Entrepreneur turns laurel branches into pellet fuel

HATAY

Ayşegül Taşkıran, an entrepreneur from Hatay, in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye, turned an ecological challenge into an innovative opportunity by transforming discarded laurel branches into eco-friendly fuel pellets.

Taşkıran, the daughter of a local laurel leaf farmer in Yayladağı, the Southernmost town of Hatay, used her childhood experiences to find a solution to the waste generated by laurel branches. Taşkıran spent her early years working with her father, drying and selling laurel leaves but expressed her worries that the branches were discarded as waste. "After finishing school, a workshop fire broke out due to an electrical fault at night. The laurel's highly flammable nature caused the fire to escalate suddenly, and it took 15 firefighters to extinguish it," she explained.

After coming up with an idea, she recalled, "I thought about whether this waste could be used as fuel. I learned that there were people in the Black Sea region producing pellets from hazelnut shells. I figured we could do the same with laurel in the Mediterranean." Taşkıran, after a comprehensive R&D process, achieved European production standards and is currently producing pellet fuel by compressing waste laurel branches, generating 20 tons daily. She emphasized, "We have turned something discarded by someone into a value-added product meeting another's basic needs."

Taşkıran's pioneering efforts did not go unnoticed. Recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in her area, by the distinguished Women Entrepreneurs Association of Türkiye (KAGİDER), she has also stepped into diverse markets. Currently, Taşkıran is using her laurel leaves to create cat litter and various cosmetic products as well.