- Oyuga said that the discovery of alcohol components in the crop was purely accidental.
- He had gone to a village herbalist for a concoction tp treat his children's stomachaches when he was given solution that smelt like chang'aa.
Image: HILTON OTENYO
His children had stomach problems and Jones Oyuga from Gesweswe village in Nyamira county went to a herbalist for medicine to treat them.
"She prepared me a concoction but refused to reveal what it was,” Oyuga said.
The herb that Oyuga bought for his children turned out to be the raw material for ethanol. He now produces ethanol from the dracaena plant as a contribution to clean renewable energy but on a tiny scale.
Industrial-scale production is a long way off and might never be realised.
Dracaena is a tropical palm-like shrub or tree. It's also a popular ornamental houseplant. It reaches about three feet in height indoors and has a bushy look. Its glossy leaves can grow a foot long and be a couple of inches wide.
“The discovery of alcohol components was purely accidental," Oyuga told the Star. "I went to a village herbalist for the treatment of my children's stomachache."
He went home and started giving it to his children. "On the third day, I noticed the solution was foaming like beer in a glass. When I shook it and smelt it, it reeked of alcohol. I became curious and wondered what would happen if I added sugar and fermented it."
Oyuga is a graduate of the Kisii National Polytechnic, with a Diploma in Food Science and Technology.
The solution produced a white liquid that smelt like chang’aa when distilled through heating and cooling.
Oyuga kept trying for five years, with many failed attempts, until he discovered how to distil a flammable substance.
The Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (Kirdi) in Kisumu discovered it contained had 83 per cent ethanol and 17 per cent water. He was supported by the Inter-Regional Economic Network (Iren) in his work.
He said the leaves are chopped into small pieces, mashed and fermented for seven days. Then sugar is added and it is fermented for another 14 days.
It is then heated in a sealed vessel fitted with pipes to collect the steam, the pipes pass through cold water, the steam is condensed into a liquid that is a mixture of ethanol and water. The solution then runs through copper sulphate to reduce the water and obtain the final product.
Distillation is the process of separating components of a mixture based on different boiling points. Examples of distillation include purification of alcohol, desalination, crude oil refining and making liquefied gases from air.
Oyuga, 42, was awarded for his innovation at the 15th IREN annual Bukura Trade and Cultural Exhibition in Kakamega on Friday last week under the Iren Technology and Innovation Platform (ITIP) 2019.
The event included exhibitors from 14 counties in the Lake Region Economic Bloc. They are Bomet, Nandi, Kericho, Trans Nzoia, Kisii, Nyamira, Homa Bay, Migori, Siaya, Kisumu, Vihiga, Bungoma, Busia and Kakamega.
The chemist investor has named his ethanol Draxa Biofuel. It burns with an invisible flame and without smoke.
“Up to now, the challenge remains how to get the right temperatures and probably if I get an ethanol production machine I will be able to produce 100 per cent ethanol. This will go a long way in addressing Kenya’s clean energy needs if it is adopted for commercial production,” Oyuga said.
He has appealed to the government and technology companies to help him improve his innovation to produce clean energy and help conserve the environment.
“Mass production of ethanol could reduce negative climatic effects but the cost could be enormous. You need about Sh1.5 billion to establish one factory that will produce one billion litres of ethanol annually,” Oyuga said.
He said the project would require 350,000 acres to plant 50 million dracaena plants to sustain the factory. Many factories would be needed.
Iren director James Shikwati said the innovation is a step in the right direction towards clean renewable energy. “All countries the world over are going green to replace fossil fuel energy," he said.
Shikwati said Iren supports innovation to help realise the Big Four agenda, particularly manufacturing.
DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP
Cecilia Wandiga, a member of the board of trustee at the Centre for Science and Technology innovations (CSTI), said the innovation is good and is being practised in developed countries.
However, she said, capital infrastructure requires that the innovator of the Draxa biofuel put into perspective the total life cycle analysis verses the same class of crop and waste to biofuel.
"It is very attractive on a small scale but when it comes to the industrial level it is not clear how to sustain massive production of biofuel. Also, the geographical scope of operations to provide the raw material needs must be clearly stated," she said.
Wandiga said innovators need increased awareness of toxic chemicals and environmental hazards.
For example, she said, metal corrosion is a major stumbling block in biofuel commercialisation.
She said that safety in transportation and storage is crucial since ethanol is both flammable and at certain concentrations environmentally unfriendly.
Wandiga was one of the judges at the ITIP 2019 Expo.
Uses of ethanol
Ethanol is mainly used as a solvent in the manufacture of varnishes and perfumes. It is also used as a preservative for biological specimens, preparation of essences and flavourings, in many medicines and drugs and as a disinfectant.
It can also be used as a fuel and gasoline additive. Ethanol burns clean to form carbon dioxide and water.
Using ethanol as fuel does not contribute much to pollution. Using ethanol as a fuel reduces reliance on natural fossil fuels such as petrol.
Image: HILTON OTENYO