge-sharing on technologies supporting the global energy transition,” he said.
Msiza stressed that collaboration must extend beyond hosting international delegations, with reciprocal exchanges helping Sasol’s own scientists and engineers learn from leading research facilities around the world.
"Knowledge-sharing has to work both ways. As we open our doors to the RD20 community, we look forward to our own scientists and engineers visiting the facilities of our international peers.
"Through partnerships, capacity development and rotational exchange opportunities, we aim to build the skills our people will need in emerging innovation and growth areas. We believe these reciprocal relationships will be key to speeding up the move from science to scale for the clean energy technologies of the future," Msiza concluded.
The engagement reinforced the importance of international research partnerships in advancing sustainable fuel technologies, building specialist skills and bridging the gap between scientific discovery and industrial application.
