CONVERTING BIOWASTE TO CLEAN ENERGY

The Post COVID 19 pandemic which has claimed over a thousand Kenyans has left an environmental disaster as a result of how used face masks are disposed. The innovation is a process of safely and responsibly recycling the disposed face masks and waste biomass that is collected from     landfills and dump sites and mixed with paper sludge to form a unique resin that is extruded into smokeless charcoal briquettes. The results are practically efficient, smokeless and cheaper source of energy with numerous advantages. The business is duly registered and licenced by the Government of Kenya and the county government of Nairobi to recycle biowaste into clean energy. 

The specific problem we solve is cleaning up a contaminated environment littered with used COVID 19 pandemic face masks everywhere, unaffordable and unhealthy sources of energy , youth unemployment and insecure  food supply . Nairobi generates over 2,400 tonnes of waste every day, 62% of which is organic waste including COVID 19 used disposed facial masks. Lack of an organised system of waste management has resulted in crude dumping of the used face masks leading to heaps of garbage littering streets and open fields, where clean-up is left mostly to rain water. In addition, there is massive and rapid decline in food security with increased health risk as a result of used face masks posing a COVID 19 reinfection. Demand for a safe clean environment in addition to organic fertilisers is sky rocketing to mitigate food insecurity. Bentos Energy is a manufacturing business involved in recycling waste biomass into affordable, clean, smokeless charcoal briquettes. The opportunity was born out of the fact that there is huge demand for  a comprehensive  clean-up program  to safely remove used face masks that could be recycled into affordable clean green energy and organic waste that  is hugely abundant and readily available. 

Turning Waste Biomass into Smokeless Charcoal Briquettes and organic fertilizer. The innovation is a process of recycling waste biomass and COVID19 used face masks that is collected from      landfills and dump sites that is charred then mixed with paper sludge to form a unique resin that is extruded into smokeless charcoal briquettes. The results are practically efficient, smokeless and cheaper source of energy with numerous advantages. The business is duly registered by the Government of Kenya and licenced by the NAIROBI CITY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The project has helped reduce burden on waste management that costs the government over $100,000 annually. It has introduced a new value chain that stimulates micro-entrepreneurship among the youth through employment while encouraging recycling.

Social impact: By creating a sustainable solution to the growing waste menace, the initiative has provided an alternative to artificial fertilisers while offering job opportunities. Bentos energy has created employment for at the initial stages. 

Environmental impact: Bentos Energy products are manufactured from waste biomass thus reducing the depletion of our forest cover. This reduces the deforestation as well as reduce the amount of waste in landfills in line with its SDGs commitments. Over 430 tons of waste has been reduced from landfills. We have produced over 41,150 green charcoal briquettes translating to 4150 mature trees, this is equivalent to 161.85 tons of CO2 saved from the environment.   

Economic impact: We have introduced a new value chain that stimulates entrepreneurship and recycling. Use of our briquettes has in turn led to reduction in deforestation levels.                          

Competitive edge: Our briquettes burn twice as long as normal wood charcoal, are 58% cheaper than charcoal and are smokeless. They are easy to light using our unique lighter. 

Members of community-based organisations, collect waste biomass is collected, sorted and brought to our plant. The material is carbonized  then the  next process involves sieving the material to remove impurities and the fine material is then milled using a hammer mill then Mixer with  paper sludge and a binder to form a unique resin that is later extruded to produce smokeless charcoal briquettes that burn twice as long as charcoal and have a higher calorific value. The briquettes are dried for 36 hours and then packed into 2kg, 4kg and 50 kg sacks ready to be sold to communities.

The innovation involves a process of recycling waste biomass and used COVID 19 face masks that is collected from the   landfills and dump sites and mixed with paper sludge to form a unique resin that is extruded into smokeless charcoal briquettes. The results are practically efficient, smokeless and cheaper source of energy with numerous advantages. The business is duly registered by the Government of Kenya. There are other waste recyclers recycling plastic. Products competing our fuel are gas, electricity and wood charcoal. Our charcoal briquettes are more affordable and smokeless. So far we do not know any other organization in Kenya that recycles post Corvid 19 face masks.

The core solution is heavily electro- mechanical and digital. Our mechanical process involves harvesting biomass and face masks which is charred into char dust. The char dust is then milled into a fine homogeneous powder which is then mixed mechanically with a binder to be extruded into charcoal briquettes. This is complimented by a software called M-TAKA a digital platform that brings together waste generators, buyers and sellers across the board. Technology is both mechanical and digital

The technology is already working with evidence on videos displayed on you tube. Some of the evidence can be viewed on our website www.bentosenergy.com We are legally registered  by the government  of Kenya and licenced by County Government of Nairobi. To date we have recycled over 400 tones and directly employed 13 people in the factory and many others along the value chain.

