Bio-fuel factory to launch in September

Bio Energy Resource Limited (BERL) will next month launch a $2 million (K5 billion) factory in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, which will be producing bio-fuel from jathropha seeds.

BERL public relations and sustainability manager Abbie Chittock said the factory has one press, but they plan to increase the number to nine.

“Currently, we have installed three infiltration channels so that as we go along, we fix two more,” said Chittock.

She said the press has the potential to process 800 kilogrammes of nuts per hour.

“If you calculate, it translates to 20 tonnes in a day. It takes four kilogrammes of jathropha nuts to produce one litre of oil. This means in a day, we will be processing huge volumes of oil,” said Chittock.

She said BERL is in a contract arrangement with around 25 000 smallholder farmers who are growing the crop.

“Most farmers grow jathropha trees along the boundaries of their gardens and as such, the crop will not interfere with others.

“Since Escom electricity is not reliable, we have a standby generator which is running on fossil diesel and jathropha oil,” he said.