Indeed Karim,
This banana thing could work. It reminds me of President Jawara urging us to use peanut shell briquets instead of fell trees for firewood. How about the planting of neem trees in Tesito??? I think all Africa's brains are laying in fallow. I just hope Joel doesn't ask for an arm and a leg for his invention or patent it for eternity. There is a Malian gentleman who invented a rig to recycle used tiles and plastic into flooring material. I wonder if he secured any capital investment from Ecobank??? I had urged that the bank and other indigenous investment firms encourage him along with the University of Bamako. I think they are still asleep. Waiting for another Joel. Don't get me wrong, I love Joel's innovation and genius. I just don't think Ivorians, Burkinabe, Beninois, and Malians ought to have waited this long. Now after purchasing Joel's rig and or rights to its manufacture, they'll have to sink two year's worth of their Banana crop to break even. And when they're done, Joel will come up with Bananaquets 2.0
And the cycle begins anew! I am tired Karim. Take care men. Haruna. Yeah, and why didn't you invent the bananaquets in 2000 Karim???? Lemme know Lemme know. Oh I forgot. You were still in university then. Disregard! MQJGDT. Darbo.

-----Original Message-----
From: abdoukarim sanneh <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu, 14 May 2009 11:03 am
Subject: Re: Green-yellow energy. Valuable for Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin.


What a fascinating innovation! Banana skin I don't think that will be regarded as unethical bio-fuel. I hope they are lot more research for human-kind?to shift into alternative sources of energy. Well done Joel chaney for such an innovative research. Haruna thanks for sharing the piece.
?
Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 10:44:11 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Green-yellow energy. Valuable for Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin.
To: [log in to unmask]








Going bananas for energy in Africa








Bananas provide food, wine and beer - and now maybe fuel as well








By Matt McGrath
Science reporter, BBC World Service






You've heard of "green" fuel. Now get ready for yellow as scientists have found a way to turn banana waste into a sustainable fuel source that could be relevant to many countries across Africa.







Rotting banana skins are mashed into a pulp, then mixed with saw dust





The simple, low-tech idea, was developed by researchers at Nottingham University.
They used banana skins to create briquettes that can be burned for cooking, lighting and heating.
It could alleviate the burden of gathering firewood, the dominant energy source in many parts of the continent.
This would help reduce deforestation, which makes a significant contribution to global climate change.
Go yellow
In some African countries, like Rwanda, bananas are an important and versatile crop, used for food, wine and beer.
But experts estimate that the edible fruit makes up just a small part of what the plant produces.








 The banana skins bind other materials together really well, they act like glue




Joel Chaney, Nottingham University






According to scientists, for every one tonne of bananas, there are an estimated ten tonnes of waste, made up of skins, leaves and stems.
It was on a visit to Rwanda that Joel Chaney, a PhD student from the University of Nottingham came up with the idea of developing a low-tech approach to turn this banana waste into an efficient fuel source.
Back in the laboratory at the University's faculty of engineering, Joel showed me how to make bananas burn.
He first mashes a pile of rotting skins and leaves. This pulp is then mixed with saw dust, compressed and dried to create briquettes that ignite readily and throw out a steady heat, ideal for cooking.
"The banana skins bind other materials together really well, they act like glue," says Mr Chaney.


The banana mixture dries into briquettes which can be burned on a stove


"We can then either form the material into a ball by hand, or use a press to squeeze the materials together and squeeze the liquid out.
"Once we've pressed them we can lay the briquettes outside in the sun, and within about two weeks we have some dried fuel."
The emphasis of the project has been on developing a simple technology that can be used in developing countries without the need for a large financial outlay.
Over the years there have been many attempts to develop new stoves and fuel sources in Africa that have failed because they were too expensive or did not take on board local needs.








 These briquettes are made by hand, we haven't used any mechanical equipment at all




Mike Clifford, Nottingham University






Mike Clifford is associate professor in the department of engineering at Nottingham. Standing around a stove in the laboratory that's using banana briquettes to boil water, he says he is really pleased with the project.
"This is working really well. These briquettes we've made by hand, we haven't used any mechanical equipment at all. No technology and we've had a really good result," he says.
"We're starting from very basic problems and we are making the solutions as simple and accessible as possible to the people that need them.
"It's almost seen as a new colonialism, imposing solutions on people in developing countries, we are very keen not to do that."
Saving firewood
The scientists believe that banana fuel might help reduce dependence on wood as an energy source across Africa.






The briquettes are easily made, no machinery is required





In some of the continent's biggest banana-producing countries like Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi, more than 80% of current energy needs are met from burning wood.
This has a very damaging impact on the environment leading to deforestation which contributes to climate change. Gathering wood for fuel is also a time consuming job, mainly done by women.
"In some areas wood fuel is getting depleted and you are getting deforestation. Women sometimes have to walk over six hours a day to get firewood," says Joel Chaney.
"This is a way to use waste from crops like bananas, to make them burn in a better way because loose residue most often just burns too rapidly.
"Imagine just putting some straw onto your fire at home. It just goes up in flames, you can't cook food over it, while the briquettes provide a way to cook food in a much better way."
The Nottingham researchers say their low-tech approach is a small step along the way of meeting the millennium goals and helping people out of poverty.
They say that they are happy to give the idea away for free and are encouraging people who want to use the idea to get in touch.







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