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How to generate energy through waste-tyres, by don

By Maria Diamond
12 December 2019   |   2:03 am
As part of efforts to solve the energy crisis in Nigeria, a university teacher, Olumide Kayode Fagoroye has proposed an alternative way of deriving energy in Nigeria through waste-tyres, rather than crude oil.

As part of efforts to solve the energy crisis in Nigeria, a university teacher, Olumide Kayode Fagoroye has proposed an alternative way of deriving energy in Nigeria through waste-tyres, rather than crude oil.

Fagoroye, from the department of Chemical Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG) who won this year’s Prof Ayo Ogunye Trust Foundation N1.5m research grant said the plan was to look into alternative means of generating energy.

“About three years ago, I and my supervisors highlighted the major problems in Nigeria we discovered that as a country, we spend approximately $11b in importing petrochemical products. We then came to a conclusion that the petrochemical products can be gotten from waste. Waste tyres are littered everywhere and this petrochemical products are actually inside the waste tyres, so this project is actually about eradicating waste tyres from all the streets using Lagos as a case study.

“My research will create alternative way of deriving energy at a commercially available quantity, yet contributing to the economy and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of the country. So instead of depending on importing petrochemical products, it can be produced locally.

“At the end of the day, I am expected to produce at least six publications from the N1.5Million grant. I will then produce a plant that is usable and useful for the department and university. So by the end of this research, there would be no waste tyres on the street of Lagos because they would have been converted to valuable products.”

Director, Office of Advancement, Oluwarotimi Shodimu said: “The ideology is to grow professors. There is a steady way in which professors grow and some of them might not become professors due to lack of funds. And because there is scarcity of funds in the university, it could not also adequately cater for basic things that facilitate the growth of knowledge, which is why the donor Prof Ogunye committed his entire pension and gratuity for life, to the university. So we hope Fagoroye that we are nurturing today would have facilitated his research and academic work through funds like this.

On the selection criteria of awardee, Shodimu said: “Among other things, the relevance of the research embarked upon, clarity of expression, how much is needed, awardee’s background based on clear methodology, others. Basically, we made the nominees submit a report, and university’s research and innovation unit transmitted to the institution that would access and pass to industries. So we are expecting that the awardee who has promised to solve the energy crisis in the country would come up with a good result”.

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