{"id":35486,"date":"2026-04-21T10:06:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=35486"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:06:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:06:47","slug":"from-kenya-to-innovation-dennis-kibet-develops-a-cleaner-fuel-future-at-vut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/from-kenya-to-innovation-dennis-kibet-develops-a-cleaner-fuel-future-at-vut\/","title":{"rendered":"From Kenya to innovation: Dennis Kibet develops a cleaner fuel future at VUT"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Kenyan student Dennis Kibet develops sustainable diesel alternatives at VUT, advancing research on fuel blends to address global energy challenges.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

20 April 2026 | Story by: Shaun Michael Ndou | Picture: Sifiso Nomzaza<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"From<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Mr Dennis Kipkorir Kibet, the journey from Kenya to the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) was driven by more than academic ambition. It was shaped by a desire to confront one of the world\u2019s most pressing challenges, the search for cleaner, more sustainable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a master\u2019s student in mechanical engineering, Mr Kibet has dedicated his research to rethinking how diesel engines can be powered in a world that can no longer rely solely on traditional fuels. His work, grounded in both curiosity and urgency, explores how everyday waste can be transformed into something valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His dissertation, Investigation of Fuel Properties and Engine Performance of Ternary Blends of Petroleum Diesel, Distilled Waste Engine Oil, and Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil, focuses on developing an alternative fuel that is not only efficient, but also kinder to the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of his research lies a simple but powerful idea: that what is often discarded can still hold potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Kibet chose VUT because of its specialised machinery and strong technical environment, which allowed him to bring this idea to life. In the laboratory, his work became a careful balancing act, blending three different fuel sources into a single solution that could function within existing diesel engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process was not straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the right combination required patience, experimentation, and the ability to navigate repeated setbacks. The challenge was not only to make the fuel work, but to ensure that it performed efficiently without producing excessive smoke or harmful emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is always something that you can improve on the existing nature,\u201d said Mr Kibet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For him, engineering is not about accepting limitations, but about questioning them. It is about looking beyond what is already known and asking what more can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He believes that future engineers must move beyond traditional thinking if meaningful progress is to be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to look beyond what we are taught and find new ways of doing things,\u201d he explained. \u201cIf we do not, progress will remain limited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His work speaks directly to a global reality, where rising energy demands and environmental concerns continue to shape the future of industries and communities alike. By exploring alternative fuel solutions, Mr Kibet is contributing to a broader conversation about sustainability and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His journey also reflects the growing impact of international students at VUT, individuals who bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to solving real-world problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the University approaches six decades of existence, stories like his point to a future defined not only by knowledge, but by purpose. Through research that bridges continents and ideas, Mr Kibet is helping to shape a world where innovation is not just imagined, but realised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his work, there is both urgency and hope, a reminder that even the most complex global challenges can begin with a single question, and the determination to keep searching for an answer.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Kenyan student Dennis Kibet develops sustainable diesel alternatives at VUT, advancing research on fuel blends to address global energy challenges.” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":35499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35486"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35500,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35486\/revisions\/35500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}