They extract the lumps that yield 165, 000 barrels of liquid fuels a day, from high-octane airplane petrol to superclean diesel for cars, at Sasol's big Secunda plant, 80 kms southeast of Johannesburg.
Makers of fixed-wing aircraft are also looking at diesel engines, in small planes at least, where they show promise as a serious alternative to standard piston engines, which run on a high-octane form of petrol.