18 May 2012: CleanStar Mozambique has launched the world’s first sustainable cooking fuel facility, NDZiLO, dedicated to producing ethanol-based cooking fuel that is affordable, cleaner, faster, safer than using charcoal.

Inaugurated by Mozambican Federal Minister of Agriculture, José Pacheco, the biofuel manufacturing facility aims to annually produce two million liters of ethanol-based cooking fuel using surplus cassava supplied by local farmers following CleanStar’s sustainable farming systems.

Ahead of the launch, CleanStar assisted local subsistence farmers to transition from slash-and-burn farming to more resilient and sustainable conservation agriculture methods through, for instance, the mixed cultivation of crops and trees to increase production and nutrition levels. The company also provided farmers with basic inputs and technical assistance, as well as buying up their surplus, which was either converted into ethanol fuel or used in processed foods for sale in the country’s capital, Maputo.

At the inauguration of the facility, Thomas Nagy, Executive Vice President, Novozymes, one of the company’s strategic shareholders, noted “sustainable biofuels have the potential to not only help solve critical energy needs, but also to spark wider positive changes in developing societies.” He also saw this particular venture as an example of a “biobased economy.” Several companies are joining CleanStar to help create a more vibrant industry for clean cooking stoves in Africa, including ICM and Bank of America. [Press Release]