LignOrganic is carving out a niche in SA’s emerging bioeconomy by transforming plant waste into sustainable chemicals and consumer products.
Tshepo Mangoele, a Rustenburg-born chemical engineer, launched the company in 2017 while still a student at the University of the Witwatersrand.
The biomanufacturing start-up was conceived in response to environmental challenges, specifically the spread of alien invasive plants.
“Joburg City Parks and Zoo, back in 2015/16, had a competition where we had to find solutions around the problem,” Mangoele explained. “We found a solution, and that was how we started.”
Operating from Kya Sands in Johannesburg, LignOrganic focuses on breaking down lignocellulosic biomass – plant-based materials – into useful chemicals. Mangoele said the company’s vision aligns with the global shift towards sustainable manufacturing and reduced dependence on fossil fuels.
At the heart of the operations is the conversion of agricultural waste into valuable products.
“Essentially, what we do is that we take waste plant material – at the moment we take macadamia nutshells and sugarcane waste, and we convert that into chemicals such as soaps and energy called lignin,” Mangoele said.
Lignin, a natural preservative derived from plant matter, serves as the foundation for the company’s product lines. “Our main product is called lignin... and we convert that into skincare and beauty cosmetic products.”
What began as experiments in fibre packaging has evolved into advanced chemical production. Today, the company handles formulation and packaging at its own facility.
However, the transition from lab to industry is a significant undertaking. “We are building something called a bio-refinery, and to build something like this... requires a lot of money,” the entrepreneur noted.
Mangoele credits the Innovation Hub, the Technology Innovation Agency, and the department of science, technology and innovation for helping transform research into commercial products.
“We have been fortunate, won a few competitions. We were also fortunate to get a lot of support,” he said.
“Without that support [from the department], we wouldn’t be able to develop the technology, nor were we going to commercialise the product.”
The company sources its raw materials from Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, where agricultural by-products such as sugarcane residues are abundant.
LignOrganic retails its products on the e-commerce platform Takealot and retailer Faithful To Nature. – GCIS Vuk’uzenzele
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