DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND PROCESS SYSTEMS

ENGINEERING INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT FOR

FARAI KATSANDE (H180241P)
AT
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RESEARCH CENTER

HIT SUPERVISOR: ENGR M MANYANGADZE

COMPANY SUPERVISORS: MRS P MUSADEMBA
DR A PHIRI
THIS INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT WAS SUBMITTED TO HARARE
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE BACHELOR
OF TECHNOLOGY (HONOURS) DEGREE IN CHEMICAL AND PROCESS SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING

-2021-

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 COPYRIGHT
All rights reserved. No part of this project may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise
for scholarly purpose, without the prior written permission of the author or of Harare Institute of
Technology on behalf of the author.

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 DECLARATION
I, KATSANDE FARAI hereby do declare that this work has not previously been accepted in substance
for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted.

Student’s Signature: ……………………………………….. Date ………………………….

(KATSANDE FARAI)

Internship supervisor’s signature: …………………………Date………………………….

(ENGR M MANYANGADZE)

Supervisor’s Signature: ……………………………………..Date ………………………….

(DR. A PHIRI)

Supervisor’s Signature: …………………………………… Date ………………………….

(Mrs. P MUSADEMBA)

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 DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this piece of work to my family, for their support from my primary education
until now. Thank you once again for your support both financially and mentally.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my supervisors Dr A Phiri and Mrs
Musademba AND the whole of EMRECC team who gave me the golden opportunity to advance my
career which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and i came to know about so many new things I
am really thankful to them.

Secondly i would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this
project within the limited time frame and in hardships of the COVID 19 pandemic.

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Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT..................................................................................................................................................i
DECLARATION...........................................................................................................................................ii
DEDICATION..............................................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................................................iv
1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background....................................................................................................................................3
1.2 Goal................................................................................................................................................5
1.3 VISION..........................................................................................................................................6
1.4 Core values.....................................................................................................................................7
1.5 Responsibilities..............................................................................................................................7
1.6 Departmental Structure.............................................................................................................10
1.7 Duties and Responsibilities of the Director.................................................................................10
1.8 Duties and Responsibilities of the Secretary...........................................................................11
1.9 Duties and Responsibilities of the Project Manager / Supervisor...............................................12
1.10 EXPECTS AND / INTERNS......................................................................................................14
1.10.1 Chemical engineers..............................................................................................................14
1.10.2 Mechatronics Engineers.......................................................................................................14
1.10.3 Environmental Scientist.......................................................................................................14
1.10.4 Electronic engineer..............................................................................................................15
1.10.5 Renewable energy engineer.................................................................................................15
1.11 Functions......................................................................................................................................16
2 Environmental Management................................................................................................................17
2.1 Environmental Management Activities currently being done.....................................................17
2.2 Masvinzgo City Council EIA......................................................................................................17
3 Waste Management..............................................................................................................................18
3.1 Waste Management Projects currently on going.........................................................................19
3.1.1 Poly propylene recycling.....................................................................................................19
3.2 Vermicomposting.........................................................................................................................19
3.3 Integrated Solid Waste Management Project with the Harare City council................................20
3.3.1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................21
3.3.2 Background..........................................................................................................................22

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 3.3.3 Aim......................................................................................................................................22
3.3.4 Objectives............................................................................................................................23
3.3.5 Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Implementation................................................23
3.3.6 Integrated Solid Waste Management Implementation Approach........................................24
3.3.7 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................26
3.3.8 Recommendations................................................................................................................26
4 DESIGN PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POLYPROPYLENE FROM WASTE MATERIAL................27
4.1 Background................................................................................................................................27
4.2 Introduction...............................................................................................................................28
4.3 Sources of waste........................................................................................................................30
4.4 Types of Plastic Food Packaging and Safety...............................................................................30
4.5 Feasibility of PP recycling...........................................................................................................32
4.6 PP recycling................................................................................................................................33
4.7 Block Flow Diagram...................................................................................................................34
5 EMRECC on Renewable energy......................................................................................................35
5.1 RENEWABLE ENERGY ACTIVITIES CURRENTLY BEING DONE..................................35
5.2 Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Jekesapfungwa NGO:.....................................................35
5.2.1 Biomass cookers..................................................................................................................38
5.2.2 Water Boiling Test...............................................................................................................38
5.2.3 Controlled Cooking Test......................................................................................................39
5.2.4 Kitchen Performance Test...................................................................................................39
5.2.5 Stove Use Monitors (SUMs)................................................................................................40
5.2.6 Biomass Stove Safety Protocol............................................................................................40
5.2.7 Durability Protocol..............................................................................................................40
5.2.8 Testing and reporting biomass Cooker Performance...........................................................40
5.2.9 Emissions and Performance Test Protocol..........................................................................41
5.2.10 Heterogeneous Testing Procedure.......................................................................................41
5.2.11 Proposal for New World Standard for Testing Solar Cooker..............................................41
5.3 Renewable Energy Solution for the Tobacco Curing Process.....................................................42
5.3.1 Problems Associated with Tobacco Industry.......................................................................42
5.3.2 Deforestation........................................................................................................................42
5.3.3 Emissions.............................................................................................................................42

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 5.3.4 Low grade yields..................................................................................................................42
5.3.5 Child labor and human rights violation...............................................................................43
5.3.6 Research Background..........................................................................................................43
5.3.7 Solution from Emrecc team.................................................................................................44
5.4 EMRECC on Climate Change.....................................................................................................46
5.5 THE GREENHOUSE PROJECT................................................................................................47
5.6 PROJECT BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................47
5.6.1 Automated control system...................................................................................................48
5.6.2 Remote control.....................................................................................................................48
5.6.3 BENEFITS OF THE GREENHOUSE INCLUDES...........................................................48
5.7 EMRECC‟s ongoing projects in line with climate change includes...........................................49
6 Climate Change....................................................................................................................................50
6.1 EMRECC‟s ongoing projects in line with climate change includes...........................................51
6.2 Training........................................................................................................................................51
6.2.1 Courses currently being offered at the center:.....................................................................51
6.3 Publications..................................................................................................................................53
6.4 MOUs under development...........................................................................................................53
6.5 Patents..........................................................................................................................................53
7 2021 – 2021 EMRECC Strategic Plan..............................................................................................54
7.1 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................54
8 References............................................................................................................................................56

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1 Introduction
Environmental Management, Renewable Energy and Climate Change (EMRECC) is a research

center at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT). EMRECC is a center that researches and

implements technological solutions to environmental management and waste management,

climate change and renewable energy. The center also conducts trainings to individuals and

corporates and awards certificates in various disciplines under Environmental Management,

Renewable Energy and Climate Change.

EMRECC also runs a registered consultancy division (HIT ENVIRO) registered with EMA,

which offers services on environmental management on various projects. The consultancy

division prepares Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports and documentation for

projects done by different organizations. Other services include Environmental Management

Plan (EMP), EIA Prospectus and Energy Audits. The center does feasibility studies for

renewable energy projects and is currently working on a renewable energy project for the

institute that will benefit the Belvedere community as well.

EMRECC research center conducts research on waste management and value addition of waste

and offers training on integrated waste management. Also the carrying out waste audits,

providing cost-effective solutions for safe waste disposal and designing of waste management

systems that fall in line with Environmental Protection Laws, limit pollution and allow for cost-

effective disposal are EMRECC`s duties.

EMRECC also aim to help the community and nation at large to address the challenge of climate

change by enhancing resilience to its adverse impacts, reducing GHG emissions by supporting

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the energy efficiency improvement and increase of the use of renewable energy and seizing new

investment opportunities that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation as part

of their transition to low emission development pathways. The center is involved in projects in

the area of climate adaptation, community resilience and Climate Risk Management, Climate

Education by means of mobile/web application development, online conferencing and/or in-

person training and conduct vulnerability assessments to develop adaptation strategies including

the use of machine learning programs.

In Renewable Energy, EMRECC carry out energy surveys and audits as well as advising on

sources of Renewable Energy. Design and implementation of efficient energy systems through

making use of Internet of things (IOT) and embedded systems. Providing Bills of Quantities for

Renewable Energy requirements and standardization and testing of Renewable Energy Appliance

is one of EMRECC`s specialties. One of its services in renewable energy is offering consistent

methods of testing and reporting metrics as defined by international standards for renewable

energy appliances. Renewable Energy appliances include; Solar/Biogas stoves, Two-flame

Biogas burners, Solar Irons and geysers, biofuel refrigerators and Solar/Biogas Lighting (bulbs,

lamps, etc.)

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1.1 Background
EMRECC, the HIT's Centre of excellence has been in involved in practical activities in

proffering technological solutions and trainings since the establishment of the Centre. Currently,

collaborations (MOU‟s) are signed and implementations are going on. The Centre interacts with

all departments across, by providing expertise and drawing expertise from departments in

executing projects that focus on sustainable development issues trough sustainable technologies.

