Pineapple peel has the potential to generate renewable energy

Fruit and vegetable waste could be used more efficiently and produce components that would be used as raw materials to generate renewable energy. According to scientists from UNAL (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) pineapple is the most promising.

 

 

 

UNAL scientists studied the peel of pineapple (Ananas comosus), potato residue (Solanum tuberosum) and banana (Musa AAB Simmonds) in order to find out their energy potential.

 

 

 

Of these three types of peel, the pineapple has the best results. This option could be considered in the future as a viable and economical alternative to produce other types of energy such as electricity or biothermal energy.

 

 

 

Ms. Rosa Natalia Carmona Pardo, Magister in Environmental Engineering at UNAL pointed out that “this is an inexhaustible source of energy because organic waste is produced continuously and in large quantities. It is generally deposited in landfills where it goes through a natural decomposition process that generates carbon dioxide and gases that affect the environment, so this option may be viable”.

 

 

 

In Colombia, around 11.6 million tonnes of solid waste are produced per year. According to DNP (Departamento Nacional de Planeación) data, around 40% could be used, but only around 17% is recycled. Over the next 10 years, the amount of waste will continue to increase.