The project aims to promote the development of agro industries within Colombia. This will be done by building a plant that produces bio ethanol from coffee residue. The plant will produces 200 litres of anhydrous ethanol per day and it is hoped that the use of agricultural waste in this way will provide local farmers with an additional stream of income.

This will be the first programme in Huila, Colombia that looks to further exploit coffee sub products and also to decrease pollution which is a major problem within the coffee production industry. The plant which has been designed can produce ethanol from any organic raw material such as waste from coffee, sugarcane, yucca, bananas and other organic solid residues. This flexibility is the key to the expansion of the project as it will enable the plants to be built in other areas where the majority of crop residues may not be coffee or banana based.

The project will benefit local farmers, the environment and also apprentices and employees who become involved with the bio ethanol plant. As the plant can also run on many types of agricultural waste, it is thought other agro industrial groups will also benefit for example sugar cane farmers.

Winners: The National Learning Service (SENA), part of the Centre for the Management and Sustainable Development in Colombia. The project will be carried out by a team of instructors from SENA who are well experienced in developing alternative forms of energy from agricultural sub products.