Nairobi,
Kenya
Every year in East African cities like Nairobi, 1.5 million tonnes of organic and sanitation waste go untreated, releasing methane as they decay. Sanergy addresses this issue by diverting waste and transforming it into low-carbon intensity agricultural products, thereby generating methane emissions reductions. The overall objective of the project is to deliver climate-positive sanitation and waste management services to underserved areas in Kenyan cities. This includes informal settlements, such as those in Nairobi, home to over 2 million people.
The waste treatment process begins with gathering organic and sanitation waste streams from across Nairobi and consolidating them at the composting facility. Next, there is a pre-treatment step utilizing BSF larvae, which aerobically valorize some of the organic material, leaving behind a residue known as frass. The frass is subsequently mixed with other organic waste and composted aerobically to produce organic fertilizer for local farmers. Additionally, the frass can be mixed and compressed into biomass briquettes, a portion of which is used on-site. The remaining briquettes are sold to local industries as renewable fuel for industrial boilers, providing heat and steam.
The Sanergy Composting Group Project, based in Kenya, transforms various organic and biomass waste sources into valuable products, including organic fertilizer, Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae, and biomass briquettes. These waste sources include food waste, wood dust, sugarcane bagasse, slaughterhouse waste, and human sanitation waste.