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Green Charcoal to Save Forests

Gradient Ocean

Al Rezoski

Jan 7, 2022

Burundi

Categories:

Food, Clean Energy, Sustainability, Climate Change

Burundi is a landlocked African nation heavily dependent on burning wood for cooking. It is a primarily rural culture reliant on small-scale agricultural cooperatives.

What if there was a way to produce green, environmentally-friendly charcoal? The source for this article is the IWACU Newspaper (Burundi) dated March 25, 2020, by Renovat Ndabashinze.

The article highlights the work of Delphin Kaze, a then 23-year old university graduate from the Polytechnic University of Gitega, in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Climate and Biodiversity. Kaze developed a way to make ecologically-friendly charcoal from maize stalks and other renewable waste.

Why is this important? National Geographic reports that over 3 billion people (yes, you read that right) cook over open fires, and the consequences for forests are devastating. Like many developing countries, Burundi has a very high rate of deforestation. The country's forest cover may be eliminated in only 25 years, causing climatic changes and land erosion. The odorless coal Kaze created has an advantage because it does not emit smoke, and the product is not toxic to human health. A significant benefit is that it is cheaper than wood. It reduces pollution and landfill waste by turning corn cobs into a source of energy.

Corn is one of the most commonly grown crops globally in just about every country in the world. Many countries have surpluses of corn, often used as fillers and sweeteners or food for both livestock and humans. According to Atlas Big, the United States of America is the largest corn producer globally, with 384,777,890 tonnes production volume per year. China comes second with 231,837,497 tonnes yearly production. Together, the United States of America and China produce more than half of the world's total. Why not put the world's surplus of corn to much better use?

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Catalog #:

1021.103.01.010722

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