Ethanol distiller, Ethanol Company Limited (EthCo) has embarked on a K5.2 billion project to manage liquid waste from its manufacturing process which will see the company producing fertilizer and electricity from the process.

EthCo Chief Executive Officer Lusubilo Chakaniza said in an interview yesterday that the ethanol manufacturing process produces a liquid waste (effluent) called vinasse at a rate of 12 litres for every litre of ethanol produced meaning at full capacity, 218 million litres of effluent would be produced in a year.

“If not properly managed, this effluent can be detrimental to both vegetation and aquatic life. Currently, the vinasse is stored in evaporation ponds for drying and the dried sludge is used by farmers around Dwangwa for crop nutrition and soil conditioning because it consists of organic material rich in Potassium and also contains Nitrogen, Phosphorous, zinc and Sulphur. However, the drying process is long and takes close to a year.”

Ethanol Company (EthCo) has donated 1,000 litres of hand sanistizers to be distributed to all schools in Nkhotakota district as one way fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as schools open after a six month shutdown.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony at EthCo offices in Dwangwa on Thursday, EthCo Chief Executive Officer Lusubilo Chakaniza said the donation fulfils a promise the company made at the beginning of the year when it made a similar donation to the District Health Sector in Nkhotakota that EthCo would continue to soldier on with the District Council in the fight of the pandemic, which is still an ongoing problem.

Ethanol distiller, Ethanol Company (EthCo), sugar manufacturer Illovo Dwangwa Estate and haulage and agriculture company Unitrans on Thursday jointly donated equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic to Nkhotakota District Council worth MK8 million.

Speaking at the function in Dwangwa, EthCo Chief Executive Officer Lusubilo Chakaniza said they decided to help out in the fight against Covid-19 as traditionally, the company has been helping out in crises and working with communities.

“The genesis of our company is that it was established in 1982 in response to the global fuel crisis in the 1970s and again in 2006 we had another business crisis where the country had reduced the fuel ethanol blending ratio by half thereby halving our market and as such we had to introduce extra neutral ethanol as a baseline product.”

Ethanol distiller, Ethanol Company Limited (EthCo) on 15th May 2020 launched its new logo and tagline and new range of hand sanitizers called ‘SafeHands’ at a glittering ceremony in Blantyre.

EthCo, a subsidiary of conglomerate Press Corporation plc, which is celebrating 40 years of existence, also donated 1,000 litres of hand sanitizers to the Ministry of Health to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

EthCo Chief Executive Officer Lusubilo Chakaniza said they have operated in the country for 40 years and their strategy into the future includes diversifying into unchartered waters and therefore a new logo and tagline would help them have the strength to carry on.

“We will now come out of our cocoon and increase our visibility so that our stakeholders can know more about what we do and hold us accountable for our actions, thereby giving us the zeal to keep producing safe, affordable and high quality products while improving the performance of our Company,” said Chakaniza.