Ghana’s premier beverage manufacturer, Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) has put what would have been an environmentally unfriendly waste product to good use.

The company has donated a quantity of Nitric Acid to the Greater Accra Regional Ghana Education Office for distribution to senior high schools for use in their science laboratories.

A statement from ABL to the Ghana News Agency said the Nitric acid (HNO3), also known as aqua fortis and spirit of niter, is a highly corrosive strong mineral acid. ABL recently ceased using this chemical in the manufacturing process of one of its products.

Rather than spewing gallons of Nitric Acid into the environment, the company decided to put them to good use by donating them to the Education Service.

Five senior high schools are to benefit from this donation. They are, La Presby SHS, Holy Trinity SHS, St Mary Margaret SHS, Ningo SHS and Prampram SHS. The Nitric Acid will be used for chemistry practical lessons in their Science laboratories.

Head of Corporate and Legal Affairs at ABL, who presented the items to the GES, Adjoba Kyiamah explained that “the aspiration of ABL is to achieve a zero waste operation.

"In order to achieve this goal we place an increasing emphasis on reduction, reuse and recycling of waste generated as a result of our production process. This requires us to use our resources efficiently and limit the disposal of waste to landfill.”

She stressed: “It is in line with this sustainable development agenda that we make the donation to the GES, knowing that what we consider harmful waste can be put to safer and beneficial use in the Sciences Laboratories of schools”.

The Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza who received the gallons of Nitric Acid on behalf of the beneficiary institutions described the donation as having arrived at the right time “especially when the final year students are writing their final examinations which definitely include some practical work in chemistry”.

“On behalf of the GES and the five schools, we are most grateful and wish that this new relationship with ABL will be maintained and will be strengthened so we can have some more collaborative engagements”.