Industrial bioconversion of selected Tanzanian crops and residues into value added products using botechnology

The Objective of the project is to develop and investigate biotechnological processes for the bioconversion of wastes and products from sisal, coffee, cassava and wood agro-industry in Tanzania into value added products such as ethanol, methane and enzymes.

Bioconversion of any by products, residues or wastes offers a good opportunity for increasing profit margin to these farmers. On the same note, the significant quantities of sisal wastes generated during sisal fiber production represent a valuable biotechnology substrate and extra income generation for the sisal estates. On the other hand cassava is a crop that is able to persevere drought, low fertility and thus able to grow in most parts of Tanzania. Mass cultivation of this crop throughout the country and its bioconversion to power alcohol which can be exported, or used in the country as a gasoline extender offers fantastic opportunity to improve income of resource-poor farmers, create jobs with the agro-industry. The use of ethanol as a gasoline extender also omits the need to use  triethy-lead currently added in all Tanzania power fuel as an anti knock agent and a proven hazard to human health.

Value Addition on Leather Solid Wastes to Produce Leather Boards

The project is funded by COSTECH under the R&D funds and is being implemented in Dar es Salaam, Pwani, Morogoro, Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions.

The project aims at value addition on leather wastes to produce different types of leather boards and transfer the technology of making leather boards to leather stakeholders and SMEs. The project is expected to address the technological solutions of making leather boards using solid leather wastes and natural fibres, volume of solid leather wastes and promotion of new products developed.

The expected findings will lay some technological foundation to leather stakeholders, researchers and scientists of how to produce leather boards using solid leather wastes which can contribute to reduce environmental pollusion, increase in economic growth, create employment and improved livelyhood of the tunners