Historical Overview of the South African Chemical Industry

[ Introduction | AECI | SASOL | Dow Sentrachem | Conclusion ]

Introduction

In a limited sense a chemical industry has been in existence for many centuries. Dyes, fragrances, flavourings and medicinals were extracted from plants, and animal fats were used in soap making and leather preserving. These activities were carried out on a limited scale; just enough was made to meet the immediate needs of small groups of people. As time passed some substances, particularly fragrances, dyes and medicinals, became articles of trade and when in short supply, commanded high prices. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that chemicals were manufactured in sufficient quantities to talk about a chemical industry as we know it today.

Between 1780 and 1840 Great Britain was transformed from a predominantly agricultural to a predominantly industrial country. Rapid growth in population and urbanisation was accompanied by increased literacy and the need for better housing, clothing, health, food and transport. These changes led to an unprecedented demand for paper, glass, cotton textiles, soap, fertilizers and explosives. Chemists and engineers responded imaginatively to meet these demands and it was not long before a range of chemicals was being produced. So great, however, was the demand for sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide that the fledgling chemical industry was often called the "alkali trade".

The chemical industry in South Africa came into being in 1896, about 100 years after the first lead chamber and Leblanc plants were built in Great Britain. The discovery of diamonds near Kimberley in 1868, gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, and coalfields around Witbank and Vryheid, led to a burgeoning mining industry and a rapidly growing demand for explosives. For the first 40 years of its existence the South African chemical industry could well have been called the "explosives trade".

In this article the development of the chemical industry is discussed around three major companies, AECI, SASOL and Dow Sentrachem.