Ugandans pioneer waste-to-energy venture

December 3, 2010 |

In Uganda, in an area without garbage collection service, two high school dropouts used to collect their garbage, and dump it in front of Kamapala homes that had waste collection services.  Embarrassed, Fred Kyagulanyi and James Sendikwanawa would conduct their forays in the dark, sneaking past homes to dump their garbage.  The two men decided to find something better to do, and hit upon using the waste to make fuels.

Sendikwanawa was interested in chemistry, and set upon researching, with his friend to find away to convert the waste to fuel.  In 2009, they succeeded, using cement kilns and catalysts to produce fuels via catalytic pyrolysis.  The two men can process 2.2 tons of organic waste, plastic bottles and polythene bags into 100 liters a day of fuel, in three grades they call super, premium and pure.

They sell their fuel to motorbike taxi riders for a $1.00 a liter, reputedly half the price of standard petrol stations in the area.   Both men are hoping for partners to be able to expand their business, Lat Photo Energy Uganda, and help solve the waste and fuel problems of Kampala.

More on the story.

Category: Fuels

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