Sustainable Development Goal number 17 (SDG 17) focuses on development of sustainable

cities and communities. Achieved through the development of appropriate technologies that is

HIT‟s mandate.

The Centre also provides consultancy across fields especially on the aspect of Environmental

Impact Assessment (EIA) and sustainable technologies. The Centre also provides gaseous and

liquid analysis services. Above all, the Centre conducts researches on cross cutting themes in

various disciplines, which are at the epicenter of various organizations orientated to sustainable

development.

The center works with all departments across the Institute, by providing expertise and drawing

expertise from departments for sustainable development. EMRECC enables interaction between

faculties, scholars, students and industry to enhance research opportunities, academic excellence,

real time problem solving and knowledge creation and dissemination.

The EMRECC center invites engineers, scientists, water and sanitation personnel, technicians,

students, researchers, industrialists and individuals who wish to have a more detailed

understanding of environment related courses. The Centre throughout the year offers these

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capacity-building courses. The Centre also offers tailor made trainings to address specific

industrial technological needs.

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1.2 Goal
To develop and implement technological solutions to environmental, waste management,

renewable energy and climate change challenges to the community through project

implementation, trainings and industry support.

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1.3 VISION
To be a leading Centre of Excellency in innovation and wealth creation through

technoprenuership education in Africa

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1.4 Core values
 Excellency
 Integrity
 Innovation
 Collaboration
 Professionalis

1.5 Responsibilities
EMRECC among other activities has responsibilities such as:

1. Development and implementation of technological solutions to environmental

management, climate change and renewable energy challenges:

The center is responsible for developing and creating an awareness of application of one or more

of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic devices to

monitor, model and conserve the natural environment and resources, and to curb the negative

impacts of human involvement. The center should also work with other departments to develop

sustainable energy generation technologies such as photovoltaic, wind turbines, etc. Sustainable

development is the core of environmental technologies. The center is also responsible for

promoting and partnering with org to develop electronic devices that can promote sustainable

management of resources.

2. Promotion and supporting sustainable development through projects evaluation:

EMRECC is responsible for doing project evaluations that can be used to generate evidence on

what works and to assess progress in SDG implementation. The evidence generated through

evaluation can contribute to strategies to operationalize the SDGs and to inform policy and

management decisions.

3. Promotion of networking between internal and external partners in technological

developments:

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The center should aim to form relationships with various agents or organizations which can

provide a focal firm with critical resources in various sustainable projects. The capability to

acquire network resources is critical for center as it provides a platform of learning about

community‟s needs, so that the center can develop marketable and sustainable technologies.

Networking capability facilitates the development of knowledge-intensive products and allows

the Institute to identify and exploit performance opportunities in international markets.

4. Development, promotion and incubation of technology and transfer through cooperation.

EMRECC is responsible new technologies within universities and research institutions and

possible partnerships with the productive sector are important for the development and growth of

the country and contribute to increase competitiveness in developed countries. The technological

innovation done and led by EMRECC generates both new products as well as the improvement

of existing processes and products. For this, the center should incubate the business which are

facilitating technology transfer process between academia and the productive sector.

5. Providing solutions for environmental forensic services

EMRECC is responsible for helping to ensure that those who contaminate the environment

illegally are discovered and brought to justice. This may also save taxpayers cleanup dollars by

identifying who should be legally responsible for cleanup costs.

6. Provision of laboratory services internally and to the industry

EMRECC offers laboratory services such as standardization and testing of Renewable Energy

Appliances, offering consistent methods of testing and reporting metrics as defined by

international standards for renewable energy appliances.

7. Provision of consultancy for sustainable development to industries

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Through its registered consultancy division, EMRECC offers services on environmental

management on various projects such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports and

documentation for projects done by different organizations. Other services include

Environmental Management Plan (EMP), EIA Prospectus, Energy Audits and feasibility studies

for renewable energy projects.

8. Development and delivering tailor made courses related to environmental management,

renewable energy and climate change to industries:

The EMRECC Centre is responsible for developing courses for invites engineers, scientists,

water and sanitation personnel, technicians, students, researchers, industrialists and individuals

who wish to have a more detailed understanding of environment related courses. The capacity

building courses are offered by the Centre and participants are awarded certificates.

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1.6 Departmental Structure
EMRECC DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE

DIRECTOR

SECRETARY

Project Ma nager isor

/Superv

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST ELECTRONIC ENGINEERCHEMICAL ENGINEER

MECHATONIS ENGINEER RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEER

1.7 Duties and Responsibilities of the Director

Research Centre Directors are responsible for providing research leadership, which normally

includes:

a) Promoting and facilitating leading-edge research, including collaborative and

interdisciplinary research, in areas related to the goal of the center.

b) Building and providing sufficient support for, a community of innovative researchers to

enhance research capacity at the university and to increase internal and external research

opportunities.

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 c) Developing networks between the research center and researchers in the field in the

public and private sectors, locally, nationally and internationally;

d) Acting as the nexus between the university and the community with respect to research

initiatives of mutual benefit

e) Developing mutually beneficial linkages with industry in order to develop partnerships

and collaborative research;

f) Transferring knowledge to society through outreach (e.g. collaborative research;

seminars; workshops; lectures; websites; publications) and, where applicable, through

technology transfer (e.g. collaborative research; contract work; and commercialization of

intellectual property);

g) Developing strong linkages with appropriate academic departments and units and adding

value to line departments through:

i. Aiding faculty and student recruitment and retention by enriching the research

environment;

ii. ii) Advancing curriculum;

iii. iii) Informing the teaching of colleagues;

iv. iv) Mounting workshops and seminars

1.8 Duties and Responsibilities of the Secretary

Summary of role:

Provide an efficient and responsive secretarial and administrative support to the director helping

him and his team to prioritize and manage tasks related to his research activities.

Main duties:

Co-ordinate and provide secretarial and administrative support to the director

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 a) Effectively handle information using tact and discretion

b) Support to document paper and electronic information and file management

c) Ensure correspondence and calls are actioned on behalf of the director - priorities

and respond to enquiries.

d) Prepare correspondence on his behalf, including drafting general replies

e) Co-ordination of travel itineraries, meetings, conference calls etc.

f) Other administrative support as required to ensure the effective operations of the

team‟s Research studies.

g) Organize research teams meetings; prepare agendas, take minutes, follow up on

action points

h) Ensure documentation is prepared and distributed for research proposals.

i) To assist the Director in managing income research and expenditure, by

producing summary information and reports, and ensuring agreed changes in their

activities are reflected in up to date budgets and actual expenditure

1.9 Duties and Responsibilities of the Project Manager / Supervisor

Project manager have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project

which mainly consists of five phases (or processes):

a) Initiating: Project managers begin each new project by defining the main objectives of the

project, its purpose, and its scope. They also identify key internal and external stakeholders,

discuss shared expectations, and gain the required authorization necessary to move a project

forward.

b) Planning: Once the charter is approved, project manager work with key stakeholders to create

an integrated project plan focused on attaining the outlined goals.

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c) Executing: During this phase, team members complete the work that has been identified in the

project plan in order to reach the goals of the project. The project manager‟s role is to assign this

work and to ensure that tasks are completed as scheduled. The project manager will also

typically:

i. Protect the team from distractions

ii. Facilitate issue resolution

iii. Lead the team in working through project changes

d) Monitoring and Controlling: Monitoring and controlling processes commence at

the beginning of a project and continue throughout planning, execution, and

closing. In the monitoring and controlling phase, a project manager‟s work

includes:

i. Monitoring the progress of a project

ii. Managing the project‟s budget

iii. Ensuring that key milestones are reached

iv. Comparing actual performance against planned/scheduled performance

e) Closing: During this phase, project managers strive to ensure all activities

necessary to achieve the final result are completed. During the close of a project,

project managers will:

I. Release any resources (budget or personnel) who are no longer needed for the project

II. Archive project files for future reference and use

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1.10 EXPECTS AND / INTERNS
Concurrent engineering is an approach in which multiple engineering tasks or projects are

performed in parallel, provides benefits such as multidisciplinary collaboration, improved

productivity, and a faster design process.

Concurrent engineering if of great significance as far as EMRECC is concerned because it allows

engineers and interns from various engineering departments to combine their knowledge towards

the research centers goals.

Some of engineering experts that make up the team are:

1.10.1 Chemical engineers

Chemical engineers are well-suited to meet the challenges associated with energy production and

climate change. They develop advanced technologies, monitoring devices, modeling techniques,

and operating strategies that reduce the volume and toxicity of pollutants allowed to enter the air,

waterways, and soil. More recently their efforts have been concentrated on renewable fuels

derived from the sun and on carbon capture technologies.

