An innovation that uses a cheap and sustainable recycling method to recover precious metals has made it into the finals of the 2018 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. 

Zimbabwean chemical engineer Collins Saguru, who lives and works in South Africa, developed AltMet, a process that recovers the precious metals found in the autocatalytic converters of all petrol and diesel vehicles.

Autocatalytic converters, which contain platinum, palladium and rhodium, reduce the toxicity of vehicle gas emissions.

Existing recycling methods require high temperatures and, consequently, a lot of energy.

Saguru dismantles used autocatalytic converters, crushes and leaches them before extracting the platinum-group metals, using much lower temperatures than current recycling methods.

This means the process is more affordable and emits fewer toxic gases. The chemical reagents used by AltMet are cheap, relatively common and environment-friendly. Saguru is in negotiations with local partners to set up a comprehensive pilot project in the near future.

Other finalists for this year’s Africa Prize hail from Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda. The finalists were chosen for engineering innovations that provide new solutions. 

“All four of our finalists have found novel ways to address critical challenges in their home countries – in fact, problems that are faced all over the world. We’re proud to be part of the development of African technologies, and to support emerging African entrepreneurs,” Africa Prize judge Rebecca Enonchong said in a statement.

The four finalists will pitch their innovations to a panel of judges and a live audience in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 13. The winner will be announced at the event and will receive £25 000, while the runners-up will each receive £10 000 in prize money.

Meanwhile, entries are also now open for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, and who have an engineering innovation, are invited to enter.

The deadline for entries is July 23, 2018.