A girl from Kenya decided on an experiment that brought her fame. She managed to develop the composition of the mortar for paving stones (paving slabs), bricks and plastic manhole covers. Nzambi Mati managed to create a material 5-7 times stronger than concrete and even received a UN prize.
An extraordinary girl from Kenya, Nzambi Matee, worked for several years as an engineer in one of the oil companies in Kenya, but in 2017 decided to quit so as not only to start her own company Gjenge Makers, but to develop a new method of creating paving stones. With an excellent understanding of materials science and being resourceful, she spent some time selecting components, their quality and quantity, before starting to make prototypes. In the backyard of her parents' house, Nzambi, along with several friends, conducted experiments with different types of plastic and sand, changing the ratio and size of the crushed fractions.
Nzambi nevertheless took plastic as a basis, which is absolutely incorrectly disposed of, because it can be reused, which will allow cleaning landfills, and all the earth from material that has not decomposed for centuries. Plastic is a material that is misused and misunderstood. The potential is huge, but its 'life' after use can really be a disaster if not taken action,”said Nzambi Mati.
Interesting fact: Thanks to her initiative, Nzambi Mati, after the first research, became the winner of the competition on the African continent Earth, held within the framework of the United Nations Environmental Protection Coordination Program (UNEP). The First Prize "provides seed funding and mentorship to forward-looking environmentalists addressing the world's most pressing problems." From all over the world, only 7 people under the age of 30 are selected annually, which further emphasizes the outstanding abilities of the girl.
The victory earned her a scholarship to study social entrepreneurship in the United States. During her stay, the girl got the opportunity to study new technologies and do research in the laboratories of the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was there that she perfected her method and learned how to design equipment for the production of paving stones and bricks.
Returning home in 2018, Nzambi Mati started her own company, Gjenge Makers, dedicated to making sustainable, alternative and affordable building products. The girl said that she receives some of the plastic waste from packaging factories free of charge, she buys some types of plastic from garbage processing plants or people who collect the necessary plastic on the roadside or the coast.
According to the Novate.ru editors, recycled materials are used, which is a combination of three types of plastics - high-density polyethylene (milk bottles, cans with cleaning, detergents, chemicals, etc.), low-density polyethylene (bags, bags, awnings, geofiber) and polypropylene (ropes, lids, buckets, disposable dishes). Ordinary sand is added to the shredded plastic, then it is sent to the extruder, which mixes all the components at very high temperatures, and then the material is molded into a press.
After that, the resulting products, the strength of which is 5-7 times higher than the strength of concrete, can be used for laying sidewalks, building social housing, as sewer covers, etc. The innovative material is adapted for use in asphalt pavers, which facilitates the process of covering unpaved roads in Mukuru Skills Center, schoolyards, public sidewalks and private backyards.
Remarkable: During the one and a half year period of its existence, Gjenge Makers ltd has managed to recycle more than 20 tons of plastic waste. Thanks to the startup, the caring girl managed to create not only an innovative building material, the cost of which is much lower than any other ($ 7, 7 per 1 sq. M of canvas), but also to organize 112 jobs for low-skilled groups of the population, including garbage collectors, women and youth. …
Fortunately, there are many inventive people on our planet who strive not only to clear the earth of plastic, but also to help people find a roof over their heads. Colombian enthusiasts, for example, for surprisingly durable, strong and warm building materials they use not only plastic, but also the husks of coffee beans.