1.10.2 Mechatronics Engineers

Mechatronics engineers design, develop, maintain as well as manage the high-technology based

engineering systems for the automation of several industrial tasks with the aim of achieving zero

carbon emissions.

1.10.3 Environmental Scientist

Basically environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to

protect the environment and human health. They may clean up polluted areas, advise

policymakers, or work with industry to reduce waste.

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1.10.4 Electronic engineer
Electricity generation is a lead contributor to carbon dioxide emissions that affect the

environment; in fact, it is expected to be responsible for 76% of total emissions by 2035.

Electronic engineering is an electrical engineering discipline which utilizes nonlinear and active

electrical components to design electronic circuits, devices, integrated circuits and their

systems. Electronic engineers can assist in renewable energy transmission and power grid

development.

1.10.5 Renewable energy engineer

Renewable energy engineers are problem-solvers who use the principles of mathematics and

science to perform a variety of tasks in the renewable energy industry such as research and

designing wind turbines, geothermal plants, and solar photovoltaic cells.

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1.11 Functions
EMRECC works with various government departments in providing technical support in policies

development and implementation. EMRECC has worked with EMA in this capacity for the last 7

years.

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2 Environmental Management
EMRECC coordinates and manages major environmental health and safety projects and

programs. This includes environmental auditing for pollution or energy efficiency, hazardous

material management and transportation, and real estate environmental assessment. The center

also prevent and solve environmental problems, develop research start-up companies and

monitoring systems, develops strategies for the improvement of quality of life, Identifies and

implements new technologies for sustainable development.

2.1 Environmental Management Activities currently being done

2.2 Masvinzgo City Council EIA
EMRECC is currently doing an EIA on a Masvingo City Council project. The center is currently

working on the EIA prospectus and conducting stakeholder consultations for the project.

EMRECC is also developing technological solutions for monitoring of water and Development

of technologies for Safe Inclusive Cities

EMRECC is working with Plan International to provide innovative technology based initiatives

that will improve public safety and foster community development. The Centre is providing

technical assistance and development towards the realization of this project.

The technologies that have are being developed by EMRECC for this project include facial

recognition, unmanned aerial vehicles (uav/drone) surveillance, closed circuit television (cctv)

surveillance around the clock, amber alerts to quickly inform law enforcement of ongoing crime,

computer aided dispatch(cad) of resources to ensure maximum utilization, crime mapping

technologies to maintain up-to-date records of crime data and be able to predict future crimes

before they occur and bus terminus system for Mbare musika bus terminal.

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3 Waste Management
Waste Management has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing Harare, the capital city

of Zimbabwe. The volume of waste being generated continues to increase at a faster rate than the

ability of the city authorities to improve on the financial and technical resources needed to

parallel this growth. Therefore, under the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, EMRECC

takes the solid waste as a resource and provide sustainable solutions to solid waste management

by developing and implementing new technologies to deal with solid wastes. EMRECC is

working on vermicomposting, recycling of paper, plastics, glass and metals, providing an

engineered disposal site which leads to waste to energy projects thus the generation of electricity

to the Harare residents. The centre has also worked on developing technologies to deal with

separation of waste at source. EMRECC also works on providing the following services:

• Value Addition of waste through Re-Using and Recycling waste material through

development and support of such projects

• Developing and supporting technologies that reduce (including offering methods to

achieve reduction of) the carbon footprint

• Providing cost-effective solutions for safe waste disposal

• Design waste management systems that fall in line with Environmental Protection Laws,

limit pollution and allow for cost-effective disposal for the Institute and Industries.

• Preparing Environmental Impact Assessment reports and documentation for various

stakeholders and industries

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3.1 Waste Management Projects currently on going
3.1.1 Poly propylene recycling
EMRECC has partnered with Scratch form enterprises to produce recycled polypropylene.

EMRECC has developed an innovative poly propylene recycling process as an attempt to add

value to the plastic solid waste. The recycled poly propylene is finding its application as a raw

material to manufacture in agricultural packaging, replacing or minimizing the use of virgin

polypropylene as a cost cutting measure. Thus the management of plastic waste as well as the

import substitution as the manufacturers of sacks are currently importing their raw materials for

their production. The polypropylene recycling process involves the collection, sorting, cleaning,

grinding, reprocessing by melting and the product making. The reprocessing by melting is

carried out by the extrusion process, where polypropylene heated and passed through a screw

and through a die; it is at this strategic stage that compounding comes into play, making it

possible to give the products technical specifications with high added value by adding additives

to improve the quality of thermal resistance, UV resistance, mechanical qualities of the products

such as impact or bending resistance. After this stage the molten poly propylene can be made

into granules and checked for quality before making the final product. This project not only

involves development of a recycling process but also publication of papers on recycled poly

propylene and other related information.

3.2 Vermicomposting
Vermiculture-Hydroponics Fusion Technology

Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture and is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient

solutions, in water, without soil. Vermi-technology is way of transforming biodegradable waste

or organic material into vermi-ferts by the use of worms. Vermi-technology aids in sustainably

managing waste and improves food security by provision of bio fertilizers. The fusion of the two

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technologies is required for food security, waste management and maximizing the limits.

EMRECC is currently doing the vermicomposting project adding value to organic waste from

the canteen and administration (newspapers).

3.3 Integrated Solid Waste Management Project with the Harare City council
The Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan is a project undertaken by Environmental

Management, Renewable Energy, and Climate Change Centre (EMRECC) under the City of

Harare Council. Environmental Management Agency (EMA) described the Integrated Solid

Waste Management as the strategic approach to sustainable management of solid waste covering

all sources and all aspects, including generation, segregation, transfer, sorting, treatment,

recovery and disposal in an integrated manner, with an emphasis on maximizing resource use

efficiency. As Environmental Management, Renewable Energy and Climate Change Center, we

are developing a diversity of solid waste treatment options and leveraging the redistribution of

waste streams among composting, reuse, recycling, power generation and other facilities. Our

mission in the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan project is to reduce solid waste, improve

delivery of service, maximize resource recovery of all materials and protect public health and

ecological health through a participatory approach of sustainable waste management. Therefore,

utilizing the solid organic waste to produce energy at Pomona will be a sustainable waste

management approach which will provide solutions to the prevention of massive fires that occur

yearly at the dumpsite, which cause air pollution by releasing carbon monoxide, depleting the

ozone layer aiding to greenhouse effects and is detrimental to human health. Another objective

of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan is to promote partnerships in solid waste

management hence the project of managing organic waste at Pomona by converting waste to

energy through the partnership of the German investor and the City of Harare will meet this

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objective. To a greater extent, the country will benefit to this environmentally friendly project

economically, however, since this project is a long term sustainable solution, other options such

as composting must be considered in order to reduce biodegradable solid waste being generated

in Harare.

3.3.1 INTRODUCTION
In Zimbabwe, specifically Harare, rapid urbanization leading to high population densities,
sprouting illegal settlements, expansion of residential and industrial areas as well as changing
consumption patterns have led to a rapid increase in urban solid waste generation. Since the 2008
Economic meltdown, the local authorities are incapable of delivering adequate waste
management services in urban areas. The City of Harare uses the closed solid waste management
system which involves generation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste
which they are failing to meet the demand. Therefore an integrated solid waste management plan
was developed to manage the solid waste generated in Harare. Consideration of the solid waste
hierarchy has been adopted by the plan where avoiding and reducing solid waste has been the
most preferred option, followed by re-use and recycling, then recovery and treatment and lastly
the least preferred option of solid waste management is disposal. The integrated solid waste
management plan encourages that the residents follow the policies and regulations placed by the
government to manage solid waste. The main objective of the Integrated Solid Waste
Management Plan is to promote cleanliness in Zimbabwe where the public, industry and
government strive to reduce, reuse and recycle all solid waste materials in order to manage and
mitigate the impacts of solid waste on public health and safety, the environment and climate. All
the types of solid waste being generated in Harare will be utilized as a resource and sustainable
solutions to manage the waste were developed. In order for the objectives of the plan to be met,
there are initiatives we designed, these include, educational awareness campaigns, to raise
awareness to the City of Harare residents to better understand and participate in source
separation, resource recovery and integrated solid waste management. The other initiative was to
build transfer stations in urban areas where the waste from households will be kept before they
can be disposed or recycled. There is need for a well manged, monitored, engineered disposal
hence, it was designed and costed so that the disposal of waste will be done in an
environmentally friendly manner.