• Establish a sense of urgency- research market on products, analyse existing competition, identify and discuss potential crisis and opportunities
• Create a coalition – Bentos will create a group to lead the change, align this guiding coalition to work like a team
• Develop a clear vision- Bentos Leadership will create a vision to direct the change effort, develop strategies to realize the vision.
• Share the vision- Bentos Energy will use every possible way to communicate the vision strategies, let guiding coalition members to be role models for the rest of the organization
• Empower people to clear obstacles – Bentos management will get rid of obstacles, change structures and systems that obstruct the change effort, encourage risk taking and none traditional ideas
• Secure short-term wines – We plan for visible performance improvement, create and declare the wins. Visibly recognize and reward those who made the wins possible
• Consolidate and keep moving – Bentos will build and grow credibility to gradually change all system structures that don’t fit in the vision, hire, promote and develop successful changes and reinvigorate the change process with new projects, themes and change agents
• Anchor – management will improve performance through customer and productivity orientation and more effective leadership and management  

We currently serve about 200 people as customers we serve, those who serve in both inbound and outbound value chain.

We expect to serve about 2000 in one year and 5,000 across the 47 counties and at least 5 countries in Somalia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leon and Burkina Faso as a business model adopted continentally in five years

• In year one -spread our product range to industrial briquettes
• Widen our customer base to at least 3,500 people
• Acquire an industrial briquettes line able to recycle 30 tonnes a day
•  Aggressively employ all existing media platforms to reach all the five countries we want to reach
• Recruit key personnel to drive the process
• Sign franchises in all these countries we want to have presence in

• Financial barriers- we require to raise $300,000 to fund the process
• We need to enact the social enterprise act to accommodate our operations
• We need to carry out civic education on cultural practice and behavioural change on recycling and the need to conserve our environment
• Develop a partnership pathway to be part of regional trading blocs like East African Community and EGAAD. This will require serious legal backing to achieve this goal of having a regional presence.

• Financial barriers- we require to raise $300,000 to fund the process
• We need to enact the social enterprise act to accommodate our operations
• We need to carry out civic education on cultural practice and behavioural change on recycling and the need to conserve our environment
• Develop a partnership pathway to be part of regional trading blocs like East African Community and EGAAD. This will require serious legal backing to achieve this goal of having a regional presence.

Not Applicable

Full-time staff: 6

Part -time staff: 8

Contractors: 30 (Self help groups, Community based organizations & destributors) in total we have 300 working along the value chain as waste gatherers or wasteprenuers .

Eng. Symphrose Ochieng M.Sc., MBA – an accomplished electrical engineer with over 10 years and an accomplished social entrepreneur.

Ishmael Hezekiah – BBM, ACCA-in charge of financial operations with 7 years’ experience

Robert Nyasuna- B.Com, Experienced marketer and lead business development with over 10 years’ experience

Tangaza University Colleges - Training & Scholarship

E4Impact Foundation - Grants & Mentorship

Sinapis Academy - Training

Nairobi Innovation Challenges - Funding & Grants

African Solutions - Franchising

American Society of Mechanical Engineers - Grants & Training

Social Enterpreneurs Society of kenya - Networking

Catholic University of Milan - Research & Training

University of Ghana - Reserach & Training

Banadir University, Mogadishu - Research & Training

Growth Africa Capital - Training & Funding

Savannah Accelerator Program - Training & Mentorship

Pangea Accelerator Program - Training & Funding

Social Business Initiative, Netherlands - Training & Funding

University of Nairobi (Wangari Maathai Institute of Peace & Environment) - Research & Training

Rusinga School - Partnership & Training

• Grants
• Sale of Briquettes, Cookstoves and Machinery
• Equity Capital investments and venture capitalists
• Convertible Notes and longterm funding from investments funds
• Short term bank loans

The innovation involves a process of recycling waste biomass and used COVID 19 face masks that is collected from the   landfills and dump sites and mixed with paper sludge to form a unique resin that is extruded into smokeless charcoal briquettes. The results are practically efficient, smokeless and cheaper source of energy with numerous advantages. The business is duly registered by the Government of Kenya. There are other waste recyclers recycling plastic. Products competing our fuel are gas, electricity and wood charcoal. Our charcoal briquettes are more affordable and smokeless. So far we do not know any other organization in Kenya that recycles post Corvid 19 face masks.

