c*change (Centre of Excellence in Catalysis) was South Africa's Centre of Excellence in Catalysis Research, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and hosted by the Catalysis Institute at the University of Cape Town (UCT). It brought together researchers from 10 collaborating institutions across South Africa to conduct world-class catalysis research and develop solutions that supported the country's economy and industrial growth. The centre focused on using catalysis to convert raw materials into valuable products and cleaner energy solutions. Its research was organised around three strategic areas: synthesis gas (syngas) conversion into fuels and chemicals, paraffin activation to create higher-value chemical products, and value addition to unique olefinic feedstocks available in South Africa. The Catalysis Institute at UCT hosted and led c*change, serving as its administrative and scientific hub. The Institute coordinated research activities across the national network of partner universities, led major research programmes in catalysis and sustainable chemical processing, trained postgraduate students and early-career researchers, facilitated collaboration between academia, industry, and government, and drove innovation in fuels, chemicals, and catalytic technologies relevant to South Africa's industrial sector.
E-TANDEM developed a breakthrough technology that converted CO₂, water, and renewable energy into clean, high-performance fuels for shipping and heavy transport, while the Catalysis Institute provided the catalytic science and fuel-analysis expertise needed to make the technology work and demonstrate its sustainability.
The Catalysis Institute helped develop and optimise the catalytic processes that converted syngas into higher-value oxygenated fuels, studied how different solvents and reaction conditions affected fuel production, performed advanced chemical analyses to determine the composition and quality of the new fuels being produced, supported testing of the continuous fuel-production process, evaluated fuel performance, and contributed to environmental and life-cycle assessments to ensure that the fuels were genuinely sustainable.