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3.3.2 Background
Municipal solid waste management has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing many
developing countries. Daily human activities lead to the generation of various classes of waste,
which is seen as a major environmental threat for many cities in developing nations worldwide.
In Zimbabwe, specifically Harare, rapid urbanization leading to high population densities,
sprouting illegal settlements, expansion of residential and industrial areas as well as changing
consumption patterns have led to a rapid increase in urban solid waste generation. Additionally,
increased packaging of consumer goods has not only increased the quantity of waste but also the
variety of waste generated, further complicating the problem for the Harare City Council
authorities. The 2008 Economic meltdown affected the local authorities to a higher extent that
they were incapacitated to deliver adequate services in cities. Garbage was all over and it brought
unpleasant smells. The Metropolitan areas became disgusting the environment was no longer
conducive. There has not been any proper refuse equipment and lack of proper landfill
equipment. Our recycling strategies are still in very weak stages, and we also have poor sanitary
disposal. The quality of surface and ground water and also the human health environment has
been strained by the poor solid waste management performance. The Principles of Integrated
solid waste management is not being put into practice accordingly. The Harare City Council uses
the traditional closed solid waste management system which involves generation, storage,
collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste. However, the council is facing problems at
each stage as high volumes of waste are being generated, hence they fail to cope up with the
stages especially collection and transportation. The council does not have waste transfer stations
and hence all the waste collected around Harare will be disposed at Pomona which is the only
monitored dump site with proper waste management system.

3.3.3 Aim
To provide a clean and healthy environment for Zimbabweans using an integrated technological
approach to waste management implementations.

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3.3.4 Objectives
1. To promote import substitution and achieve a circular economy in Zimbabwe through
waste management sustainable solutions.
2. To save costs in waste management through the reduction of the levels of the final waste
disposal.
3. To educate and raise awareness to all Harare citizens to better understand and participate
in source separation, resource recovery and integrated solid waste management.
4. Reduce biodegradable solid waste through reuse, and composting.
5. To prevent, recycle and manage solid waste in ways that most efficiently protect human
health and the environment bringing about cleaner and safer neighbourhoods.

3.3.5 Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Implementation

Integrated Solid Waste Management refers to the strategic approach to sustainable management
of solid waste covering all sources and all aspects, including generation, segregation, transfer,
sorting, treatment, recovery and disposal in an integrated manner, with an emphasis on
maximizing resource use efficiency. The integrated solid waste management system prioritizies
on waste prevention and avoidance, recycling and recovery. Inappropriately managed solid waste
streams can pose a significant risk to health and environmental concerns. Improper waste
handling in conjunction with uncontrolled waste dumping can cause a broad range of problems,
including polluting water, attracting rodents and insects, as well as increasing floods due to
blockage in drains. As well, it may bring about safety hazards from explosions and fires.
Improper solid waste management can also increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thus
contributing to climate change. Having a comprehensive waste management system for efficient
waste collection, transportation, and systematic waste disposal together with activities to reduce
waste generation and increase waste recycling can significantly reduce all these problems.
Therefore, ISWM approach provides the opportunity to create a suitable combination of existing
waste management practices to manage waste most efficiently. The approach we used to deal
with the solid waste is research and development and finally implementation. All waste streams
have been researched about and the sustainable solutions for each waste stream were evaluated
and the most efficient and effective sustainable solution to each solid waste stream is to be
implemented. The approach we used for the implementation of the Integrated Solid Waste

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 Management Plan is as shown below as each waste stream is provided with the sustainable
solution that will be implemented.

3.3.6 Integrated Solid Waste Management Implementation Approach

The diagram above indicates the sustainable solutions to solid waste management we are

PLASTIC FUEL
RECYCLING PRODUCTIO POWER GENERATION
N
PAPER BOTTLES (GMB) (METHANE FROM
PRODUCTION DUMPSITE)

COMPOSTING
PAPER RECYCLING (VERMICULTURE)
PLASTIC
(KPM) S
PAPE ORGANI
R C METAL
WAST WASTE
GLASS SMELTING
RECYCLING
GLAS METAL
SOLID
WAST ROAD &
S WAST
POLYMERIC WAST BRIDGE
E
CONSTRUCTIO
GLASS
COMPOSITES
NAPPIE OTHER
(BUILDING DISPOSAL AT AN
S
ENGINEERED
E-
DESIGNED LANDFILL
RECYCLING WASTE
DIAPERS
WASTE
TREATMENT
BIODEGRADATION
AND THERMAL
PYROLYSIS
MEANS RECOVERY OF
E-WASTE
PRECIOUS
RECYCLING
MINERALS

24 | P a g e
implementing. The blue arrows indicate the solid waste being generated in Harare in the form of
plastics, organic waste, papers, metals, glass, e-waste, nappies/diapers, etc. The red arrows
indicate the competing sustainable solutions to deal with the solid waste of each type. For this
approach to be successful, residents have to be educated to reduce waste production, segregate
waste and reduce toxicity or negative impacts of waste generated, to reuse, recycle, compost, or
recover materials for use as direct or indirect inputs to new products and to dispose of residual
solid waste in an environmentally sound manner, generally in landfills. We managed to fully deal
with the polypropylene plastic waste as our resource for the manufacturing of packaging bags by
the Grain Marketing Board. We also engaged in the project of utilizing organic waste for
vermicomposting (cultivation of earthworms and the use of earthworms to decompose organic
waste into nutrient-rich fertilizers). The other remaining solid waste which cannot be
implemented will be disposed at an engineered disposal site which has the gaseous collection
system which will lead to the waste to energy projects thus the utilization of solid waste to
generate electricity and hence the circular economy vision of the country by the year 2030 can be
met.

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3.3.7 Conclusion
Solid waste management is one of the important obligatory functions of city councils as well as
every household, industry or commercial area. In Zimbabwe at large, this function is not
efficiently and properly performed and this has resulted in sanitation, social and environmental
problems. Waste management problem is complex because it involves a multitude of scientific,
technical, economic and social factors. It was concluded that lack of financial resources,
institutional weakness, improper selection of technology, transportation systems and disposal
options, social problem associated with apathy towards environmental cleanliness and sanitation
have made this service unsatisfactory and inefficient. In order to solve these problems an
integrated solid waste management plan was developed and is being implemented. The
integrated solid waste management plan we developed is being implemented in not only Harare
city but other cities as well such as Masvingo. This project reduces the cost of collecting,
transporting and disposing the solid waste hence is highly recommended to be implemented all
around the country. The integrated solid waste management assists in the promotion of the
circular economy as our resources and everything we need is within our country and the
utilization of the solid waste as a resource or as a raw material highly promotes the import
substitution and also reduce the use of the virgin materials and hence leading to a better balance
of the ecosystem. The implementation of the plan provides the use of eco-friendly practices such
as vermicomposting thus the use of artificial chemical fertilizers will be reduced and hence this
reduce the cost of agricultural activities and at the same time improving the productivity and the
yield of various crops as the vermicast and the vermiwash are rich in the nutrient concentrations.

3.3.8 Recommendations
We recommended that the segregation or the separation of waste has to be done at source thus
each waste stream goes into a specific colour coded bin and this will be easier for collectors and
reduce labour as well as cost of the separation of waste after collection. We also recommend that
the by-laws of each city council regarding solid waste management has to be highly emphasized
so that the waste will be managed starting at household level. There is need to conduct door-to-
door visits and provide adequate receptacles for households to put different solid waste in
different receptacles thereby promoting waste separation at source. We recommend further
research of smart environmentally friendly technologies to be designed and implemented so that
the solid waste will continue to be properly managed.

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4 DESIGN PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POLYPROPYLENE
FROM WASTE MATERIAL

4.1 Background
In Zimbabwe land pollution by solid waste, particularly plastics, has been driving the
environment to its worst condition. Unlike some African countries like Botswana and South
Africa (and other global countries with robust Solid waste management systems) Zimbabwe
waste management system is failing to address the issues of solid waste. This problem is not only
resulting in land pollution but is spreading to water and air pollution. Some of the witnessed
consequences of these pollution is global warming which resulted in seasons changing
specifically in Zimbabwe amongst other problems. The major problem is that the waste
management system has a linear model, whereby there is collection, transportation and then
disposal of waste which its sole purpose is to transfer waste from one point to the other not
cancelling out the pollution aspect. Measures which may be employed that are being used by the
above stated countries is waste-to-fuel and waste-to-product (recycling).

Both would see waste as a resource instead of a problem which may aid in the improvement of
the circular economy. Recycling has been regarded as a sustainable solution. In Zimbabwe the
recycling culture has been introduced but its impact has been small due to difficulties faced by
some recycling companies in the recycling process. The major difficult is that there is no
separation at source such that bio-degradable (organic) and non-bio-degradable (recyclables) are
mixed which makes the recycling process complex leading to abortion of the method on large
waste quantities. Recycling besides aiding in waste management has various benefits major to
the environment but particularly it reduces the dependency on virgin material.

Zimbabwe major activity is agriculture therefore for this economic activity to perform at its
peak, packaging material for both the material used for agriculture (for example seeds and
fertilizers) and the agricultural products (for example grains), plays a crucial role. The major
material for packaging used in this field is polypropylene (PP) and since there is no sustainable
source for this material, the industry depends on importation of virgin material to produce the
packaging material. This would result in a break even in the industry which would not result in

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any developments on the industry and economy as well. Recycling of polypropylene is the major
part to the solution of this problematic situation.

