This GCFSI-funded effort will evaluate low-cost slurry separation technology to reduce system water demands and increase effluent application to agricultural lands, evaluate a new dual fuel stove design, evaluate the use of absorption chillers for refrigeration from biogas, and assess the theoretical potential of heat applications to increase biogas production.  

Project Implementers: Rebecca Larson, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Vianney Tumwesige, CEO of Green Heat, Kampala, Uganda

The anaerobic digestion sector in East Africa has sustained consistent growth in recent years, transforming wastes to energy in the form of biogas. Although small-scale digestion systems provide valuable biogas for cooking, system limitations can reduce installation potential or the associated environmental benefit. This GCFSI-funded effort will evaluate low-cost slurry separation technology to reduce system water demands and increase effluent application to agricultural lands, evaluate a new dual fuel stove design, evaluate the use of absorption chillers for refrigeration from biogas, and assess the theoretical potential of heat applications to increase biogas production. The team will field test these innovations at existing biogas systems operated in and around Kampala, Uganda. Working directly with stakeholders to test the innovations enables the research team to translate three years of primary research into sustainable, scalable, commercial outcomes for the biogas sector in East Africa to increase profitability and reduce environmental impacts.