This Kenyan company makes fuel from human poo | Pioneers for Our Planet
Summary
TLDRIn East Africa, deforestation is rampant due to reliance on firewood and charcoal. A solution is presented by repurposing human waste into a sustainable biomass fuel. The company collects waste, treats it, and combines it with other waste materials to create a charcoal substitute that burns longer and emits less. This eco-friendly fuel not only reduces emissions but also saves trees, with each tonne produced saving approximately 88 trees in Kenya. The potential to meet half of Kenya's charcoal and firewood demand with this waste-based fuel could significantly reduce deforestation.
Takeaways
- đ± In East Africa, 90% of residents rely on solid biomass like firewood, charcoal, and pellets, leading to significant deforestation.
- đœ Human feces are a rich source of resources, including carbon, which can be harnessed instead of being flushed away.
- đ„ The calorific value of human feces is comparable to dried firewood, suggesting it can be a sustainable energy source.
- đĄ The company operates around 650 toilets, servicing them twice a week to collect waste for processing.
- đŹ Waste is heat-treated and combined with other biomass waste like charcoal dust or sawdust to create a new product.
- đČ Their product, 'Mkaa kwa jamii' or 'charcoal for the family,' burns longer and emits less carbon monoxide and particulates than traditional charcoal.
- đš Each tonne of their briquettes sold saves approximately 88 trees in Kenya, contributing to the fight against deforestation.
- đ The environmental impact is a selling point, with customers choosing their fuel for its eco-friendly benefits.
- đ If all human and agricultural waste in Kenya were utilized, it could meet nearly 50% of the country's charcoal and firewood needs, significantly reducing deforestation.
- đ The solution provided is a significant step towards addressing the urgent issue of deforestation in Kenya.
Q & A
What is the primary concern regarding the use of solid biomass in East Africa?
-Deforestation has been a significant problem in Kenya and throughout East Africa due to the high percentage of residents, approximately 90%, who utilize solid biomass forms like firewood, charcoal, and pellets daily.
What alternative resource is being proposed to combat deforestation?
-Human faeces is being considered as an alternative resource because it contains a significant amount of carbon that can be used as a direct substitute for firewood, thus potentially reducing deforestation.
How does the calorific value of human faeces compare to that of dried firewood?
-The calorific value of human faeces is comparable to that of dried firewood, making it a viable alternative for energy production.
How many toilets are in operation as part of this initiative?
-There are approximately 650 toilets in operation, with services provided twice a week to collect and treat the waste.
What is done with the collected human waste at the treatment facilities?
-The collected human waste is heat treated and combined with other biomass waste like charcoal dust, sawdust, or rose waste. It is then mixed, pressed, and dried to create a sustainable product.
What is the name of the sustainable product created from treated human waste?
-The sustainable product created is called 'Mkaa kwa jamii,' which means 'charcoal for the family' in Swahili.
How does the performance of 'Mkaa kwa jamii' compare to local charcoal?
-Mkaa kwa jamii burns about twice as long as local charcoal and has about one-third of the emissions, specifically carbon monoxide and particulates.
What environmental impact does the sale of one tonne of the briquettes have?
-For every tonne of the briquettes sold, approximately 88 trees are saved in Kenya, contributing to a significant reduction in deforestation.
What is the consumer response to the environmentally friendly fuel?
-People are purchasing the fuel because of its environmental impact, with many expressing a desire to save trees and make a positive change.
What is the potential impact if all human and agricultural waste in Kenya were utilized?
-Utilizing all the unused human and agricultural waste in Kenya could potentially supply almost 50% of the entire charcoal and firewood demand, leading to a substantial drop in deforestation rates.
How does the speaker view the solution provided by their initiative?
-The speaker sees the solution as a key stepping stone to addressing the immediate needs of deforestation and is excited about the potential it holds for environmental conservation.
