There is a positive shift underway in South African industry, as corporates adjust their traditional, linear approach to production — and instead consider ways to valorise their waste in line with circular economy thinking.
While economic activity would traditionally generate products simply for use and disposal, current approaches seek to retain wastes within the economy by adding to their value and enhancing their contribution to the production process. One field in which global consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting has been involved, for instance, is energy - where "waste" methane is used to generate electricity. Methane is essentially a harmful waste gas, and these processes allow it to be converted into a revenue stream.
Biogas
Turning waste into energy in this way is a good example of how valorisation can also support corporate - and indeed, government efforts to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, as part of the country's commitment to climate change mitigation. The country has seen increased interest in producing biogas (containing methane) from waste, as a strategy to help overcome energy supply shortages. Produced in this way, biogas can either be bottled and supplied to customers or fed directly into a dedicated power-generating facility to feed the national grid.