4.2 Introduction
The use and production of plastics has increased tremendously over the years, this is because
these materials are inexpensive, lightweight, and durable and can be molded into a wide variety
of products. According to Jefferson Hopewell, the levels at which these plastics are being used
and disposed of are causing serious environmental problems as they make up most of the solid
waste. (Hopewell et al 2009) Plastic can degrade in the environment by four mechanisms
thermo-oxidative degradation, biodegradation by microorganisms, photo degradation, and
hydrolytic degradation. (Webb et al 2013) Since plastic decay process takes a long time as they
are entirely made of organic compounds a lot of them end up being accumulated in the land
fields. The amount of plastics ending up in the waste stream seems to be ever-increasing.

Solid waste is a problem not only affecting Zimbabwe, but it is a global issue as well. Based on a
compilation made by UNEP there is tremendous economic growth and changes in consumption
and production patterns. This as result caused a rapid increase of waste in the world. They also
estimated the world‟s plastic material production to have increased by 20 times over the past 50
years. As it is impossible to avoid the consumption of plastic solutions to reduce these negative
effects solutions on how to manage the waste have to be searched for. One way of managing or
reducing waste is through recycling. (Lytras 2012)

Plastic recycling has gained a lot of attention over the years as it is one of the most effective
methods to handle the plastic waste. According to Jefferson Hopewell‟s article on plastic
recycling opportunity and challenges, recycling does not only tackles issues on waste
management but also reduces the input of petrochemical raw material. (Hopewell 2009)
Recycling is a viable alternative in getting back some of the stored in polymers reducing the
damage to the environment by the release of toxins in the environment. As petroleum prices
increase it is becoming more financially viable to recycle polymers rather than produce them
from raw materials.

For one to know and fully understand how to best recycle a plastic material it is very necessary
to best understand how the plastic is likely to behave. Plastics can be categorized as

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thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics are plastics that melt and flow when heated and
solidifies when cooled. Such plastics materials are used in vast quantities in consumer items such
as carrier bags, food packaging. Thermoplastics include PP, PET, and PE the have a high
potential for being recycled. (Davies 2014, Grigore 2017)

Thermosets on the other hand can initially be processed by melting but takes shape only once. If
heat is reapplied, they will decompose rather than melt. Thus thermosets cannot be recycled by
re-melting which makes them much more difficult to reprocess however unlike thermoplastics
they tend to have a longer service time and are produces in smaller quantities. (Davies 2014,
Osborne 2017) These are widely used in automotive and electronic products examples of such
plastics include Bakelite and epoxy resins. (Molding 2009, Bilyeu et al 2000) The term recycling
is complex as it involves many different activities. Before starting the recycling process, there is
a need to clean and sort the collected waste.

In Zimbabwe land pollution by solid waste, particularly plastics, has been driving the
environment to its worst condition. Unlike some African countries like Botswana, South Africa,
and other global countries with robust Solid waste management systems, Zimbabwe's Waste
management is failing to address the issues of solid waste which is not only resulting in land
pollution but is spreading to water and air pollution. One of the witnessed consequences of this
pollution is global warming which results in seasonal changes specifically in Zimbabwe amongst
other problems. The major problem is that the waste management system has a linear model,
whereby there is collection, transportation, and then disposal of waste. Its sole purpose is to
transfer waste from one point to the other not canceling out the pollution aspect. Measures which
may be employed that are being used by the above-stated countries are waste-to-fuel and waste-
to-product (recycling).

Both would see waste as a resource instead of a problem that may aid in the improvement of the
circular economy. Recycling has been regarded as a sustainable solution. In Zimbabwe, the
recycling culture has been introduced but its impact has been small due to difficulties faced by
some recycling companies in the recycling process. The major difficulty is that there is no
separation at source such that bio-degradable (organic) and non-bio-degradable (recyclables) are
mixed which makes the recycling process complex leading to the abortion of the method on large

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waste quantities. Recycling besides aiding in waste management has various benefits major to
the environment but particularly it reduces the dependency on virgin material.

Zimbabwe's major activity is agriculture therefore for this economic activity to perform at its
peak, packaging material for both the material used for agriculture (for example seeds and
fertilizers) and the agricultural products (for example grains), plays a crucial role. The major
material for packaging used in this field is polypropylene (PP) and since there is no sustainable
source for this material, the industry depends on the importation of virgin material to produce the
packaging material. This would result in a break-even in the industry which would not result in
any developments on the industry and economy as well. Recycling polypropylene is the major
part of the solution to this problematic situation

4.3 Sources of waste

A clear appreciation of the quantities and characteristics of the waste being disposed is in an
important factor to consider in recycling. Solid waste sources are considered to fall into four
categories primary, commercial, agricultural and municipal waste. (UNESC 2002, Abdel-shafy
et al 2018)Primary waste is obtained from large plastic processing and manufacturing industries
this waste material usually has good characteristic for recycling and will be clean although
sometimes is obtained in small quantities. Commercial waste is obtained from workshops,
supermarkets and wholesalers, and craftsmen. (Sakemi) Agricultural waste usually in the form of
plastic containers or sheets or construction materials and is obtained from nurseries and farms.
Municipal waste is collected from residential areas, streets, collection depots, and waste dump.
(UNESC 2002) Commercial, municipal, and agricultural waste is usually contaminated and
requires sorting before the recycling process.

4.4 Types of Plastic Food Packaging and Safety

i. PETE or PET (Recycling number 1 / Resin ID Code 1). Polyethylene terephthalate
(PETE or PET) is a lightweight plastic that is made to be semi-rigid or rigid which makes
it more impact resistant and helps protect food or liquids inside the packaging. PET is
commonly used in food packaging for soft drinks, sports drinks, single-serve water,
ketchup, salad dressing, vitamins, vegetable oil bottles, and peanut butter containers.

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 ii. HDPE (Recycling number 2 / Resin ID Code 2). High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is
a hard, opaque plastic that is lightweight but also strong. For example, an HDPE milk jug
container can weigh only two ounces but still be strong enough to carry a gallon of milk.
HDPE is commonly used in food packaging for juice and milk jugs, squeeze butter and
vinegar bottles and chocolate syrup containers, as well as grocery bags.
iii. PVC (Recycling number 3 / Resin ID Code 3). The element chlorine is the primary
ingredient used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a common type of plastic that is
biologically and chemically resistant. These two characteristics help PVC containers
maintain the integrity of the products inside, including medicines. Clear vinyl is used as
packaging for tamper-resistant over-the-counter medications, as well as shrink wrap for a
variety of products. Vinyl also is used in blister packaging (packaging that has a plastic
cavity or pocket) such as in packaging for breath mints or gum, for example.
iv. LDPE (Recycling number 4 / Resin ID Code 4). Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is
thinner than some other resins and also has high heat resilience. Due to its toughness and
flexibility, LDPE is primarily used in film applications where heat sealing is needed but
also used in rigid applications. LDPE is commonly used in food packaging to make
coffee can lid, bread bags, six-pack soda can ring, as well as fruit and vegetable bags
used in grocery stores.
v. PP (Recycling number 5 / Resin ID Code 5). Polypropylene (PP) is somewhat stiff but
less brittle than some other plastics. It can be made translucent, opaque, or a different
color when it is manufactured. PP generally has a high melting point, making it
particularly suitable for food packaging products that are used in microwaves or cleaned
in dishwashers, for example. PP is commonly used in food packaging to make yogurt
containers, maple syrup containers, cream cheese containers, and sour cream containers,
as well as prescription drug bottles.
vi. PS (Recycling number 6 / Resin ID Code 6). Polystyrene (PS) is a colorless, hard
plastic without much flexibility. It can be made into foam or cast into molds and given
fine detail in its shape when it is manufactured, for instance into the shape of plastic
spoons or forks. In food packaging, PS is commonly used to make plastic cups, deli and
bakery trays, fast food containers and lids, hot cups, and egg cartons.

