Latrine duty: Cameroon initiative transforms human waste to biogas

Bio-digesters convert organic matter to a new energy source

When your energy supply is unreliable and expensive, sometimes you find that your best work is . . . ahem . . . behind you.

A group in the African country of Cameroon has successfully begun transforming waste to biogas, providing cheap renewable energy and tackling pollution at the same time.

Bioenergy-Cameroon connects pieces of equipment known as bio-digesters to septic tanks and pit latrines, converting organic matter to a gas known as biomethane. This biogas can be used for cooking, heating, and the operation of small generators that produce electricity.

“Many have come to discover the cheap energy in their backyard—and are not only embracing the technology, but are also learning the transformation process,” Cedrick Kemajou, the coordinator of Bioenergy-Cameroon, tells Reuters.

This innovation has been welcomed in the country’s rapidly growing university towns of Buea and Bamenda. For many homes in the region, grid-based electrical power does not exist while propane cylinders are costly.

Because of Buea’s exponential growth, “we had problems handling human waste,” says Patrick Ekema, the city’s mayor. “That is why we are glad that this waste can be used to produce energy that will help the residents not only fill the energy gap but also tackle human waste and sewage (management) problems.”

Just over half of Cameroon’s 23 million people have access to electricity, and the country’s grid—powered by hydroelectricity—is unreliable.

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