PressCane Limited

PressCane Limited, which commenced its operations in 2004, has emerged as the foremost ethanol production company in Malawi, with its operations based in Chikwawa. It produces industrial ethanol, fuel ethanol and is currently commissioning a pharmaceutical grade ethanol plant.

The ethanol is produced from fermentation of sugarcane molasses sourced from Illovo Sugar mill Nchalo estate and is supplemented by molasses imports from Mozambique and Zambia. The ethanol production process produces fusel oil as a by-product and technical alcohol will be produced when the pharmaceutical grade ethanol plant is fully commissioned. Other products derived from ethanol include; gel-fuel, methylated spirit and hand sanitizers.

PressCane Limited has an installed annual combined production capacity of 27 million litres of fuel ethanol, pharmaceutical grade ethanol and hydrous ethanol. The company, however, only produces an average of 20 million litres in a year due to limited feedstock. In order to attain full plant capacity utilisation, the company has collaborated with farmers of which over 65% are either women or youth, to grow sugarcane to augment the molasses supplies. The Company, will thus in addition to producing ethanol from molasses, also produce ethanol straight from sugarcane through syrup.

PressCane is also currently implementing an effluent treatment plant to improve its waste management using a Biodigester where biogas and bio-fertiliser will be produced.

Since commissioning, the company has supplied over 190 million litres of fuel ethanol to oil marketing companies and over 47 million litres to industrial customers.

Literature shows that over 54% of households (Malawi National Charcoal Strategy 2017-2027) in the urban sector use charcoal and firewood for domestic cooking and heating. Reliance on biomass usage has a negative environmental impacts through indoor pollution and deforestation. In an attempt to reduce overdependence on biomass and save the country’s forests, PressCane intends to substitute biomass usage for cooking and heating with ethanol which is also less polluting.

PressCane Limited will be producing 375,000 litres of technical grade ethanol annually when pharmaceutical grade ethanol is fully commissioned from June 2023. The technical alcohol is targeted to be marketed as a domestic cooking fuel as the case is in Kenya and Tanzania. For the safety of the users the ethanol will be denatured to deter consumption. At an average energy content of 18 MJ/kg for firewood and 27MJ/kg for ethanol, the 375,000 litres would be equivalent to 9,188 tonnes of wood fuel saving per annum.

PressCane therefore, will make available the technical alcohol for domestic cooking to replace charcoal and firewood usage in Malawi by targeting the urban sector in the first phase and expand to rural at a later stage.

With funding from the Green Economic Transition Facility (GETF), PressCane intends to fully commercialise the 375,000 litres of technical alcohol through investments in two 10,000-litre capacity distribution tankers; 10 dispenser points; ethanol cook stoves; ethanol canisters; and marketing and promotion.

While its initial innovation is targeting Blantyre and Zomba, PressCane plans to roll out to Lilongwe and other urban areas, which depend largely on illegal charcoal cooking.

The innovation is going to target the youth and women entrepreneurial groups through management of the distribution kiosks. The initiative is expected to create over 100 jobs between Blantyre and Zomba cities.