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vii. Other or O (Recycling number 7 / Resin ID Code 7). “Other” or a number 7 symbol on
plastic packaging indicates that the packaging is made with a plastic resin other than the
six types of resins listed above, for example, the packaging could be made with
polycarbonate or the bioplastic polylactide (PLA), or it could be made with more than
one plastic resin material. In food packaging, the number 7 type of plastic is commonly
used to make water cooler five-gallon jugs and some citrus juice and ketchup bottles as
well as cups, coffee lids, and clamshell containers.
Polypropylene (PP)

Polypropylene also known as polypropene is one of the plastic materials which is being produced
in vast quantities. It is a semi-crystalline polymer which can be classified as a thermoplastic
polymer. PP is prepared catalytically from the monomer propylene by Ziegler- Natta
polymerization or metallocene catalysis and has the chemical formula (C3H6) n, with the
chemical name poly1 methy1 ethylene. (Smolander 2011, Spaniol) PP can be found in three
different forms which are isotactic, syndiotactic and atactic form. This polymer is derived from
petroleum crude oil and can also be manufactured from natural gas and coal. PP has a crystalline
structure and is stiff with a high melting point compared to the other commodity thermoplastics,
it owes this property to the methyl group on its molecular structure. (Hisham 2016, Smolander
2011) PP is also tough with good chemical resistance, translucent, semi rigid with good fatigue
resistance and good heat resistance. Polypropylene is widely used today in our daily life in the
industry as well as at home. As they are low in cost production and can be easily produced, they
play a huge role in reducing the world economy. PP –It is used in auto mobile bumpers and food
packing, lids and carrier bags, stationery, lab equip, prescription bottles. (Bonelli et al 2001,
Goodship 2007, Thomas 2012, Thompson 2009)

4.5 Feasibility of PP recycling

While PP is the easiest to produce among the most popular plastic packaging materials in the
world, only around 1% is recycled, which means most PP is headed for the landfill. These
decompose slowly over 20-30 years. This raises severe environmental issues, quite apart from
toxic additives in PP such as lead and cadmium. Incineration may release dioxins and vinyl
chloride, both of which are poisonous.

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To determine how recyclability of polypropylene, companies have undertaken „life cycle‟
studies that look at the plastic from the raw material production to the final stages of waste
management to assess the sustainability of the product. The consensus from these studies is that
PP has considerable potential as a sustainable product. To make the recycling of polypropylene
economically viable, several factors must be taken into account, most importantly its difficulty
and expense. There are five steps in PP recycling, namely, collecting, sorting, cleaning,
reprocessing, and producing new products.

4.6 PP recycling
Recycling can be categorized into primary recycling, mechanical recycling, feedstock, or
chemical and quaternary recycling. Primary recycling involves the reuse of products in their
original structure. (Ignatyev 2014) In mechanical recycling also known as secondary recycling,
the plastics are re-melted and reprocessed into end products. This process is basically for
thermoplastic polymers, although this is a cost-effective and efficient process there is the risk of
deterioration to the properties of the product. Chemical recycling is a process in which polymers
are converted to monomers (the petrochemical constituents) which can then be used to
remanufacture plastics or other chemicals or partially depolymerized through a chemical
reaction. (Ragaert 2017) Feedstock recycling has the advantage of able to handle unsorted,
unwashed plastics. This process requires simple technology mainly limited to condensation
polymers quaternary recycling involves recovering plastic‟s energy content. (Tall 2000)
Although this method generates considerable energy it causes serious air pollution and poses as a
public hazard. (Grigore 2017, Hopewell 2009, Poulakis 1997) Of the 4 processes mechanical is
considered the most efficient process.

The recycling process involves five steps namely collection, sorting, cleaning, reprocessing by
melting and producing new products from recycled PP. So, the first three steps are the same as
recycling most other commodities. But the last two are critical. In the reprocessing phase,
collected PP products are fed into an extruder where it is melted at 4,640 °F (2,400 °C) and cut
into granules. These pellets are then ready for use in the production of new products.

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4.7 Block Flow Diagram

Sorting Cleaning Reprocessing

New Product

Recycled Palletizing
Production

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5 EMRECC on Renewable energy
EMRECC Research Center develops and train people on renewable energy technologies and
implements the technologies. The center also carries out energy surveys and audits as well as
advising on sources of Renewable Energy, design and implements efficient energy systems
making use of the Internet of Things (IOT) and embedded systems, provides Bills of Quantities
for Renewable Energy requirements, Standardization and testing of Renewable Energy
Appliance Offering consistent methods of testing and reporting metrics as defined by
international standards for renewable energy appliances.

5.1 RENEWABLE ENERGY ACTIVITIES CURRENTLY BEING DONE

5.2 Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Jekesapfungwa NGO:
EMRECC was engaged by JEKESA PFUNGWA VULINGQONDO (JPV) to provide a
scientific study and report on the Jeka stove with a view of improving and enabling it to be rolled
out throughout the country. Jeka stove is a modified type of traditional stove which uses
firewood as a source of energy. The stove is fixed to the walls of the house which make it less
portable. Jeka stove was designed by women living in Rural Area around Goromonzi with the
support of the JEKESA PFUNGWA organization. The stove uses chopped wood and the users
are creating woodland by planting more trees than they consume making the overall process a
carbon neutral. However the designers don‟t have the knowledge, equipment and capacity to
measure their stove performance. The EMRECC department has developed a better construction
method to increase the strength and durability of the stove as well as reduce the gases emitted by
the stove.

This opportunity made EMRECC research Centre the first organization in Zimbabwe to carry out
Standard Performance Test for renewable energy gadgets. Standard Performance test are very
important and crucial in the renewable energy industry because they prevent the nation from
importing or bringing gadgets which are below standards to the market. For a scientific
background to be drawn on the Jeka stove Emrecc research Centre conducted a survey in
Goromonzi in order to find out the views of the Jeka stove users and all the views were positive.
During the survey we also measured the amounts of gases released into the atmosphere by the
jeka stove using a flue gas analyzer. Some of the advantages of jeka stove include

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Reduction in carbon dioxide emissions

Reduces the wood consumption by 50% as compared to the Mapfihwa method

Safety is increased since no fire is left exposed to children

It improves healthy of the users since less smoke (which might be carcinogenic) is left inside the
house

Jeka stove

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In order to make come up with the scientific background of the Biomass stove we conducted few
experiments on top of the surveys.

EMRECC team measuring the concentration of gases using flue gas analyzer

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Standard Test Conditions are the industry standard for the conditions under which gadgets are
tested. By using a fixed set of conditions, all gadgets can be more accurately compared and rated
against each other. Standard Test Conditions create uniform test conditions which makes it
possible to conduct uniform comparisons of different solar gadgets from different manufacturers.

5.2.1 Biomass cookers

A biomass cooker is a device which uses energy from biomass material to heat food or drink to
cook it or sterilize it. Standards which are used to test for the efficiency of biomass cookers
include

5.2.2 Water Boiling Test

The Water Boiling Test (WBT) is a laboratory-based test that can be used to measure how
efficiently a stove uses fuel to heat water in a cooking pot and the quantity of emissions
produced while cooking. This method focuses on simulation of cooking practices by water
boiling hence does not present the actual cooking conditions.

The process of testing involves three main stages i.e.

Cold-start-high-power phase - This stage involves raising the temperature of water from ambient
temperature to boiling point from a cold start. This simulates rapid cooking tasks like making
tea, boiling milk etc. (Kirk R. Smith et al., 2007).

Hot-start-high-power phase - This stage involves raising the temperature of water from ambient
temperature to boiling point when the stove is already hot.

Low power simmering phase - This phase involves maintaining the boiling water at simmering
temperatures i.e. about 2-3 degrees below the boiling point of water. This simulates slow
cooking tasks like cooking rice, beans or hard grains (Kirk R. Smith et al., 2007).

The key parameters that can be investigated by WBT include; thermal efficiency, combustion
efficiency, fuel consumption, fuel burn rate and time to boil. These parameters measure the
technical performance of stoves and vary from one stove to the other. Note that the tests must be
carried under the same conditions in order to obtain meaningful results.

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5.2.3 Controlled Cooking Test
The Controlled Cooking Test (CCT) is a field test that measures stove performance in
comparison to traditional cooking methods when a cook prepares a pre-determined local meal.
The CCT is designed to assess stove performance in a controlled setting using local fuels, pots,
and practice. It reveals what is possible in households under controlled conditions but not
necessarily what is actually achieved by households during daily use.

The summary of the CCT process is enumerated below:

The first step involves identification of the appropriate cooking task based on the cooking
practices within the project area. In addition, it is also important to identify the prevailing local
conditions and cooking behaviors. This can be achieved through consultation with community or
through a survey.

The next step is to describe in detail the procedures to be employed during the test while taking
into consideration the identified cooking task, local conditions as well as cooking practices.

Last but not least, the test is performed in accordance with the set out procedures and results
documented and evaluated. Note that local cooks may be employed to carry out the cooking
tasks hence providing realistic results regarding the project area.

The key indicators that can be measured from this technique are the fuel consumption and the
speed of cooking (time of cooking). Considering that this procedure simulates the actual
cooking, it is therefore capable of providing reliable results as compared to the WBT with regard
to predicting actual performance and fuel consumption in the field. However, it may not predict
the outcomes of uncontrolled usage of the cook stoves in actual practice.

5.2.4 Kitchen Performance Test

The Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) is a field test used to evaluate stove performance in real-
world settings. It is designed to assess actual impacts on household fuel consumption. KPTs are
typically conducted in the course of an actual dissemination effort with real populations cooking
normally, and give the best indication of real world performance. The KPT 4.0 protocol, updated
in 2018, is streamlined to focus exclusively on fuel consumption. The KPT 3.0 protocol includes
sample qualitative survey questions that may be helpful for projects in early stages of
development.

