Ethanol distiller, PressCane Limited has said it is constantly finding innovative ways to conserve the environment while providing the nation with energy needs and solutions.
PressCane Limited Marketing Manager Mercy Kamanga said in an interview ahead of the commemoration of the World Environment Day on 5 June that the company will do its best to conserve the environment.
“We have a by-product of ethanol called vinasse and we are using this as a raw material to produce organic fertilizer rich in potassium which can be used in sugarcane fields and also other cash crops like maize, tobacco, rice and others,” said Kamanga.
She said PressCane Limited, a subsidiary of conglomerate Press Corporation plc, is constructing a multi-billion-kwacha waste disposal facility called ‘Zero liquid discharge plant’ at its factory at Dyeratu in Chikwawa.
“This means that there will be zero liquid discharge of waste from our ethanol production. Further, this plant will also produce bio gas which will be used to power our factory and eventually we are going to extend it to the public.”
She also said they have been producing durable hollow blocks from fly ash, a waste product generated after burning coal in boilers to produce steam used during the ethanol production process which are selling at economic price.
“We have developed and refined the hollow blocks for the past three years with expertise from the Malawi University of Business and Science (MUBAS) engineering department. On top of that we are also producing a gel fuel which is an ethanol-based product for cooking and heating food in homes and the hospitality industry. We believe that our gel fuel will assist to avoid deforestation by replacing charcoal to conserve the environment while promoting clean energy,” explained Kamanga.
The world commemorates world environment day on June 5 every year.