Lanner drives the AquaTractor on simulation software

Water Hyacinth blocks harbours, destroys commercial fisheries, paralyses hydro-electric power stations and encourages the spread of diseases such as malaria, cholera and bilharzias – and nowhere more so than on Lake Victoria. Using the simulation software, UK-based start-up AquaTractor has developed the expertise and systems not only to efficiently cut, clear and process large amounts of Water Hyacinth, but also to harness it as a feedstock in an industrial scale anaerobic digestion plant that does not compete with food production. AquaTractor began using Lanner witness as part of its modelling for use in investment presentations – to demonstrate not only the scale of the problem but also the viability of the AquaTractor approach. The company says this quickly evolved into using the system also to optimise resources. The first model looked at harvesting and delivering the plants to a storage point on the lake where they are macerated and pumped back to shore for storage and processing. This morphed into multiple tractors connecting to a pipeline, and AquaTractor is now developing a second model looking at harvesting the plants prior to either returning to the processing facility or using barges. "While water borne tractors are nothing new, this application and the link to sustainable energy creation is truly ground breaking and promises nothing short of a revolution for those communities around Lake Victoria currently blighted by this plant" states Andy Dustan, programme manager, AquaTractor. "Indeed, this approach could spread quickly across sub-Saharan Africa and deliver real change to millions of people who are dependent on water for their livelihoods and survival," he adds.