OREANDA-NEWS.   A 344.5 ton wax reactor arrived today in Richards Bay by ship from South Korea. The reactor is destined for Sasolburg where it will produce Sasol wax.  Construction on the first Phase of the Fisher Tropsch Sasol Wax Expansion Project started in early 2010. Phase two of the project is currently underway. On completion the facility will doubled the company’s production of hard wax in South Africa.

According to Thomas Luedemann, Managing Director, Sasol Wax, “This is a significant investment for the Sasolburg site and demonstrates our commitment to South Africa. It is in line with Sasol’s strategy to leverage our advanced proprietary technology and is also aligned with our longer term plans to significantly grow the chemicals businesses of the Sasol group”.

Once loaded onto the trailer, the load will weigh 499 tons and will span across 78m in length. This large load will be transported by road to the Sasol One Site in Sasolburg via Pongola and Piet Retief, southern Mpumalanga, a short section through Gauteng on to the Free State.

The expansion project forms part of the larger Sasol Sasolburg Expansion Programme that includes various large projects at Sasol’s operational facilities in Sasolburg. Two major projects, the Ethylene Purification Unit 5 and the Sasol Gas Engine Power Plant have already been successfully commissioned.

Notes to editors

Uses for hard wax

An important hard wax application is in hot melt adhesives (glue which is applied at high speed, for instance to seal cereal boxes or milk cartons). This is a rapidly growing application, especially in the developing world.
An environmentally friendly application for hard wax is as an additive in bitumen used in road construction. This additive is patented by Sasol and sold as Sasobit™.  It reduces the temperature at which the bitumen can be laid, thereby reducing emissions and greenhouse gases. The wax additive improves the resistance to deformation and cracking of the road surface.
The product is also used in printing ink. Another important application is as an additive in the forming (extrusion) of PVC objects such as pipes or window frames. Lead based stabilisers in PVC are being phased out and hard wax is a critical component in the additives that are replacing the lead based product.