Feasibility of anaerobic digestion in UMDM

The aim of the project is to introduce anaerobic digestion technologies to create waste from energy through the establishment of an anaerobic digestion facility within the uMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM), KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa. The facility will treat the abundant agricultural, food and sewerage sludge available within the UMDM and produce renewable sources of energy and bio-fertilizers.

UMDM has completed a general feasibility into advanced waste management systems which revealed that up to 35% of all waste collected by municipalities within the UMDM was of an organic nature and that current disposal methods were contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases, pollution of water sources and lost opportunities to create renewable energy. One of the approaches that appear to hold the most promise in the UMDM context is the treatment of organic waste materials through anaerobic digestion processes to produce renewable energy.

The UMDM is deemed to be a climate change hot spot due to changes in climate that have already taken place and the projected changes due to take place. Projects that mitigate against climate change are strategic objectives of the municipality. An anaerobic digestor will reduce GHG emissions and create renewable sources of energy.

It is an opportunity to introduce effective anaerobic digestion technology, innovative partnership based institutional arrangements to develop and operate such facilities driven by incentive based policies and regulations from the Netherlands into South Africa through the uMgungundlovu District Municipality.

Westwoude Management B.V. has been commissioned to prepare a feasibility study.