Electrical Energy From Waste- Durban South Africa

Summary

The Durban solid waste project in South Africa is pioneering green technology by generating electricity from landfill gas. With 4,000 tons of waste processed daily, methane is extracted and used to power engines, producing electricity for up to 6,000 homes. This not only prevents 21 times the greenhouse gas emissions of CO2 but also supports the project financially through carbon credits. The initiative, funded by the World Bank and French Development Bank, is a model for sustainable waste management and climate change mitigation.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The project at Durban is pioneering green technology by creating electricity from trash at landfills.
• 🏭 Basa Road Landfill, one of the largest in southern Africa, processes about 4,000 tons of waste daily, utilizing biodegradable waste for gas extraction.
• 🔥 The landfill gas, primarily methane, is actively extracted and used as fuel to generate electricity, which is fed back into the grid.
• 📊 The system involves laying perforated pipes to collect methane from decomposing waste, which is then channeled to a power generation compound.
• 💡 The project generates enough power to supply approximately 5,000 to 6,000 low-cost houses, demonstrating its scalability.
• 🌡️ Methane, being 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, makes the project crucial in preventing significant CO2 emissions.
• 🌳 By capturing methane and using it instead of coal, the project contributes to major emissions reductions, equivalent to preventing 21 tons of CO2 per ton of methane.
• 💸 The City of Durban is exploring carbon credits to fund the project, highlighting the importance of carbon trading for such initiatives in developing countries.
• 🏛️ The project is supported by international funding, including from the World Bank and French Development Bank, ensuring its financial stability.
• 🌐 Local communities and municipalities are learning from Durban's model, which could inspire similar green landfill site projects elsewhere.
• 🔥 Passion is identified as a key driver for the success of such environmental projects, emphasizing the importance of personal commitment to sustainability.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the project in Durban?

The main objective of the project in Durban is to create electricity from trash at dumps, specifically by extracting landfill gas, which is primarily methane, and using it to generate power.

How much waste does the Durban landfill process daily?

The Durban landfill processes approximately 4,000 tons of waste per day, out of which a significant portion is biodegradable waste.

What is the role of the landfill gas extraction system?

The landfill gas extraction system actively extracts methane from the decomposing waste. This methane is then used as a fuel to generate electricity.

How is the methane gas extracted from the landfill?

Methane is extracted through a system of perforated pipes laid in trenches covered by hoses, which siphon the gas off the decomposing layers of garbage.

What is the capacity of methane gas extraction per well?

Each well at the Durban landfill can extract 108 cubic meters of gas per hour.

How does the project contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions?

By capturing and burning methane, which is 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, the project prevents a significant amount of CO2 equivalent emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

What is the significance of carbon credits in this project?

Carbon credits, which represent emissions reductions, are being sold by the City of Durban to help fund the project. These credits are crucial for securing financial support for the project beyond just the revenue from electricity sales.

How many houses can the current system power?

The current system is generating enough power to supply about 5 to 6,000 low-cost houses.

What is the role of the 'brain center' in the project?

The 'brain center' houses the computer system that monitors the simple process of extracting landfill gas, diverting it to gas engines, and using the methane as fuel to generate electricity.

What funding sources are mentioned for the project?

The project is funded by the World Bank and the French Development Bank, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in supporting green technology initiatives.

Why is the project not financially feasible based on electricity sales alone?

The project is not financially feasible based on electricity sales alone due to the low cost of electricity in South Africa, which would not generate enough revenue to cover the project's costs.

What is the potential impact of this project on climate change if widely adopted?

If widely adopted, the project has the potential to significantly slow climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the capture and utilization of methane gas from landfills.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Transforming Waste into Power: Durban's Green Initiative

The paragraph introduces the speaker's journey in joining a green technology project that converts waste into electricity. The project is based in Durban, South Africa, and utilizes landfill gas extraction to generate power. The speaker expresses pride in their work, which has garnered respect and interest from their children. The Basa Road Landfill, one of the largest in southern Africa, processes about 4,000 tons of waste daily, with a significant portion being biodegradable. The extracted methane is used as fuel in engines that generate electricity, which is then fed back into the grid. The project not only reduces the environmental impact of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but also contributes to carbon credits, which the city of Durban aims to sell to fund the initiative. The project's success is supported by funding from the World Bank and the French Development Bank, and it serves as a model for other communities to learn from, emphasizing the importance of passion in environmental conservation efforts.

Keywords

💡Derpans

Derpans refers to the South African city of Durban, which is the main setting of the video. The city is notable for its innovative approach to waste management and green energy production. In the script, Durban is highlighted for drawing power from an unlikely source: a landfill, showcasing the city's commitment to sustainability and green technology.

💡Landfill

A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial. In the context of the video, the Basa Road Landfill is one of the largest in southern Africa, taking in approximately 4,000 tons of waste per day. The video emphasizes the transformation of such a site from a traditional waste disposal area to a source of green energy, which is a central theme of the project.

💡Biodegradable Waste

Biodegradable waste refers to materials that can be broken down by microorganisms into simpler forms. In the video, a significant portion of the waste at the landfill is biodegradable, which is crucial for the gas extraction process. The script explains how this waste decomposes and releases methane, a key component in the energy production process.

