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.
Wasting protein is unacceptable, particularly in Africa.
So George Chan, in cooperation with Namibia University, is initiating the cultivation of earthworms, which are to be used as chicken feed. For a country that imports all chicken feed and 80 percent of its chickens, this is a blessing. When George Chan learned that Namibia Breweries had secured a license to extract ground water, but planned to discharge 80 percent of it, he designed a system that ensures not a single drop will be lost. Normally, the law requires that the waste water, which is alkaline, undergo an expensive chemical treatment process to make it pH neutral. Instead of wasting protein, the brewery becomes a protein factory, and the waste water will generate additional revenues instead of extra costs.