A University Don and Professor of Environmental and Industrial Microbiology at the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Obioma Kenechukwu Agwa has called on the governments to invest more funds into Waste to Wealth technology to promote industrial innovations in the country.
Delivering the 203 Inaugural Lecture series of the University held on Thursday October 9, 2025, tittled: “Waste to Wealth; The Technological Microbiology,” she descrbed the benefits derivables in waste to wealth technology as the game changer for industrial innovations in the country.
In
In a chat with newsmen after the event, Professor Agwa stated that the significance of the topic was that wastes from the environment are being converted into useful biological products and are reproductive and sustainable in the conservation of natural resources, the potentials she added has gained weight in the bio-energy economy in the prevailing era of waste management and renewable resources.
She therefore recommended that governments provides funds for greater investments into the innovations adding that there are other waste products on the environment that needs to be converted.
“There are other algae that needs to be isolated and be used to be able sequester carbon 4 oxides for producing useful biological products,” the Professor said.
She pointed out that some of the liquid acids sourced from wastes are being used to combat tanks and metal corrosions in the industrial sectors while others like the caustic acids are used for medical treatments and in the cosmetic industry for the production of hair shampoos, soaps and pomades.
The university don said her department has been able to convert wastes like mango fruits, African star Apple, cassava peels and industrial affluents among others to into beneficial uses such as biofuels, microorganic acids, biosulfur and others that has been useful to the industry.
