We’re making fecal sludge the next big biodiesel feedstock, engineering a renewable fuel from an unlimited source.
The Problem
In Sub-Saharan Africa, most people defecate in on-site systems like pit latrines and septic tanks. For many low-income families, paying for fecal sludge removal is costly, thus often deferred. When owners can afford to have fecal sludge hauled away, it is typically dumped directly into the environment because few SSA countries have functioning treatment plants.
With millions of tons of human waste being dumped into the environment everyday, the result is significant damage to public health and the environment.
Our Solution
We’re replacing the outmoded concept of disposal-oriented treatment with a technology and business model for producing biodiesel from fecal sludge. With our partners at Columbia University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and with financial support from the Gates Foundation, our fecal sludge-to-biodiesel plant in Teshie-Nungua, Ghana, will be the first of its kind.
This solution could transform unaffordable fecal sludge treatment into a profit-making venture across SSA.
Our Impact
Our biodiesel plants can eliminate dumping of fecal sludge into the environment while simultaneously offsetting fossil fuel consumption. Further, we’re committed to channeling a portion of our profits from biodiesel sales back into the sanitation sector.
We’ll use financial incentives to ensure the timely and proper servicing of septic tanks and latrines in poor settlements.