Abstract

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is emerging as a critical pathway for defossilizing the aviation sector, creating opportunities to leverage existing industrial capabilities while enabling future low-carbon fuel value chains. This presentation contextualizes and highlights Sasol’s approach to SAF development through strategic partnerships spanning industry, academia, research institutions and international technology providers. Particular emphasis will be placed on the CARE-O-SENE consortium, demonstrating how collaborative research, advanced characterization, catalyst innovation and scale-up science can accelerate the journey from fundamental understanding to semi-commercial deployment. Case studies will illustrate the role of international collaboration in developing Fischer-Tropsch-based SAF pathways, integrating renewable feedstocks and green hydrogen, building human capital and reducing technology risk. The presentation will also provide an outlook on emerging projects and future opportunities for translating scientific innovation into commercially relevant sustainable fuel solutions.

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Denzil Moodley is a Senior Scientist at Sasol Research & Technology (South Africa) and an Industrial Research Fellow at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. With over 25 years of experience in catalysis and industrial R&D, his expertise lies in Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, catalyst development, regeneration and sustainable fuel technologies. He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology and currently co-leads the €40 million CARE-O-SENE consortium, driving international collaboration in catalyst science, sustainable aviation fuels and Power-to-Liquids technologies. He is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into industrial impact while mentoring the next generation of researchers and strengthening global innovation partnerships.