Malawi Agricultural Industry

The economy in Malawi is predominantly based on the agricultural industry. The lush climate and fertile soil provide an excellent basis for Malawi agriculture. Read more on the Agricultural Industry in Malawi

Flexi Fuel

Fourth October 2007 will go down in the history of Malawi as a day when the country moved yet another milestone in its endeavor to solve fuel problems in the country. This is the day when Ethanol Company Limited (ETHCO) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched a Flex Fuel Vehicle at Mount Soche Hotel which Ethanol Company Limited imported from Brazil through CFAO Malawi, one of the leading motor dealers in the country. The launch was graced by the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Honorable Richard Msowoya MP. The Brazilian ambassador designate to Malawi was also in attendance. 

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Flexi Car

I drive a Nissan X-Trail as my official car. I have used it since 2004. The X-Trail was designed to run on petrol. I had it converted to flex car by Lilongwe Technical College (LTC) early in February 2008.
I was not sure if the conversion would work. I had my doubts. After receiving a go ahead my boss, I decided to convert it to flex since it had already clocked thousands of kilometres and by our company policy it was due for replacement within a few months anyway. 

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Renewable Energy

The Sugar and ethanol industry has an interesting net energy balance if the two products are produced using resources from the same plant. These two industries are working in collaboration and are putting back into the environment what they have taken and are moving towards the goal of using renewable resources in their methods of production and farming. In Dwangwa, the ethanol company is in the backyard of the Illovo Sugar mill. Cane is hauled from the fields to the mill and crushed for juice extraction.  

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Sludge or Manure Project

For every litre of ethanol produced by the Ethanol Company Limited (ETHCO), thirteen (13) litres of effluent are discharged for evaporation in the effluent ponds. This has led to a dynamic project with exciting innovations in dealing with the sludge created in the ethanol production process. Besides the effluent discharged there is 1 tonne of sludge sediment left everyday at the bottom of the mash clarifier, a sludge sedimentation tank installed between the fermenters and the beer holding tank. Removing this sludge before distillation implies that there will be less scaling in the distillation column and less clogging in the effluent lines to the evaporation ponds. However, another disposal burden is yet again created after the sludge is discharged from the clarifier.   

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