Watch: The Ugandan innovator turning weeds into clean energy

euronews (in English)

Through Eco-Erudites, Amanda Natukunda and her team repurpose toxic water weeds into eco-friendly products like biogas, fertiliser, and animal feed.

Transcript

00:00The water hyacinth is a floating water weed on water bodies.

00:07It forms a dead smut across the water.

00:12When it dies, it falls at the bottom, consequently creating shallow environments,

00:18emitting methane which fish cannot survive in, affecting the incomes of fishermen.

00:25We saw an opportunity to earn an income and get employment while solving a problem at the same time.

00:34My name is Etho Amanda Natukunda.

00:37I am the founder and CEO here at Ecoerudites Uganda.

00:42At Ecoerudites we are repurposing organic waste into eco-friendly products,

01:00biogas, organic fertilizers and animal feeds.

01:04The process of turning water hyacinth into biogas is to collect this water hyacinth

01:11and then you shred them in that you increase the surface area.

01:14After shredding you mix with water and then you pour into the digester.

01:19What happens there is that the digester has the environment to contain the anaerobic bacteria

01:27which break down water hyacinth and then they form biogas.

01:34This biogas is collected off and directed to either a kitchen where someone can cook

01:40or we direct it to a filter where we remove the unwanted gases.

01:46It is also a sustainable alternative to firewood and charcoal.

01:51Growing up we used firewood at home but it always had very bad effects on my sister.

01:59It always triggered nasal congestion and asthma.

02:02So every time we cooked it always triggered her.

02:05So this project means that I have been able to make a difference

02:10not just in the homes of people out there but even in my family.

02:16As an example, my mother, my parents, their parents, their parents, their parents,

02:20and they lived as baths, they died,

02:21but they lived as a taxi and abandoned their parents.

02:25So I've always had to give me the power.

02:26I're working on the way.

02:27And so it's working.

02:28If I don't understand what the mother took to do,

02:30my father took over the water,

02:31I left my car to drink all the water,

02:33I brought coffee and tea.

02:34I went to my house and tea.

02:36So I went to my house and it was my house and I got to drink it.

02:39I came back to my house and it was my house again and it was my house.

02:42Biogas is a clean cooking fuel, and at the same time, during the production of this biogas,

02:53we were able to get an organic-rich fertilizer and trying to convert it into animal feeds.

03:01Farmers have reported our fertilizer to be highly nutrient-rich,

03:06and the plus side that our fertilizer gives is the fact that it is also a pest repellent.

03:14We've been able to give farmers organic fertilizers at a cheaper price compared to any other fertilizer on the market.

03:23We are planning to have our gas packaged into cylinders so that we are able to reach more people in different regions and areas of the country.

03:32And second of all, we are looking to scale our operations and set up different production sites in different regions.

03:41We had to set up testing with the people, is this a biogas really working for you?

03:46Is the fertilizer what we are hoping it is?

03:49Are the feeds actually doing what we are hoping it can do?

03:54Innovations and improvements, eco-erodites, is working to enhance efficiency.

03:59In terms of biogas production is to boost the production of biogas.

04:05We are trying to purify it as much as possible to the level between 95 to 99 percent methane.

04:13In that we can pack it efficiently and we have enough biogas in a cylinder.

04:18But the overall goal is that all these are leading us to a point where we are trying to work on liquefying the gas.

04:28Liquefied biogas has a lot more uses.

04:31The inspiration behind eco-erodites was mostly to provide employment to the young people,

04:38while at the same time solving environmental challenges that the water hyacinth was presenting.

04:44Liquefied biogas has a lot of work on liquefying the gas.

05:14I have learned so much along this journey as an entrepreneur.

05:18As a founder I've learned to wear many hats at the same time.

05:22How marketing is done, how to learn community engagement, how do you manage a project.

05:27I do not know where else I could have obtained these skills from.

05:31One message for young sustainable innovators, I would say hang in there.

05:37It takes a while, but it's worth it.

05:41Phıp DIT

05:52No way, that's why I'm not going to be on job for my aim.

05:55Everyone in taking care.

05:56You know how to go you.

05:57What it's Vision ENCO What I've learned if it is.

06:00You can find that these talents are from us.

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