BioFactory - Low-cost, sustainable biogas production, through self-contained, off-grid latrine/waste-processing systems

该项目由4个主要合作伙伴组成，包括生物工厂有限公司（以下简称BF）、西英格兰大学卫生技术中心（以下简称UWE）、阿德尔Sofala（以下阿德尔）和南部非洲资源中心（或布里斯托链接贝拉-以下简称BLB）。每个合作伙伴都被选中在项目中利用其核心优势。该项目旨在了解和发展学校、非正规住区和难民营内的沼气使用。该项目包括BF独立的离网废物管理系统的研究、设计和开发，该系统可显著提高厕所的使用质量，并通过将废物处理成沼气和土壤改良剂来捕获和保留废物。沼气将用作烹饪燃料，以减少社区内40%的木炭和木柴依赖。该系统是为120-200名全职用户的社区设计的。BF的系统作为一个整体，是创新的，通过集成的特定组件;通过处理现场的废物，沼气可以直接销售回用户通过公共厨房，而不需要运输和存储（通常是一个非常大的成本在废物管理）。围绕使用BF系统的商业计划也是创新的，通过从沼气销售中回收成本，我们可以为无法使用的社区免费提供改进的厕所。该项目将在厕所处理系统的开发阶段之后进行。将在英国建造一个原型系统，用于制造测试，从机械和电气角度验证设计，并测试过程功能。UWE将为系统输出开发关键的生物测试方法，以确定处理过程的有效性。英国原型将被用作试验台，以执行过程灵敏度试验。由于预算变化和与Covid相关的延迟，我们将无法按计划在莫桑比克部署系统。这一部署被无限期推迟，同时正在寻求替代供资安排，以便制定新的计划。与此同时，生物工厂概念的技术开发以及关键的工程和生物安全创新将继续在英国进行。

This project consists of 4 major partners, including The BioFactory Ltd (herein BF), University of West of England's Health Tech Hub (herein UWE), ADEL Sofala (herein ADEL), and Southern African Resource Centre (or Bristol Link to Beira -- herein BLB). Each partner has been selected to utilise their core strengths within the project. This project is being undertaken to understand and develop biogas use within schools, informal settlements and refugee camps. The project includes the research, design and development of BF's standalone system for off-grid waste management, that dramatically improves quality of toilet access, capturing and retaining the waste through processing into biogas and soil conditioner. The biogas will be used as a cooking fuel to reduce charcoal and firewood dependency within the communities by a 40%. This system is designed for communities of between 120-200 full-time users. BF's system as a whole, is innovative through the integration of specific components; by treating the waste on site, the biogas can be sold directly back to the users through communal kitchens, without the need for transport & storage (often a very large cost in waste management). The business plan surrounding the use of BF's system is also innovative, through cost recovery from biogas sales, we can provide improved latrines for free to communities that otherwise don't have access. This project will follow the development phase of the latrine-processing system. A prototype first system will be built in the UK for the purpose of manufacture testing, validating the design from a mechanical and electrical perspective, and to test process functionality. UWE will be developing critical biotesting methods for the system outputs, to determine the effectiveness of the treatment process. The UK Prototype will be utilised as a test bed to perform process sensitivity testing. Due to budget changes and Covid-related delays we will not be able to undertake the planned deployment of a system to Mozambique. This deployment is indefinitely delayed while alternative funding arrangements are sought, such that new plans can be drawn up. In the meantime technical development of the BioFactory concept and the key engineering and bio-safety innovations will continue in the UK.