API aggressively pursues research and development to create value-added co-products from the agricultural and industrial residues. Since 2009, a team of local and international scientists and engineers have worked from an analytical laboratory at API’s head office in Kampala and also collaborated closely with the Centre for Green Chemistry at Yale University (USA) as well as honored universities in the region. Projects to date include bio-briquettes, biogas, and organic fertilizers. The in-house expertise of the R&D team and firm academic collaborations enable innovation to meet the demand for new products..
- Biomass briquettes: Briquettes can be used as an alternative to firewood, charcoal and wood pellets. The materials for bio briquettes including seed husks of oil seeds and seed cake.
- Biogas: Biogas can be produced from seed cake as one of the raw materials using a biogas digester.
- Organic fertilizer: Organic fertilizer can be formed from the seed cake through a vermicomposting process using red worms.
- Animal feed: The seed cake can as well be turned into a protein source animal feed using black soldier flies.
- Industrial glycerin: The byproduct form the biodiesel process, glycerin can be sold to other industries as a raw material for other useful products