Barriers that SOLVE will helpe Overcome

• Financial barriers- we require to raise $300,000 to fund the process
• We need to enact the social enterprise act to accommodate our operations
• We need to carry out civic education on cultural practice and behavioural change on recycling and the need to conserve our environment Develop a partnership pathway to be part of regional trading blocs like East African Community and EGAAD. This will require serious legal backing to achieve this goal of having a regional presence

Existing Challenges

1. Waste Management

2. Deforestation

3. Health

4. Youth & Women Unemployment

In Line with the above listed challenges, Bentos Energy focusses in achieving the following goals

• Business Model: Need for Training
• Solution Technology: Need to acquire a Modern Solution Technology
• Production/Service  Distribution: To Increase Capacity of Production
• Funding & Revenue Model: For Equipment Acquisition & Working Capital
• Talent recruitment: To Recruit Middle Management to Achieve our Goals
•  Board Members & Advisors: To provide advisory and policies
• Legal & Regulatory Matters: To help facilitate contract excution
• Monitoring & Evaluation: To evaluate performance at various levels
• Marketing, Media & Exposure:To create awareness locally and internationally

1. SOLVE

• To facilitate fund raising and growth
• To partner with impact investor networks across the global
• Linkages on modern equipment suppliers
• Talent hunters and recruiters for capacity building
• Training to transfer modern waste management skills
• Marketing and publicity urgencies to aggressively market the product

Our existing mechnical and digital technology MTAKA platform  in recycling waste biomas and post COVID19 used face masks that pose great risk to the regional population is evident enough that we qualify to advance our solution to promote a clean environment and reduce reinfection we are currently doing that in KENYA.

Some of our partners are  experienced Public Health Experts with the experince to handle the COVID pandemic and appropriately mitigate reinfection risks safely.

Over the last four years, we have lifted over 400 tones with a proven track record on handling what could be an environmental disaster

Our  teams professional qualifications, experience and skills gained working elsewhere and previously is reason enogh to deserve  THE SOLVE AWARD . The  Solve team in supporting wasteprenuers  in funding and supportwill go along way  elevating our effort in elevating  our effort in promoting  health security in this part of the glob  as  PART OF THE WORLD THAT IS MORE VULNARABLE TO COVID 19 INFECTION.

Dr Aghan Oscar who we work with closely  is a locally renown innovator and a Public Health Expert with numerous innovations to his credit.

I Eng. Symphrose Ochieng has handle equipment instalations serving medical facilities in both public and private service providers locally and out of Kenya. My training back ground and technical skills aquired over my l work ife  experience is reason enogh why i we deserve the Humanity Prize tofacilitate me serve this part of the globe.

My experience in the electrical field in implimenting AI technology is reason enogh to be awarded the prize. This is backed by the fact that we are already  serving Kenyans  and the grat lakes region  and therefore the award willl go along way in fulfilling our dream to give peole in tis part of the world a clean healthy environment.

Part  of the team that work for us that have undergone our training in waste management are women having been  trained and employed women in Bentos Energy  to contribute in the recycling space.Part of our services in the waste managemnt service is to fabricate waste management machinery some of which we currently use in our factory and  is reason enough to make me qualify for the prize. We fabicate and assemble both electical and mechanical recycling equipment that are used in a number of places in Kenya  to recycle solid waste . We have also intergrated a GSM software  branded MTAKA  platform to facilitate waste havesting and locating waste collection sites accross the city of Nairobi.The innovation prize will be used to innovate and upgrade  numerous recycling equipment including:

• Industrial Briquettes Line that has a 30 tone capacity daily
• Carbonizing Kilns
• Harmer Mill Crushers
• Densifiers
• Mixers
• Extruders
• Swiches 
• Motors

All the aove equipment will go along way in cleaning the ever increasing biowaste and face masks strewn every where in the streets of Nairobi

Having been involved in the Dadaab Refugee camp which is the largest refugee camp in the world , i am qualified to earn this prize because i was part of the team that delivered a recycling equipment in converting  the vast biomass in the camp to make  and clean charcoal briquetts. This project did not only clean the camp but it empowered women and provided a source of clean cooking energy. Mogadishu is also another capital city we have sold an extruder and a mixer to for the purpose of recycling and community  livelihood empowerment. Plans are underway to supply more equipment to Mogadishu Somalia in theGreening Mogadishu Initiative soon after the Covid pandemic ends.

Wehave been involved and currently  promote Civic Education on the need to adopt recycling technologies while also contribute to greening dumpsite  into green parks program which has started in Dandora Area in Nairobi. Having designed and fabricated waste recycling machines in kenya and Somalia make me qualify for this prestigious prize. Our parners in Mogadishu City are called African Solutions which we have sold 3 recycling machines. My team will work with the numerous waste collecteds from the D. Weandora dumpsite in proving them with more equipment  which will go along way in empoering them for their livelihood. We will also impliment recycling taks with Rusinga School who we  have been working with and traing young pupils on recycling technologies and environmental conservation program.

We will impliment another program at the  University of Nairobi's  Wangari Mathai Institute of Peace and Envoronment. This is an institution that we clollaborate with in environment conservation Programs and training and student attachments.. Conclusively the prize will help us advance our  respiratory health intervention program through adopting the use of clean smokless energy  which currently kills about 14,000 kenyans anually which is more than HIV and AIDS combined.