South Africa, the only African country producing black liquor, recorded 16.4 PJ of energy content in 2023 — approximately 1% of the global total

Key takeaways:

  • The United States of America led the production of black liquor with 696.0PJ produced making up 38.9% of the global total produced in 2023.
  • South Africa is the only African country producing black liquor with 16.4PJ produced making up 1% of the global total.
  • The total amount of black liquor produced globally in 2023 was 1,787PJ.
  • Sweden, Canada, Finland and Japan produced 185.1PJ - 10.4%, 157.9PJ - 8.8%, 142.5PJ - 8.0% and 133.0PJ - 7.4% respectively.

Black liquor is the by-product from the kraft process when digesting pulpwood into paper pulp. It is a source of biofuel derived from organic, renewable biomass sources and a very important form of energy.

In 2023, the United States of America led the production of black liquor with 696.0PJ (petajoules) produced, making up 38.9% of the total quantity produced globally. Sweden, Canada, Finland and Japan produced 185.1PJ (10.4%), 157.9PJ (8.8%), 142.5PJ (8.0%), and 133.0PJ (7.4%), respectively.

South Africa is the only African country producing black liquor, with 16.4PJ produced, making up 1% of the global total. Comparing the growth of the pulp and paper industry in Africa with the fact that Africa produced only 1% of black liquor in 2023, it was revealed that there is a huge gap in the recycling of by-products, commonly called waste products, in Africa.

Source:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Period:

2023
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
US imports of Nigerian kerosene-type jet fuel sky-rocketed by 919% year-on-year
  • Nigerian jet fuel exports to the U.S. jumped 10-fold to 2.87 million barrels in 2025.
  • Just 86,000 barrels were imported across the U.S. from Nigeria between 1993 and 2023.
  • The 2025 surge was concentrated in five months, amid East Coast refinery disruptions.
  • No Nigerian jet fuel imports were recorded through August 2026, suggesting the surge was temporary.
Africa’s renewable capacity has more than doubled since 2016, but its share of global capacity remains below 2%
  • About 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity.
  • Africa has 20% of the world's population but receives less than 3% of global energy investment.
  • South Africa added the most renewable capacity from 2016–2025, followed by Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco and Tanzania.
  • Africa's renewable capacity is growing, but its share of global capacity remains small.
Electricity generation in Africa: fossil still leads 2.5-to-1, but the gap is closing
  • Fossil fuels still generate 2.5x more electricity than non-fossil sources, though the gap has narrowed from a 2007 peak of 4.5x.
  • South Africa and Egypt together account for all of Africa's nuclear power and 59% of its non-hydro renewables.
  • Hydropower, the largest non-fossil source at 188.6 TWh, tells a different geographic story, with 91% generated outside South Africa and Egypt, mainly in Eastern, Middle, and Western Africa.
  • Gas still leads at 403.9 TWh, but its growth slowed to 0.8% in 2025 versus 11.9% growth for non-fossil sources.
Non-fossil generation overtook coal in 2023, and the gap has widened every year since
  • Non-fossil generation overtook coal in 2023, with the gap reaching 57.5 TWh in 2025.
  • Coal generation fell to 225.3 TWh, below its 262.6 TWh peak in 2007.
  • Hydropower dominates non-fossil generation, producing 188.6 TWh in 2025.
  • Fossil fuels still dominate, generating 703.2 TWh versus 282.8 TWh from non-fossil sources.
Egypt overtook South Africa's electricity generation in 2024 and extended its lead in 2025
  • Africa’s share of global electricity generation rose only from 2.6% in 1985 to 3.1% in 2025.
  • Africa’s electricity generation increased 283% over the past 40 years.
  • Egypt overtook South Africa as Africa’s largest electricity producer in 2024.
  • Egypt generated 242.4 TWh in 2025, up from 30.3 TWh in 1985.
  • South Africa generated 231.1 TWh in 2025, down from its 263.5 TWh peak in 2007.
  • Egypt and South Africa accounted for 24.5% of Africa’s electricity generation in 2025.
Nigeria leads Africa in five of six goat categories measured
  • Nigeria leads Africa in five of six goat categories, but its largest share is just 18.2% of continental production.
  • Nigeria has 91 million goats, 17.0% of Africa’s total, nearly twice Ethiopia’s 54 million.
  • Nigeria produced 292,000 tonnes of goat meat, making it Africa’s largest producer but only the world’s 5th largest.
  • Chad produced 166,000 tonnes of goat meat, making it Nigeria’s closest African rival.
  • Goat milk is the exception: FAOSTAT records no Nigerian production, while Sudan accounts for 24.8% of Africa’s total.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved