Turning human waste into energy in Kenya

DW (English)

In rural communities in Kenya, human waste is being harnessed for energy as part of a project to replace firewood and help keep waterways clean. The aim is to turn excrement into briquettes or use it to fuel waste-to-energy plants.

Transcript

00:00 The Earth's natural resources are finite.

00:04 Wait, all of them?

00:07 As long as there are people, one resource won't ever run out.

00:11 Excrement.

00:12 A company in Kenya has specialized in the treatment and recycling of fecal sludge.

00:18 After exposing it to high heat to remove harmful pathogens, the raw material is processed into

00:24 briquettes.

00:25 The first reaction you always get is curiosity.

00:29 You see, when you meet an idea that you previously didn't think it was possible, then you find

00:35 that not only is it possible, there is even a model to do it profitably, to recover some

00:41 value and generate some revenue from waste.

00:46 The company is based in Naivasha, some 90 kilometers west of Nairobi.

00:51 Truck drivers visit the surrounding communities collecting fecal waste from latrines and private

00:56 households.

00:57 The wastewater would otherwise simply seep away, as the sewage system here is only partially

01:03 developed.

01:04 John Kariuki has been working here for three years, and he's impressed with the process.

01:14 At first I thought it was bad, maybe unhealthy or even damaging.

01:18 I was surprised to find out that it doesn't produce smoke and it's free from harmful gases.

01:23 Fecal has carbon monoxide, but briquettes don't.

01:32 Twelve truckloads of fecal sludge are collected every month.

01:36 Each contains around 20,000 liters.

01:39 The company has built most of the latrines itself, an investment that should pay off

01:43 in the long term.

01:45 Primarily, the challenge of sanitation is something that has many socioeconomic impacts,

01:51 negatively, in that it contributes to diarrheal diseases, contributes to low productivity.

01:59 If you're sick you can't work as much.

02:02 And sanitation, poorly managed sanitation is a challenge that is all over the world.

02:08 In East Africa, studies have shown that up to 90% of waste is not safely managed.

02:15 So far, Sanovation's pilot project has been going well.

02:18 The locals are pleased too.

02:20 All sorts of garbage ends up in the wastewater, including plastic.

02:24 All that is separated out of the sludge that's collected.

02:28 We are providing them with safely managed sanitation.

02:30 We are taking away the waste that would have otherwise caused disease and polluted the

02:34 environment.

02:35 In the communities we work in, we have also provided employment, directly and indirectly.

02:41 Indirectly the company provides work for around 100 people and employs 56 responsible for

02:48 the various stages of the process.

02:50 First the liquid is separated from the solid and then the liquid is taken to the county

02:54 waste management plant.

02:56 The solid is heated to several hundred degrees.

02:59 Then it's processed and mixed with biomass, usually sawdust.

03:04 The final briquettes contain 5 to 30% dried feces.

03:08 The company produces around 100 tonnes of poop-fueled briquettes every month.

03:14 John Kariuki says there are benefits to using briquettes, even for cooking.

03:20 It's more efficient, it lasts longer and it cooks food well among other few uses.

03:27 Charcoal has had harmful effects, it has even caused death.

03:31 But briquettes are clean to use and have no harmful emissions.

03:38 A few restaurants in Naivasha are also using the briquettes, including this cafe.

03:44 Before they used firewood for their stone oven, but that was more expensive and hard

03:49 to come by in the rainy season.

03:52 So you'll find us struggling to get a supply of firewood, the supply will dwindle, it will

03:57 be smoky inside this place because of the quality of firewood.

04:02 When we switch to briquettes, you can even see from behind me that the smoke is less,

04:08 they consume it for a long time, they are consumer friendly.

04:15 Even if it doesn't sound too appetizing, the pizza tastes just as good.

04:19 The company hopes that this unlimited alternative fuel will one day be as common as coal and

04:25 firewood are today.

Category

Transcript

Recommended