Since its establishment in 1979, the institute has carried out many investigations leading to the development of various products and processes based on local raw materials for the benefit of our country. Significant achievements have been made in:

 

Research on leather processing technologies has enabled the processing of fish skin to exotic leather. 

 

Different coating products were developed from cashew nut shell liquid . This project was transferred to a client at the coast for commercial exploitation. 

 

The institute has developed various formulations of animal feed using locally available raw materials to support MSE in animal feed production. It has also developed plant layouts for the same. An officer has been trained on a least cost software package that facilitates quick processing of different least cost feed formulations.                                                                                                                                                                                            

Power alcohol    

Through collaborative efforts of KIRDI, IPT of Brazil and support of UNIDO the institute was assisted to acquire technology for a small scale power alcohol production plant based on sugar cane. Through this project a pilot plant was designed and fabricated. 

 

The institute has facilitated the importation of cassava processing technologies from Nigeria and Uganda. These Technologies have been tested with significant success in the country.

 

Through intervention of dehulling and milling technologies for cereals and root crops, novel composite products have been developed for making bread, cakes, filler for sausages etc. from an assortment of composite flours. 

 

Gum Arabic is a very important raw material in pharmaceutical preparations, confectionery and the brewing industry. The institute has successfully developed the process for production of refined gum Arabic for powder and passed on the same to a client for commercialisation.

 

The institute has had a long association with the Coffee Board of Kenya through the coffee research foundation.  This work has led to the eradication of many off flavours in coffee including onion flavours and stinkers The two stage fermentation process, ultra-violet sorting of coffee, drying and storage of beans were all developed by KIRDI. 

 

A Nakuru based company approached the Institute to design a pilot plant for production of Rosin and Turpentine. The Institute carried out investigations and designed a plant, which was established in Nakuru. 

 

A request was made by a client at the coast to develop speciality glues from cassava starch. As a result a number of glues based on cassava starch were developed and results were passed onto the client for commercialization.

 

The institute was involved in a project that developed extraction and refinement methods for essential oil methods from local available raw materials e.g. gum frankincense, gum myrrh and rose flowers.  This was mainly for clients who were involved in exporting these oils.

 

A mapping of possible sites for commercial exploitation of materials for manufacture of ceramic items was developed. Glazes were also developed from locally available raw materials.