PhD & Postdoc

Andile Khumalo

Bioenergy from Biomass · Stellenbosch University

Andile Khumalo investigates the conversion of South Africa's enormous sugarcane bagasse residue — some 12 million tonnes produced annually — into bio-crude via hydrothermal liquefaction at Stellenbosch University's Department of Process Engineering. Under Prof. Johann Görgens, he has screened 24 heterogeneous catalysts across a temperature–pressure matrix from 280 °C to 370 °C, identifying a K₂CO₃-promoted NiMo/Al₂O₃ system that raises bio-crude yield by 18 percentage points over the uncatalysed baseline while suppressing char formation. His GC-MS characterisation of the organic fraction has tracked how catalyst choice shifts the product slate toward alkyl phenolics preferred by the refining industry over oxygen-rich oxygenated compounds. Aspen Plus modelling of a 50 tonne-per-day plant shows a minimum fuel selling price that is competitive with petroleum diesel at crude-oil prices above $75/barrel. Andile's consulting relationship with an Illovo Sugar biorefinery team and a provisional patent co-inventorship on his optimal catalyst formulation both illustrate how close his research sits to commercial deployment in South Africa's emerging bioeconomy.

Thesis Topic

Thermochemical Liquefaction of South African Sugarcane Bagasse to Bio-crude: Catalyst Screening and Process Intensification

Transition Signals