If you read my last post then you know a little about the biogas digester project that I have begun working on. This project is totally not in line with my project area, small enterprise and entrepreneurship development, but nonetheless is a cool project.
I know next to nothing about biogas digesters and how to build them. Luckily (in case you need some confidence about this), I recently met a fellow American in town who happens to be here in Namibia on a Fulbright scholarship studying renewable energies and she happens to know exactly how they work and how to build one. On my end, I am placed in an area with few trees and a school with a feeding program that struggles with gathering enough fuel to cook the learners their maize meal. Thus, a partnership was born. Anna and I are now trying to raise enough money to build the digester.
The digester itself is simply nothing more than a hole, some bricks, cement, and some pipe. But what it can do is pretty neat. The digester is fed with cow manure, organic material, and some water. This mixture will go through the decomposition process and produce methane gas, which is of course burnable. The unit is sealed so as the process occurs, pressure builds and eventually there is enough pressure to run the gas to a stove designed for burning biogas. Further, not only does gas come out of the unit, but nice compost that will be highly prized by the different gardening projects in the area. The Enguwantale area is short on trees but is certainly not short on cow manure.
You can find more info about the project on the Peace Corps website. If you are interested in supporting this project you can click on the "DONATE" link to the right of the page. I encourage you to pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested in supporting this project.
Tangi unene!
2 comments:
Very cool Grant! We will be sure to go on and donate. That will truly be something they could use long after you're gone!
Hey bud! Just wanted to let you know that I've been following your blog. Your diary from your recent hiking trip (10, 12 days total?) was amaaaazing. I can't even imagine being on my own, and being as independent and self-sufficient as you were. It gives me a lot of confidence to feel more comfortable with the unknown, new cultures, and the wild. Your pictures were amazing too.
BTW, what did you decide to do about the biogas digester? I've been meaning to donate for the past month and to pass it on to facebook friends but I no longer see a link to the donation page. Let me know if you'd like me to try and encourage other friends to donate.
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