On a little farm in Ruha, rural Sweida, one finds something as sophisticated as a biogas digester. With the manure from only three cows, farmer Jamil Abu Darahamein can produce enough biogas for two households – and perhaps more when they figure out how to store the gas.
The rolling hills of “Apple country” provide the backdrop for Abu Darahamein’s demonstration of his digester on this sunny fall-day; a slight smell of manure hangs in the air.
“Three times a day I go out and mix the manure with hot water to facilitate its flow into the digester,” explains Abu Darahamein. “And after 40 days, I have to empty the tank – that’s when it is full.” It is only the first time using the digester that the build-up of gas takes 40 days, after this, gas flows continuously from the tank into the house.
The design and mechanics of the digester are quite simple. A small opening in the corner of the cowshed allows for easy collection and direction of the manure out into the pipe that transports it to the digester. Halfway to the digester, Abu Darahamein mixes the manure with hot water through a hand-driven churn. The water is heated by solar panels installed on the roof of the house.
“It gives more than eight hours a day of gas for both houses – plenty,” says Abu Darahamein. “We use it for heating water, cooking and washing.”
Jamil al Harfoush, the second farmer participating in the project, has only two cows. Yet, the digester produces enough gas to cover up to 80 per cent of their monthly consumption. “And we use a lot of gas,” his wife adds. “We produce cheese and yoghurt so we use gas all day to boil the milk.” She continues, “We also receive milk for the production from five other farms in the area, so the biogas digester really saves us a lot of money – this is especially needed since my husband lost his job and I am now supporting the family.”
The local organization for disabled people, Wafa, initiated the project and received USD 27 000 in funding from the Small Grants Program (SGP). SGP, which started its Syria program in 2005, is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a corporate program. It supports the activities of Non Governmental Organizations and Community Based Organizations with the objective of solving environmental problems. SGP is executed by UNOPS and administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership.
With the help of the two families participating in the project, Wafa is currently testing the feasibility of small-scale biogas digesters. The hope is to provide digesters to more farms if the idea proves viable.
The biogas digester not only provides financial benefits, but, more importantly, it reduces the health- and environmental hazards of the untreated manure. Fresh manure (untreated) carries pathogenic elements that can cause infectious diseases. With the digester, farmers can safely utilize and dispose of the fermented manure – as pathogenic elements are eliminated during the fermentation process - while at the same time producing an alternative source of energy and organic fertilizer.
“Before, trucks used to come to collect the fertilizer and spread it on the fields,” Abu Darahamein said, “but it wasn’t treated, the smell was terrible and it was bad for our health.” Al Harfoush noted, “in addition to the smell and the health problems, mold started growing on the roots of my olive trees.”
They tried different methods for treating the manure, but they were both labor intensive and slow. “We used to dig a big hole and bury the manure in the ground, we would have to wait for a year or so, before we could use it”, Abu Darahamein explained.
Chemical fertilizer previously provided the only alternative to untreated manure – this is not only more expensive but also carries adverse effects on the farmer and the environment. “The chemicals were not good in the long run, it consumed the fertility of the land – so I would have to use more and more every time,” Al Harfoush said. “Now, thanks to the digester, we can use natural fertilizer straight out of the container – without any complications.”
Although the project now runs smoothly, it encountered considerable challenges in the first half of the project-period. Almost half of the grant money from SGP, as well as a full year, was spent operating with an unsuitable digester design. Then, through an extensive search, SGP and Wafa managed to locate another biogas expert. The new expert helped them develop the new digester that the farmers started operating two months ago.
The installation cost is quite steep – 250 000 SYP (about 5000 USD) but the SGP is hoping to start using a cheaper design, widespread in Asia, once the project starts operating on a larger scale.
Abu Darahamein estimates savings of about 800-1000 SYP a month because he now needs to buy less gas – still a while a way from making the project financially sustainable. “But I will save even more money on the fertilizer,” he adds. “And when we find a way to transport the liquid fertilizer, we can sell it to other farms and make a lot of money because the natural fertilizer is much better.”
Annika Folkeson
November 22, 2008