# Andile Khumalo

> 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.

*Source: [https://selltoscientists.com/phd/andile-khumalo/](https://selltoscientists.com/phd/andile-khumalo/)*

**Institution:** Stellenbosch University
**Field:** Bioenergy from Biomass
**Advisor:** Prof. Johann Görgens
**Thesis:** Thermochemical Liquefaction of South African Sugarcane Bagasse to Bio-crude: Catalyst Screening and Process Intensification
**Publications:** 2

## Skills

- hydrothermal liquefaction reactor operation
- GC-MS bio-crude characterisation
- Aspen Plus process modelling
- elemental analysis CHNS

## Industry transition signals

- consulting with Illovo Sugar biorefinery project
- co-inventor on provisional patent
- attending ISAF 2026

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