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The process of KPT involves both qualitative survey and quantitative measurements. Two kinds
of qualitative surveys are carried out i.e. pre-treatment survey which is designed to assess the
situation of households before dissemination of stoves and post treatment surveys which are
designed to assess the impact of the cook stoves in the households. KPT is useful in determining
the fuel consumption, gauging user satisfaction and assessing the impact and effectiveness of the
cook stove interventions.

5.2.5 Stove Use Monitors (SUMs)

This is a new development of installing electronic temperature data loggers in the cook stoves in
order to monitor stove use. The temperature data loggers are commercially available and are
small, rugged and low cost. This method can be used to replace survey methods in determining
reliable estimates of stove utilization by the beneficiaries. The SUMs mainly measure the
temperature changes over a period of time which are stored in the memory of the data logger. As
a result, the temperature profile of the cook stove can be determined. This information can be
analyzed in order to establish stove utilization patterns by the beneficiaries.

5.2.6 Biomass Stove Safety Protocol

This protocol includes set of guidelines and safety evaluation procedures using simple equipment
to perform most, if not all, of the safety procedures. The protocol also includes guidelines for use
by designers to create safer stoves. An overall safety rating can be calculated through a
combination of individual test results.

5.2.7 Durability Protocol

Durability affects numerous aspects of the cook stove sector, including usability, performance,
safety, and user perception. This protocol is intended to provide methods for evaluating cook
stove durability. Although the term durability is used here, quality may be a more appropriate
term. The tests seek to identify not only aspects of cook stove designs that may affect usable life,
but also the larger concept of cook stove quality.

5.2.8 Testing and reporting biomass Cooker Performance

This standard is designed to promote uniformity and consistency in the terms and units used to
describe, test, rate, and evaluate biomass cookers, biomass cooker components, and biomass
cooker operation.

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5.2.9 Emissions and Performance Test Protocol
The Stove Manufacturers Emissions & Performance Test Protocol (EPTP), developed by the
Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory at Colorado State University, updates WBT version
3.0. Key modifications in the EPTP include floating a layer of foam insulation on top of the
water to reduce vaporization and using 90°C, rather than boiling, as the target temperature.

5.2.10 Heterogeneous Testing Procedure

This standard operating procedure, developed for use at the SeTAR Centre at the University of
Johannesburg, is intended to describe routine operation of stove emissions performance and
stove efficiency performance with detailed quality control procedures for the reproduction of
results. This procedure uses mass loss and temperature gain for the determination of thermal
efficiency.

5.2.11 Proposal for New World Standard for Testing Solar Cooker
Publication in the Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, proposing a protocol to test
solar cookers, including thermal efficiency, stagnation capacity, cost per watts delivered, weight
of the cooker, ease of handling and aesthetics. Recommendations for standardized reporting are
also included.

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5.3 Renewable Energy Solution for the Tobacco Curing Process
Introduction

Zimbabwe is one of the largest tobacco leaf producers in Africa and the sixth one globally.
Tobacco leaf is a mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy, accounting for about 10% of the
country‟s GDP in 2018. Thousands and thousands of families‟ country wide rely on the tobacco
industry as a source of income. However due to the high labor demands of labor in the tobacco
industry, child labor which is a social threat is largely being practiced in the tobacco industry.

5.3.1 Problems Associated with Tobacco Industry

5.3.2 Deforestation
According to a 2019 report tobacco farming is responsible for about 15% of the total annual
deforestation in Zimbabwe, 15 m 3 of wood being required for every hectare of tobacco. Its not
sustainable or very smart for wild life, for people or for the climate. The loss of trees can cause
climate change, desertification, soil erosion, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere and a host of problems to the indigenous people. Trees have a big influence on the
rainfall patterns, water and soil quality. Millions of people rely directly on the forest as their
home or for making a living.

5.3.3 Emissions
Despite the high rates of deforestation tobacco curing process releases a large amount of carbon
monoxide due to incomplete combustion which takes place during its curing. The carbon
monoxide released is an unstable compound and it will further react with other chemicals in the
atmosphere to form carbonic acid which will cause acid rain and eventually property destruction.

5.3.4 Low grade yields

Properly cured tobacco require mean temperature of 45 oc to 75 oc and a minimum air flow of
15ft/min. when those conditions fall outside the optimum ranges given , several problems can
occur which will in turn result in poor quality tobacco regardless of the quality archived in the
field . House burn sometimes called barn rot is caused by high humidity with moderate to high
temperature. Hence to archive high grade automated control system to control the conditions is
required.

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5.3.5 Child labor and human rights violation
International law defines a child as a person below the age of 18. Tobacco growing is a very
difficult field, it makes one grow old before time. Quite a number of children are dropping
schools so that they work or assist their parents in tobacco farms. Across the world most child
labor occur in agricultural sector than any other sector of the economy, the majority of full time
working children are in commercial agriculture such as Tobacco farming

5.3.6 Research Background

Tobacco research board is a research Centre that controls and carries out researches that are
related to the growing and processing of tobacco within Zimbabwe for small, medium and large
farms. Approximately 15 m3 of wood is required for every hectare of tobacco in the curing
process .According to a 2019 report, the impact of said practice has had a devastating effect on
the environment, increasing carbon emissions with the tobacco industry contributing to more
than 15% of the total annual deforestation in the country. The research board however has been
researching on how to use renewable sources of energy such as solar, LP gas etc. on the tobacco
curing process.

The research board managed to come up with a ban which uses solar water heaters during the
sunshine hours and turns to electric heater during the night since the entire process doesn‟t
require breaks. However the bans can only reach a maximum of about 45 oC which is suitable for
only the first process (leaf yellowing). The other stages require a minimum temperature of about
75oC which cannot be archived by the solar bans designed by the board. The board is then forced
to use processes which are not environmental friendly for the next stages i.e. using wood and
coal for heating. On top of temperature limitations the bans have also poor control system for
parameters such as temperature and humidity which are known to affect the tobacco final grade.

As a result, the Harare Institute of Technology through the Environmental Management,

Renewable Energy and Climate Change (EMRECC) Centre developed a Partnership with the
Tobacco Research Board to adapt a Renewable Energy solution for implementation in the
tobacco curing process which will reduce the hectare from the prevalent 15m3 to an estimated
7m3 of wood per hectare of tobacco in the initial stages of the project. The project will help
Zimbabwe attain its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mainly SDG 7(Access to affordable

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and clean energy), SDG 11(Sustainable cities and communities) as well as SDG 13(Climate
Action).

5.3.7 Solution from Emrecc team

The objectives of this work were to develop a solar installation, using hot water as the transfer
fluid from rooftop-constructed solar collectors, to provide auxiliary heating energy to assist the
hot-water boiler of the central heating system for tobacco curing.

The solar installation includes electronic water-control valves, power-driven water pumps, a Hot
Storage Tank (HST), return pipe to the HST.

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 Heating control system

During the sunshine hours, the system uses solar energy to heat water circulating from the HST,
thereby transforming solar energy into thermal energy. During the night and electric heater are
then used of a source of energy to heat the energy transporting fluid in this case water. The boiler
and the solar installation provide independent heating systems for the hot-water cycle. Using the
electric water-control pumps and valves, the solar installation and the boiler shared a large
portion of Water inlet pipe extending into the barn group and Water return pipe extending out of
the barn group through a trigeminal interface.

When the temperature of the hot water in the HST exceeded 75 o C, it was transported to the
bulk curing barn for heat transfer to occur by automatic opening and closing of some pumps and
valves. This leads to high precision and therefor high quality tobacco leaf

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5.4 EMRECC on Climate Change
Climate changes are occurring in every region nationally and globally. Climate change has
already had observable effects on the environment. Ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier,
frequent wildfires, and longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number,
duration and intensity of tropical storms. As the world‟s latest and most rigorous scientific
assessment of the physical basis of climate change, the report defines changes that are
unprecedented in thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. It emphasizes that there is still
time to act, but it must happen immediately. Limiting climate change demands strong and
sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as burning fossil
fuels.

In the aspect of climate change, EMRECC manages projects in the area of climate adaptation,
Community resilience, Climate Risk Management, climate education by means of mobile/web
application development, online conferencing and/or in-person training. EMRECC also conducts
vulnerability assessments to develop adaptation strategies including the use of machine learning
programs.

Massive decrease in quality and quantity of agricultural yields has been noticed and in responds
EMRECC is developing automated greenhouses, which will be used in carrying out training and
workshops to farmers.

Building awareness of future climate hazards and impacts that the emergency services sector
may face is very important. EMRECC offers various courses which helps emergency services
and the community to be better prepared for the climate adaptations necessary and systems
vulnerabilities that may occur from hazard impacts.

