The system, engineered and built under the supervision of George Chan, is the result of extensive research and design over the Internet. Teams of scientists from all parts of the world worked together in cyberspace to figure out how to make best use of the spent grain, the alkaline waste water, and the CO2 gases that make up 98 percent of the waste from the brewery. The solutions they developed turn all waste into products that are particularly valuable in a country that lacks water, food, and cash. Traditionally, spent grain left over after the brewing process is given away to farmers to use as cattle feed. However, cattle cannot digest the fibers, and the result is a lot of gas.
Cattle are the second largest source of methane gas, one of the major causes of global warming.
But this lignin-cellulose component, which makes up 70 percent to 80 percent of the spent grain, can be broken down by mushroom enzymes. So, George Chan brought S.T. Chang, professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to Namibia. This world expert on mushrooms trained the Namibians in the cultivation of this high-priced product, which the country traditionally imported. Professor Chang is confident that Namibia will soon be exporting rather than importing mushrooms. The spent grain is up to 26 percent protein.