Swiss Partners
EAWAG: Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasser und Gewässerschutz, SANDEC, Dübendorf,
www.sandec.ch,
Yvonne Vögeli
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Documentation
Swiss Contribution
Sandec conducts applied research and fosters an increase in local research capacity and professional expertise in low and middle-income countries in the water supply, sanitation and waste management fields. In recent years, several research projects have been conducted in Tanzania, Lesotho, India and Nepal, to gain more information on low-tech biogas systems in urban areas of developing countries.
Description
As in many African countries, Ghana suffers a severe energy crisis. Most people use firewood and/or charcoal for cooking. Solutions for alternative renewable fuel sources are in great need and demand. In Ghana, municipal solid waste consists of up to 65% of easily biodegradable organics, thus providing a large supply and enormous potential for the biogas production. The project’s aim is to develop a dry fermentation digester adapted to local conditions and to explore how such a system can be integrated into the municipal waste management system and be operated in an economically sustainable way.
In a preliminary study, different local materials potentially suitable for the construction of a dry digestion biogas plant were identified and evaluated. After which, in the city of Kumasi, a second hand shipping container was converted into a biogas digester and has been put into operation with first experiments. In this project, the plant shall be optimized. Therefore, a second shipping container shall be converted and put into operation.