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Production of renewable energy and organic fertiliser from purification (FISP Climat - PEREOA)

Project

Energy transition and resilient cities
FISP Climat : Production d’énergie renouvelable et d’engrais organique issus de l’assainissement (PEREOA) - Visuel
James Keogh
Project start date
Status

Completed

Estimated date of project termination
Project financing date
Financing duration
4 years
Type of program
FFEM
Global financing amount
1 560 000 €
FFEM financing amount
500 000 €
Project lead member institution(s)
French Ministry of Economy and Finance
Country and region
Kenya
Location
Nairobi
Type of financing
Grant
Beneficiaries
SANERGY Inc.
Type of beneficiary
private sector
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The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of an industrial production of biogas, by fermentation of latrine sludge. 

8 million people in slum townships in Kenya, and 2.5 billion worldwide, do not have access to adequate sanitation. The resulting diarrhoea kills 1.6 million children each year. The high density of population, a lack of water and basic wastewater infrastructure and limited resources makes this problem particularly acute in slums, where the population is set to double to reach 2 billion by 2030.

Kenyan slums have no accessible infrastructure for wastewater. Pit toilets are the most common of the limited sanitary facilities. Because of the high service costs (up to $200 per trip) and limited road access to slum townships, drainage trucks are rarely used. The rarity of disposal mechanisms not only allows waste from sanitation pits to seep into the water table, but enables disease vectors to come into play such as propagation by mosquitos and flies. Many pits take in surface water and flood the streets during the rainy season.

Limited access to viable drainage services has left more than 65% of latrine toilets unusable in some slum townships. Even when waste is drained and removed through nearby sewer lines, it pollutes the water. 96% of wastewater in Kenya is released into waterways without treatment.

 

The project have two main activities:
 

  • Designing, installing and monitoring a large-scale anaerobic bio-digester and electricity production system for optimum reliability and performance within a local environment.
  • Developing local capabilities: through the design and implementation processes, Sanergy and its partners train waste management personnel in the design of an anaerobic digester, operation and maintenance for setting up technical expertise which has limited availability in Kenya. 
  • Increasing the availability, on an industrial scale, of a reliable technology for generating biogas through the installation of proven effective technology.
  • Facilitating the trade sector, especially local institutions, in the construction and operation of AD systems, on an industrial scale, especially based on faecal matter.
  • An increase in the production of renewable energy from the sanitary treatment of faecal matter and a reduction in the use of fossil fuels.