No Waste Challenge Winner, Leafylife, Creates Diesel from Dirty Diapers

Thanks to some striking ingenuity, a team of Kenyan scientist/entrepreneurs has devised a method for turning dirty diapers into fuel. Mindful of the harmful ecological consequences of dirty diapers, the trio sought to turn these unwanted discards into something useful. Through a chemical process, they are able to break down refuse that would otherwise clog landfills for years and turn it into a fuel with dramatically lower carbon dioxide emissions than charcoal or kerosene. Lack of equipment and a proper lab space to conduct experiments proved to be a big barrier for the company for quite a long time. But they powered through, now creating fuel that lowers carbon dioxide emissions by 76% compared to kerosene and charcoal. The process is also economically feasible as it uses significantly less energy and water than most chemical processes.

SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA