A new UK-South Africa collaborative project will help turn sugar into energy on an industrial scale.
York-based AgriSound, an expert in agricultural bio-acoustic artificial intelligence (AI) technology, is collaborating with the UK Agri-Tech Centre and GYO Systems based in South Africa. Their joint effort aims to enhance sugar cane yields by improving the monitoring of crop pests. Additionally, the project will explore innovative hydroponic technologies to boost bio-energy production in South Africa.
The project aims to explore the expansion of bio-energy production near urban areas where housing or food production would not be suitable. This will be achieved through the introduction of cost-effective hydroponic technologies. The project will focus on Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal, which is an urban settlement near one of the main sugar cane-growing areas in South Africa. It is approximately 60 km northwest of Durban and 20 km southeast of Pietermaritzburg. The initiative is designed to directly benefit under-served communities in the area by providing inclusive and accessible training on these technologies.
“The increased availability of sugar cane has the potential to be used to generate bio-energy, a type of renewable energy with potential to replace fossil fuels. As biomass grows, it absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, which is then released when incinerated. This makes biomass carbon-neutral. Therefore, sugar cane offers massive economic and environmental rewards for South Africa,” says Jenna Ross of the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
“However, with yields seriously impacted by crop pests and excess land use for crops under heavy scrutiny due to competing food/housing resources, this project aims to solve two pressing local problems in one move – all while working closely with local communities to deliver employment and economic development opportunities.”
The project, led by AgriSound, has received a grant of over £200 000 from Innovate UK’s African Innovation Collaborations for Net Zero Places.
“We are embarking on an ambitious mission to pivot South Africa towards a net-zero carbon economy by optimising bio-energy production. This project is more than an innovation in agriculture; it’s about reshaping the country’s energy landscape and uplifting its people to continue doing so on their own terms,” says Casey Woodward, Founder and CEO of AgriSound.
Work on the project began in May and is expected to show results within a year.
