The country has made a major breakthrough in the production of lithium-ion batteries with Verify Engineering recording zero failure on the product after a year-long test run.
Verify Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly Government-owned private limited company formed in April 2005 under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, is forging ahead with several innovation researches that are partly aimed at reducing the raw materials import bill in the production of lithium-ion batteries among many other products that are made from lithium.
The technology innovator and provider in the world of petrochemicals and corresponding engineering support that seeks to contribute to the broader national industrialisation agenda through commercialisation of various technologies, is now focusing on resource mobilisation for a huge lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant.
This is in line with the ministry’s vision to focus on heritage-based science and technology innovations in order to help turn around the country’s economic fortunes, as the company forges ahead with more research on other uses of lithium and a host of other locally available natural resources.
In a wide-ranging interview in Mutare yesterday, Verify Engineering chief executive officer, Engineer Pedzisai Tapfumaneyi, confirmed that the lithium-ion battery test run was successful and focus is now being placed on mobilising resources for a giant manufacturing plant.
“I am sure you remember we won the overall 2024 Presidential Innovation award on the production of the lithium-ion battery and we are happy that the product went for some tests lasting the whole year and we can confirm that only last month we recorded zero failure rate on the product.
“What that means is that the product is functioning well and under normal circumstances it has a 10-year life span. We are now focusing on commercialising the product.
“Commercialising the product (lithium-ion battery) would need about US$28 million for the establishment of a giant manufacturing plant. This initial phase of research of the product cost almost US$500 000,” said Engineer Tapfumaneyi.
Verify Engineering’s research and innovation journey does not start and end there.
Having gone full throttle with their operations in 2015 in the eastern border city of Mutare, Verify Engineering has established depots in Hwange, Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Chiredzi, Mutare and Harare — itself ample testimony of the growth in size and operational researches that the entity has gone through.
To date, the company has spread its tentacles in the domain of research and innovation to unearth value from numerous resources that abound in the country. The idea is premised on exploring ways to reduce the import bill in production of lithium-ion batteries as well as other types.
Engineer Tapfumaneyi said: “There are a lot more research projects ongoing that will be unveiled at the right time. We are also engaged in perfecting the raw material base so that we reduce the import bill in the production of these gadgets.
“For example, we have more research going on in areas that include but are not limited to cobalt, ion, lithium carbonate, lithium sulphate, lithium hydroxide, battery grade lithium hexafluorophosphate and others so that we use around 80 percent of the raw materials from local resources and manage to drastically reduce what we need to import to about just 20 percent only.
“We should also be mindful of the fact that lithium uses are not limited to batteries only as the resource can be vital in pharmaceuticals, manufacture of lubricants and rocket propellants. Some lithium, in the form of lithium carbonate or lithium citrate, is used as medicine to treat gout and serious mental illness among other very important uses of the mineral resource.”
Engineer Tapfumaneyi thanked President Mnangagwa’s leadership for allowing research to be extensive and giving people an opportunity to make mistakes in the path of realising tangible outputs.
“I think this is something that we really need to mention and acknowledge in terms of the space and resources that were availed to Zimbabweans to explore the benefits of the resources that are locally available for the benefit of Zimbabweans.
“President Mnangagwa has done a wonderful job in allowing sons and daughters of Zimbabwe to dream and carry out research that leads to industrialisation, allowing them to make mistakes along the way, and still pour resources until tangible results are finally attained. This deserves recognition and praise. As a result new knowledge-driven industries are being established.
“More importantly, as President Mnangagwa’s wish, this work is being done in Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans using resources found in Zimbabwe for the benefit of Zimbabweans,” he said.
The Herald
