Kenyan Makes Cooking Fuel from Plant Waste

 

A project in Kenya is using biogas technology to attack two major pollution problems with one device: a machine that changes waste such as invasive water hyacinth into cleaner cooking fuel.

Biogas International, a Kenyan energy technology company, is partnering with drug maker¹ AstraZeneca and the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.

The project has so far provided 50 of the "Flexi Biogas" devices to homes in the city of Kisumu in western Kenya. The device is called a "digester" because it breaks down plant waste to produce gas. The digesters will permit families to stop using wood or charcoal², both of which produce dangerous smoke. People will also be able to cook foods faster using the gas.

Tony Otieno used the gas from a digester to cook tea for his 70-year-old grandmother Margaret. He said,

"The gas has no smoke, does not smell, and it is much faster than the jiko."

Some of the families received a gas stove as part of the project, to replace their jiko - a stove that uses charcoal. Many of the digesters were also given out for free. The company paid the cost.

The machines process plant waste such as ground-up water hyacinth. That plant has covered large parts of Lake Victoria, a freshwater lake between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The weed-like plant harms living things in the lake including fish. The plants also help bacteria and mosquitoes increase, causing health risks to local communities.

Faster cooking

The Flexi Biogas devices use 2-3 kilograms of water hyacinth scraped from the lake to produce gas. After the plant waste produces gas, it can be put on other plants as food. The owner of the device can sell extra gas or plant waste.

The fuel powers a stove that can make a meal of corn and beans in around four hours.

Dominic Wanjihia Kahumbu is head of Biogas International. He said,

"Water hyacinth is a blessing³ in disguise⁴."

He added that the elderly people are being harmed by their cooking fuel. Instead, he believes they should all have the cleaner biogas.

But at a cost of $650, most families in the city do not have enough money to buy the device, he said. The World Bank put the Gross⁵ Domestic⁶ Product per person in Kenya at just over $1,800 in 2020.

Although the technology can be on a small or large scale, he said, each system cost a lot to make. As a result, it is unlikely the company will make a profit for at least another five years. He said the company needs new investment.

Larger versions

Two larger versions of the equipment are still in the testing phase. They would produce clean fuel on an larger scale for restaurants, chicken farms and fish drying facilities in the area. An example of a large system is in place at the Ngong Market and is shown on the company's Facebook page.

Words in This Story

biogas – n. a kind of fuel gas, especially methane⁷, produced by the fermentation of organic matter

mosquito – n. a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood

blessing – n. something that helps you or brings happiness

in disguise – expression. made to look like something else or presented as another thing

Gross Domestic Product – n. the total monetary⁸ or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

3 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

4 disguise   

vt.把...假扮起来；n.伪装物，假装，伪装

参考例句：

• He went about in the disguise of a sailor.他伪装成海员到处流窜。
• It is impossible to disguise the fact that business is bad.生意不好这件事无法隐瞒。

5 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

6 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

7 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

8 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。