In Uganda, an entrepreneur has managed to produce alternative energy from bamboo. An innovation that can undoubtedly effectively address the problems of climate change and deforestation in Africa.
Divine Nabaweesi is the founder and managing director of Divine Bamboo. Together with her team, she has provided Ugandans with alternative energy that can significantly reduce the risk of destruction to nature.
Strong action to preserve nature
The company plants thousands of bamboo trees to obtain its raw material. Thus, it is ultimately an effort to combat climate change in a country where 90% of the population is entirely dependent on firewood in the form of charcoal and fuelwood for daily cooking needs. A graduate in social work and social administration from Makerere University, Divine Nabaweesi wanted to do something that both embraced her passion for nature and contributed to the fight against climate change and deforestation. For her, ” It is not enough to tell people not to cut down trees. People still need a livelihood, they still need to eat, they still need to earn an income, so if we can give them an alternative in the form of bamboo that grows quickly, in three years they will harvest. she declared.
Bamboo briquettes
The Divine Bamboo Group produces bamboo briquettes. Indeed, The process starts with the harvesting of dry bamboo of different species such as Bambusa Vulgaris. It is then dried and cut into small pieces before being placed in a carboniser. This location allows the bamboo to be burnt in an oxygen-free condition, because if oxygen is allowed, in the end there will only be ash. After the carbonisation process, bamboo charcoal is obtained. To complete the process, the bamboo charcoal will need to be crushed and mixed with a binder and then taken out of a machine called an extruder. Bamboo briquettes are quite different from charcoal. They are a little heavier, powdery and have a hole in them for easier ignition. It takes no more than five minutes to light bamboo briquettes. Thus, there is talk that briquettes from a more sustainable bamboo value chain could solve the major energy crisis resulting from the felling of trees.
Bamboo, an untapped potential
Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. According to research, a bamboo forest absorbs over 30% of carbon dioxide. Bamboo is a multi-purpose plant that can grow in almost any climate and in the poorest of soils. Unlike mango trees, karite trees, and many other species, bamboo has unimaginable growth. A single bamboo forest can regenerate for up to 50 years. However, the potential uses of this fastest growing plant in the world are still largely unexploited.