💡Landfill Gas Extraction System

This system is a method for capturing and utilizing the gas produced by decomposing waste in a landfill. The video describes how the system at Basa Road Landfill actively extracts methane, preventing it from escaping into the atmosphere and instead using it as a fuel source for electricity generation.

💡Methane

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 21 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. The video script explains how the project extracts methane from the landfill, using it as fuel to generate electricity. This not only provides a renewable energy source but also prevents the release of this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

💡Power Generation Compound

The power generation compound is where the methane extracted from the landfill is converted into electricity. The script describes how the gas is channeled to this compound, where it is used to fuel engines that generate electricity, which is then fed back into the grid, providing a sustainable energy solution.

💡Carbon Credits

Carbon credits represent the right to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or equivalent greenhouse gases. The video discusses how the City of Durban is attempting to sell these credits to fund the project, highlighting the economic aspect of carbon trading and its role in supporting environmentally beneficial initiatives.

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The video emphasizes the project's role in mitigating climate change by capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and using it for energy production instead of allowing it to escape into the atmosphere.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to the project's ability to provide long-term environmental benefits without depleting natural resources. The script discusses how the project is not only sustainable in terms of energy production but also in its potential to improve the quality of life in the coastal city of Durban.

💡Green Technology

Green technology, as mentioned in the script, refers to the use of technology to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability. The video showcases the project's innovative approach to creating electricity from trash, which is a prime example of green technology in action.

💡World Bank Funding

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries. The script mentions that the project has received funding from the World Bank, indicating the global recognition and support for such innovative environmental projects.

Highlights

Father's children express pride and passion for his work in green technology.

Project Mark is pioneering electricity generation from trash in Durban, South Africa.

Durban, a city of 3.2 million, now draws power from a landfill.

Basa Road Landfill processes approximately 4,000 tons of waste daily.

Landfill gas extraction system implemented to harness methane from biodegradable waste.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is actively extracted and used as fuel.

Long perforated pipes siphon methane from decomposing garbage for power generation.

108 cubic meters of gas per hour are extracted from each well.

Foreign experts are amazed by the project's accomplishments in a third-world city context.

The project's brain center manages the extraction and conversion of landfill gas to electricity.

The system generates enough power for about 5,000 to 6,000 low-cost houses.

Methane is 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

The project prevents the release of 21 tons of CO2 for every ton of methane burned.

Durban aims to sell carbon credits to fund the project, leveraging carbon trading.

The project is financially supported by World Bank and French Development Bank funding.

Local communities and municipalities learn from Durban's landfill gas electricity project.

The project's success is dependent on securing carbon credits approval in 2010.

The project's goal is to create green landfill sites, improving the coastal city's quality of life.

Passion is identified as a key factor in the success of environmental projects.

Transcripts

well when I first told my kids that I

was joining deran soled ways they looked

at me and said I'm going to be a dpin

man today when they look at me and what

I'm doing and how much they're learning

about what their father is heading up

they only come with pride and passion

and they often come to my project Mark

right is working on the frontier of

Green Technology creating electricity

from trash at dumps around the South

African city of Durban and now this city

of 3 and2 million people is drawing

power from this surprising

Source basa Road Landfill is probably

one of the largest landfills in southern

Africa we take approximately 4,000 tons

of waste per day and a half portion of

that is biodegradable waste on that

basis the land for gas extraction system

was implemented for most people dumps

are a smelly necessity to modern living

but it's this G

the smell that contains methane in our

case we actively extract the landfall

gas through an extraction system in the

landl and take it down to the gas

compound where we then use it as a fuel

through the engines which generate the

electricity and put back into the

electricity Grid Long perforated pipes

are laid in vast trenches and then

covered these hoses siphon the methane

that comes off of the decomposing layers

of garbage this gas is channeled to the

power generation

compound 108 cubic M of gas an hour

comes from each well and foreign experts

who visit the project are amazed at what

this third world city has

accomplished here we are in the brain

center of the whole project and here we

have the computer which shows a very

simple process that takes place the

extraction of the landfall gas diverted

to the gas engines the methane is used

as the fuel to turn the engine uh which

generates the electricity and put back

into the electricity grid with the

system that we got here now and the

current rate of gas extraction we are

currently generating generating enough

power to supply about 5 to 6,000 lowcost

houses methane is 21 times as powerful a

greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide that

means that saving or burning one ton of

methane is equal to preventing 21 tons

of CO2 from being released into the

atmosphere so by preventing this gas

from escaping and using it to replace

dirty Coal Power the project is offering

a major emissions reduction that if used

widely has the power to slow climate

change these emissions reductions are

called carbon credits and the City of

Durban is trying to sell these credits

to help fund the project a developing

country like South Africa is riant on

carbon trading to fund a project of this

nature a project of this nature just on

electric electricity sales due to the

low cost of electricity would not be

financially feasible local communities

and municipalities come to learn from

the Durban solid waste and our landfill

gas electricity project and other

technologies that we Implement World

Bank funding French Development Bank

funding all part and parcel of this

process the project is secure for now

but by getting their carbon credits

approved possibly sometime in

2010 the project will be successful far

into the future creating green landfill

sites that improve the quality of life

in this coastal

city I think in any project like this

passion plays a massive role and you

have to be passionate about what you're

doing in terms of saving the environment

in any small way that you can