Outlines
đł Sustainable Charcoal Alternative from Human Waste
The script introduces an innovative solution to deforestation in East Africa by utilizing human waste as a resource. Despite initial skepticism, the product, which is indistinguishable from traditional firewood or charcoal in appearance and smell, is revealed to have a high calorific value comparable to dried firewood. The company operates around 650 toilets, collecting waste twice weekly for treatment. The waste is then combined with other biomass waste, such as charcoal dust or sawdust, to create a new sustainable product called 'Mkaa kwa jamii,' which burns longer and emits less carbon monoxide and particulates than local charcoal. The environmental impact is significant, with each tonne of their briquettes saving approximately 88 trees in Kenya. The potential to meet nearly 50% of Kenya's charcoal and firewood demand with this waste could greatly reduce deforestation rates, making this solution a crucial step towards addressing the immediate needs of deforestation.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄFaeces
đĄDeforestation
đĄCalorific Value
đĄCarbon
đĄBiomass Waste
đĄMkaa kwa jamii
đĄEmissions
đĄSustainable Product
đĄEnvironmental Impact
đĄCharcoal Briquettes
đĄTreatment Facilities
Highlights
People's initial skepticism about the product is overcome by its appearance and lack of faeces-like smell.
In East Africa, 90% of residents use solid biomass forms like firewood, charcoal, or pellets daily.
Deforestation is a significant problem in Kenya and East Africa due to the high usage of biomass fuels.
The company advocates for resourceful use of human waste instead of just flushing it away.
Human faeces contain valuable resources, including a high calorific value comparable to dried firewood.
The company has about 650 toilets in operation, serviced twice a week to collect waste.
Waste is treated and combined with other biomass waste to create a sustainable product.
The sustainable product is named 'Mkaa kwa jamii', meaning 'charcoal for the family'.
The briquettes burn twice as long as local charcoal with one-third the emissions.
Every tonne of briquettes sold saves approximately 88 trees in Kenya.
Many customers are purchasing the fuel for its positive environmental impact.
If all human and agricultural waste in Kenya were collected, it could meet almost 50% of the country's charcoal and firewood demand.
The solution provided could significantly reduce deforestation rates in Kenya.
The company's approach is seen as a key step towards addressing deforestation.
The potential of human waste as an alternative biomass fuel is both exciting and impactful.
Transcripts
People question at first
but as soon as they see our product
it doesnât look like faeces
it doesnât smell like faeces
you wouldnât know it was unless we told you.
In East Africa the percentage is something like
90% of all residents
utilise some solid biomass form daily.
Thatâs firewood, thatâs charcoal, thatâs pellets
because of that
deforestation has been a huge problem in Kenya
and throughout East Africa.
The best thing that we can do is
not just flush it and forget it.
Thereâs actually a lot of resources in human faeces
that we could make use of.
Now people are starting to say
âhey, what if, what else can we do?â
So we started looking at
the amount of carbon thatâs in human faeces
and realised that
the calorific value of human faeces
is comparable to that of dried firewood.
Thereâs enough carbon in human faeces
to almost be a direct substitute.
We have probably
about 650 toilets in operations
and we have people that go and service them twice a week
and collect these full containers
and then take it to our treatment facilities.
We heat treat it
and then we combine it
with other biomass waste
like charcoal dust or saw dust
or rose waste like we get here in Naivasha
and we can mix those
and press that and dry it
and weâve got a new sustainable product.
We call them Mkaa kwa jamii
which means charcoal for the family.
They burn about twice as long
as local charcoal.
They have about one third of the emissions
specifically carbon monoxide and particulates.
Beyond all that
for every tonne of charcoal
of our briquettes that we sell
we save about 88 trees here in Kenya
which is just mind-blowing
that a simple change
can have such a big difference.
What has been incredible to me
is how many people
actually are purchasing our fuel
because of the environmental impact.
People tell us they're like
âOh wow, saving trees.
That's great.
Yeah, I'll make the change.â
Weâve actually shown
that if we could collect
all the human waste in Kenya
all the agriculture waste
thatâs not being used for anything else
then we could supply
almost 50% of the entire charcoal
and firewood demand in Kenya
then the deforestation rates
would drop substantially.
I think the solution weâre providing now
is a key stepping stone
to fixing some of the immediate needs
of deforestation.
Itâs really exciting.
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