Joel Tsvakwi
NKAYI based National University of Science and Technology (Nust) applied chemistry graduate, Fortune Mswati Donga, 26 has described the recent exhibition of his biomass digester at the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) as a life changing experience.
The exhibition of Donga’s work came exactly two months after The Zambezi Times broke the story on the innovation of the young lad.
“The feeling was great, I had exposure, which I think was necessary, to feel the response of the intended potential users. It just felt great also representing a popular institution like Nust.
“I felt honoured, I am inspired to do more and I have more brewing. I got a chance to rub shoulders with great men, the VP, ministers, and many others. It was amazing,” he said.
Donga said the exhibition gave him the much needed exposure.
“I had exposure, which I think was necessary, to feel the response of the intended potential users. It just felt great also representing a popular institution like Nust.”
Addressing societal needs was instrumental in inspiring Donga to proffer solutions through innovation.
“The innovation I built serves, or will serve to address day to day challenges like energy with locally abundant and most common solutions, biomass matter.
“ In Zimbabwe we have enormous amounts of biomass matter which the 2030 national renewable energy policy prescribes innovativeness in harnessing energy from to buffer energy shortages,” he said.
He added: “The innovation serves to be one of the solutions that is carbon neutral when it comes to emissions. The innovation also offers a chance for Industrial utilities to be able to directly and specifically utilise biomass as energy and ease load from the power grid.”
“Currently we have a gold processing machine (crushes ore, recirculates process water and concentrates the gold in ore) using biomass (in form of invasive plants like lantana camara, forest remains et cetera.) and we have a water pump for irrigation and other water supply purposes also powered by biomass( inform of waste generated by irrigation setup you may apply it to).
“ So the innovation is eco-friendly in the sense of reducing carbon emissions by the industrial sector, also reducing dependence on fossils that we import, also it targets utilising invasive plants like lantana camara that are otherwise an environmental nemesis,” explained Donga.
Donga however believes that the Nkayi community should come first.
“The project will benefit Nkayi rural farmers (artisanal and small-scale). Nkayi has lots of timber waste and lots of lantana camara, so with all that there is lots of fuel.
“If possible the project can be scaled up to generate electricity for the small communities around Nkayi.
According to Donga,with time and resources permitting the project can also be taken on a national scale.
“The project is not limited to benefiting Nkayi alone, in Zimbabwe we have over 1000MW of energy in biomass, it is still underutilised.
“If enough funds and support are driven to the innovation, we are capable of producing energy at larger scale from local biomass and minimise importing of electricity and thereby reducing power tariffs,’’ he said.
Major beneficiaries will be mainly small to medium enterprises.
“Also to benefit are small-scale and artisanal gold miners, because we have a gold processing machine for them.
“The industrial utilities that will utilise biomass will benefit a lot in the sense that biomass is next to free, no cost for energy, so productivity becomes cheaper in industry,
“revenue is improved, general commodities become cheaper for the general public, more products are produced if energy is that free, hence sooner we see us exporting products and securing forex for the country. Also other developing countries in Africa can utilise the innovation” said Donga.
He added: “If there is a good solution to local problems, it’s a local solution, it doesn’t need to be an imported one,as we observe education 5.0 being in action there. I graduated in Chemistry degree at Nust, I’m.putting theoretical chemistry in real life application, industrialisation”
