Andile Khumalo

Stellenbosch University / Bioenergy from Biomass

Advisor: Prof. Johann Görgens

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.