A large proportion of the world’s population- including most of the developing world –generate the energy they need for cooking from solid fuels. This is despite the fact that most of these fuels are known to pose a real threat to human health. The World Health Organization estimates that over 4 million people die prematurely from illnesses caused by household air pollution from cooking with such solid fuels as wood, crop wastes, charcoal, and dung. It is believed that in Nigeria, over 120,000 people die annually from smoke inhaled while cooking with firewood.
Biofuels have emerged as cleaner and safer alternatives to traditional fuels (including kerosene, which has well-documented safety issues), and have been adopted by a large proportion of the developed world. And as Nigerians become more aware of the benefits of using biofuels, the uptake of these alternative energy sources has grown. One of these fuels is the bio gel, a cooking fuel which is being touted as a suitable replacement for firewood and kerosene.
Bio gel is made from sawdust and water hyacinth, materials which are widely available in Nigeria. This is an advantage that it has over other biofuels, which are made from food grade materials that are cultivated on vast tracts of deforested land. Unlike biofuels derived from sugarcane and oil palm, bio gel is manufactured from a plant that grows in the wild and does not require wide expanses to be deforested in order to cultivate.
Green Energy and Biofuels, a company which produces the bio gel, has sold its product to tens of thousands of households. Femi Oye, the company’s founder and CEO, says that the Nigerian market has embraced the bio gel; according to him, Green Energy is battling to meet up with the demand for the product, which has outstripped supply.
“The mission was to lead the way for a new kind of alternative energy for the active working population in Africa,” Oye explained in an interview with VC4Africa. “We produce a cooking gel from ethanol, and manufacture stoves specially designed to use this cooking fuel.” The stove, known as the KIKE Green Cook, is widely used in Nigeria and has been endorsed by local authorities and international organizations.
Because the materials used in the production of bio gel are locally sourced and widely available, the fuel is less costly than other cooking energy sources. Bio gel also emits far less carbon and doesn’t harbor the dangers that come with the use of other fuels.
Here’s a short video by CCTV News on its production and use.
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