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5.5 THE GREENHOUSE PROJECT
The Green house project is a project initiated by the EMRECC team in order to increase eco-
friendliness of greenhouse through provision of modern technologies to build automated
greenhouse which are both energy and water efficient. The green house to be implemented is
going to be fully automated (i.e automated watering, ventilation, temperature, humidity and
lighting systems) through the use of sensors and electronic control device, remote control
through (i.e open or close ventilation system remotely using internet access ) the use modern
information technology software‟s .

Objectives of the project include:

 The greenhouse to be established will be used as a reference or a prototype to

demonstrate the advanced, fully automated and efficient modern greenhouse to various
organizations and individuals interested.
 The greenhouse will also be used as a research Centre by HIT and other external
organizations and institutes in doing various agro based researches.
 It will also be used in conducting experimental results from various researches
 Lastly the structure will be used to produce various special farm produce, which can be
produced in small quantities for sale.

5.6 PROJECT BACKGROUND

Emrecc research Centre has observed the decline in the quantities and quality of yields produced
by different farmers in different parts of the country. Threats from the use of inorganic processed
fertilizes have also being increasing vigorously as indicated by decrease in life span, poor/weak
immune system etc. The decline in quantity and quality of crops is indirectly but strongly linked
to the climate change and global warming issue. A slight change in temperature is enough to
push the winter season earlier, and delay/shorten the rain season. These environmental changes
cause many trees, crops and wildflowers to bloom earlier than typical period. In these cases
farmers can‟t do anything because they don‟t have the access to control those natural
atmospheric conditions. In the case of greenhouse the farmers are granted the permission to

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control the conditions necessary for plants growth leading to high quality big yields. As a Centre
of excellence, EMRECC team wants to design in greenhouse with the following features

5.6.1 Automated control system

Automation reduces the amount of labor required for a specific task. It also leads to efficient
utilization of resources due to high precision. Uses the science of feedback mechanism , the
green house is in cooperated with quite a number of sensors which automatically detects any
deviations of parameters/conditions from the actual set points be it soil moisture or temperature
and respond in a manner to restore the parameter back to its actual normal value without human
intervention (feedback control system). For example if the temperature inside the greenhouse
increases from the normal set point by 3oC , temperature sensors will detect that changes and
send it to the control system which will respond accordingly , in this case the control system will
turn on the fans and open windows so that the temperature goes back to its normal value . Once
the temperature gets back to the set point the sensors will automatically detect that, and send it to
the control system so as to turn off the fans and close the ventilation system.

5.6.2 Remote control

the green house also have the remote control abilities, where by the user/ the owner will be able
to observe what‟s taking place in the greenhouse when he/she is at work or travelling and control
the parameters through the use of a combination of specifically designed software‟s and internet
access . Through the use of security cameras and modern monitoring software‟s, the technology
allows the user to control what takes place inside the greenhouse even if he/she is thousands of
kilometers away.

5.6.3 BENEFITS OF THE GREENHOUSE INCLUDES

1. Yields may go as far as 10 or more times higher than that of outdoor farming.

2. Year round production of floricultural crops

3. off season production of vegetables

4. Water requirements of crops is very limited and easy to control

5. Production of quality produce free of blemishes

6. Efficient utilization of space, chemicals, pesticides to control pest and diseases

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MATERIAL REQUIRED for a 3 by 3 structure

 Green house plastic(Polycarbonate Sheets) - 40 M2

 Wooden poles – 9 by 2m poles
 1 by 3m pole
 Sensors
 Moisture sensors
 Humidity sensors
 Temperature sensors
 Control device (Arduino)

5.7 EMRECC‟s ongoing projects in line with climate change includes

MOU with CADS (Cluster Agriculture Development Services) – collaboration between parties
in the field of community development, research, product devilment, workshops and technology
transfer for value addition.

MOU with Fredrick Ebert Stufftung – On Sustainable development and Renewable Energy

MOU with POWER CONSERVATION AGRIC TECH (PCAT) – a scientific irrigation system
with water conservation Scientific Conservation Irrigation Technology

The technology involves use of zero tillage, vermi-ferts, and thermal compost, mulch and
conservation pots.

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6 Climate Change
Climate changes are occurring in every region nationally and globally. Climate change has

already had observable effects on the environment. Ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier,

frequent wildfires, and longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number,

duration and intensity of tropical storms. As the world‟s latest and most rigorous scientific

assessment of the physical basis of climate change, the report defines changes that are

unprecedented in thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. It emphasizes that there is still

time to act, but it must happen immediately. Limiting climate change demands strong and

sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as burning fossil

fuels.

In the aspect of climate change, EMRECC manages projects in the area of climate adaptation,

Community resilience, Climate Risk Management, climate education by means of mobile/web

application development, online conferencing and/or in-person training. EMRECC also conducts

vulnerability assessments to develop adaptation strategies including the use of machine learning

programs.

Massive decrease in quality and quantity of agricultural yields have been noticed and in responds

EMRECC is developing automated greenhouses, which will be used in carrying out training and

workshops to farmers.

Building awareness of future climate hazards and impacts that the emergency services sector

may face is very important. EMRECC offers various courses which helps emergency services

and the community to be better prepared for the climate adaptations necessary and systems

vulnerabilities that may occur from hazard impacts.

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6.1 EMRECC‟s ongoing projects in line with climate change includes
1.1.1 MOU with CADS (Cluster Agriculture Development Services) –

collaboration between parties in the field of community development,

research, product devilment, workshops and technology transfer for value

addition.

1.1.2 MOU with Fredrick Ebert Stufftung – On Sustainable development and

Renewable Energy

1.1.3 MOU with POWER CONSERVATION AGRIC TECH (PCAT) – a

scientific irrigation system with water conservation Scientific

Conservation Irrigation Technology

The technology involves use of zero tillage, vermi-ferts, and thermal compost, mulch and

conservation pots.

6.2 Training
The EMRECC Centre invites engineers, scientists, water and sanitation personnel, technicians,

students, researchers, industrialists and individuals who wish to have a more detailed

understanding of environmental, renewable energy and climate change courses. These capacity

building courses are offered by the Centre throughout the year.

6.2.1 Courses currently being offered at the center:

6.2.1.1 Executive Certificates
Safety Health and Environmental Management, Renewable Energy Technology, Integrated

Solid Waste Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, Integrated Wetland Management, and

Climate Change Mitigation Technology

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6.2.1.2 Short Courses
Ecological Sanitation, Environmental Management Systems & Auditing, and Environmental

Impact Assessment

6.2.1.3 Awareness Courses

Wastewater Treatment Technology, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Composting

Technology, Water Harvesting Technology, Water Quality Monitoring, and Mine Waste

Management.

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6.3 Publications
EMRECC is in the preparation of papers for publication. The research papers have and will take

2 to 3 years for impact publication. One of the short papers on energy conversion was published

with ZIE journal in 2019. The research was on an ongoing research type of utilizing cyclone

power for electricity generation.

6.4 MOUs under development

• Grain Marketing Board (GMB) – Research division – focused on recycling on PP to do

import substitution.

• MOU with City Of Harare – On Implementation of Integrated Solid waste Management

Plant (ISWMP: Circular economy development

• MOU with City Of Masvingo – On development (ISWMP) and implementation: Circular

economy development

• Partner agreement with Masvingo Polytechnic: On development (ISWMP) and

implementation: Circular economy development strategies from waste management perspective.

• MOU with Chivi Growth point – On development (ISWMP) and implementation:

Circular economy development

6.5 Patents
EMRECC is in the process of researches which will be patented. Four notable projects are:

 Solar cell project for solar batteries

 Use of methane from power generation to double power generation

 Solar vehicle research project

 The development of recycled poly propylene for package bags makin

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7 2021 – 2021 EMRECC Strategic Plan
EMRECC is tackling the greatest challenge and opportunity of the 21st century: developing and

delivering affordable technologies to transform the world‟s energy system, environmental

management and avoid the full impacts of global climate change. For this to be achieved it will

take the coordinated work of EMRECC staff, HIT community, our partners, and our stakeholders

to turn that vision to reality.

This Strategic Plan provides the necessary framework for responding to the global challenge of

climate change and ensuring that Zimbabwe is a leader in the clean energy and safe environment

economy. Over the next five years, EMRECC will make the strategic collaborations and

investments in the innovation and creativity of our nation‟s scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs,

and industry leaders to full fill its goal.

7.1 Conclusion
In a resource constrained world where vast disparities remain, particularly in Africa and the

global, it is evident that universities will have a distinct role to fulfil. The vision of EMRECC is

therefore is closely tied to its commitment to local needs and development challenges and, at the

same time, to remain a hub of knowledge production and commercialization recognised within

the global scientific community.

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8 References
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