Fuelling sustainable future: Faecal sludge biofuels

Ghana, like most developing countries in Africa, is vulnerable to climate change impacts and drastic action is required to turn the tide.

Emissions in Ghana are expected to rise from 28 Mt CO2e in 2021 to over 140 Mt in 2050, with the bulk of emissions growth coming from transport, driven by population growth, GDP per capita growth and vehicle ownership.

Over the past decade, the oil sector has contributed around $6.5 billion of direct revenue to Ghana’s budget.

This sector is an indicator and driver in the growth of the economy and for decades the country still depends heavily on this sector to run its industries, transportation, economy and a determinant of prices of goods and services in the country.

Determined to achieve her Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action) by 2030, while demonstrating action against climate change, it is possible to bring Ghana’s energy-sector-related carbon emissions to net zero without serious effects on the economy.

Ghana’s Energy Transition and Investment Plan was recently launched by the President, describing it as, “Ghana’s journey to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 based on the latest data and evidence, ensuring that as the economy thrives, it does so in harmony with the environment”

Energy experts have described this plan as more ambitious than the previous energy transition framework as this plan reflects its clear and comprehensive strategy for achieving significant carbon emissions reduction and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

The use of sustainable sources or alternative sources of energy is still in the budding stages in Ghana. The oil reserves in Ghana are very limited hence the country relies heavily on imported petroleum fuel.

The import of oil puts a strain on the country’s economy. The dependence on fossil fuels makes energy security very fragile in supply.

Environmental sanitation

Environmental sanitation is a topical issue in Ghana as the sanitation value chain has serious gaps which render it ineffective and need to be addressed.

According to the World Bank, as of 2021, only 25.3 per cent (PHC 2021) of the national population had access to improved sanitation that is not shared. About 17.7 per cent of Ghanaians still practice open defecation.

The cost of poor sanitation in the country is high as Ghana loses about US$ 290 million annually due to poor sanitation.

Faecal sludge

Faecal sludge is an environmental nuisance from the sanitation service chain. It is estimated that 36,685 m3 of faecal sludge is generated on a daily basis in Accra alone.

Infrastructure for the sanitation service chain is insufficient and hardly accessible in a lot of cities, an estimated 72 per cent and 43 per cent of the sludge produced in Accra and Kumasi end up untreated in the environment or the sea.

The intersections of escalating poor sanitation services, transitioning to sustainable energy sources and the deepening climate crisis present a triple challenge of high significance to a developing country such as Ghana.

There has been a focus on the reduction of emissions and the shift to more sustainable renewal sources of energy. As we look to bring change to the economy and achieve our set SDGs it is imperative to look for more sustainable, cheaper and green sources of energy in fuelling our economy.

Conversion

Conversion of Faecal Sludge to biofuels such as charcoal briquettes, biomethane and biodiesel as a source of energy presents an alternative and innovative solution to the looming economic and sanitation issue.

Last year, a car fuelled by human waste toured the European countryside, covering more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles).

A project using technology developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT to make 50,000 litres (13,200 gallons) of biocrude oil from 500 tons of sewage sludge.

Moreover, Columbia University's Engineering School, Waste Enterprisers Ltd, working with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the Kumasi Metropolitan

Assembly, launched a pilot facility in 2017 to convert faecal sludge into biodiesel fuel.

The largest Faecal Sludge Treatment facility in Accra is presently in the production of charcoal briquettes from Faecal Sludge for the local market and this was aired on CNN on its Innovative Cities Documentary.

Through proper planning and investment into the production of biofuels, the nation has the potential to address and win the battle against Climate Change and solve to a larger extent the poor sanitation problem and emissions.

The writer is a Master’s Candidate in Climate Project Management,
Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN),
Russia.
E-mail: fsdanquah@gmail.com