FINIC puts rice husks into energy

For generations,  rice husk has been left to rot or burn in Sierra Leone. A great source of biomass wasted, while young men cut their way into forests. Now, the Fomel Industry And National Industrialization Center, or Finic, has found a new way of getting charcoal without the cutting down of trees. 

Over a two-year period, the management and staff of Finic tested a machine that converts rice husks into biochar.

"One of the attributes of the equipment is that the heat it produces in the carbonization process can also be used as a heat source," said Mr. Foday Melvin Kamara, the company founder and managing director of Finic. 

"It can be used to carbonize agricultural waste such as palm kernel shells from which gases can be derived to generate electricity," he said.

FINIC, which is short for Fomel (Foday + Melvin) Industry and National Industrialization Center, is a leading agribusiness in Sierra Leone. The company specializes in grating machines, coffee and rice mills, juice extraction machines, and palm fruit threshers.

At the center of all their inventions is energy. They describe energy, not only in the confines of electricity, but as a center of commodities that help in providing heat for industries since Sierra Leone is still dependent on wood, charcoal,  grass, and agricultural waste for energy needs.

Now, Finic has found a way to convert rice husk into charcoal.

It's a fast and reliable process, where 120kg of rice husks is carbonized per hour; compared to the traditional way, which can take up to a day to carbonize 100kg of rice husks

This invention has made it easier, as 1.2 tons of rice husks can be turned into biochar. When shaped into briquettes, about 22% of 1.2 tons will be charcoal. When placed into bags, it can be a little over 13 bags each, weighing 20kg, which is about the usual weight of a normal lump of charcoal.

The machine is powered by electricity or by a diesel engine of 8 horsepower so it can be operated even in suburban settings, where there is no electricity. The equipment is about the size of a twenty feet container, unlike the equivalent foreign design, which is twice the size and has a great thirst for electricity.

In recognition of his work, Kamara was awarded the Order of Rokel in 2011 for engineering and entrepreneurship.

The company is now looking forward to meeting partners that would love to gain three useful products- electricity, heat, and charcoal.

For Young Life in Freetown, I'm Inyilla Borteh Conteh reporting.