Team #8 // Rage Against the waste
Executive Summery
Faeces sludge is not being managed properly due to high gate fees for the wastewater treatment plant and due to their low operating capacity. As a result, faecal matter is piling up in the city of KIsumu and the lake and is causing health problems whilst increasing costs to the government of Kenya.
We are going to partner with a company that has a working technology to manage the faeces sludge by converting it into clean drinking water and produce electricity in a plant called the ‘Omniprocessor’. The sludge will be collected from septic tanks and latrines as it is now but instead of the sludge being piled up in the city, it will be bought by the plant to produce and sell drinking water and electricity to the community. This guarantees a steady and reliable supply of water to the community instead of the uncertain situation that is currently existing. Instead of competing with local businesses, it works with and further empowers them to grow financially by relying on them for the supply of faeces sludge. This method ensures minimum alteration of already ongoing and functioning services and increases motivation for the Gasseoporas and truck companies to ensure the sludge reaches the plant and is not dumped into the lakes or the ground.
The plant will also provide training and employment to the local community providing long term economic gains and a strong sense of community which is vital to the people of Kisumu.
Problem
The sanitation flow in Kisumu has a lot of unsafely managed aspects, and as a result, 67% of faecal sludge is not managed safely. This poses a plethora of health problems, that is worsened by an unstable climate creating flooding and drought. These unstable parameters also play into the water supply.
About 19,500 Kenyans out of which 17,100 are children under 5 die each year from diarrhoea. It is estimated that 90% of these deaths could have been prevented with better water and hygiene standards.
Target user / Customer
We believe the people of Kisumu are the most important end users of our solution. Enabling the Community not only to get better WASH-related facilities but also creating new jobs and long term impact.
Your solution and how the concept is feasible
The rise of new technologies provides a solution to some of the prevailing hurdles and the Janicki Omni Processor(JOP) s150 is a prime example of that. The processor is currently being used in Dakar, Senegal to great success where it converts faecal sludge into water, electricity and ash. This solution is also a good fit for Kisumu, as the need for potable water is not being met by current water treatment supplies. By creating a water treatment plant with the use of machines such as the JOP the faecal sludge will be transformed into a resource, gaining monetary value. This will create employment opportunities for the residents of Kisumu not just in term of construction of the plant, but also the management and operation of the plant.
Four unique value propositions
- Community Involvement – Employment of local community in not only the plant but also in other services revolving around the plant such as procurement and delivery of sludge and distribution of water.
- Long term and lasting economic and social gain – The plant will provide employment and bring in further Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) due to improved infrastructure such as the steady and reliable supply of water and electricity. Moreover, the plant solves the major problem of rising levels of untreated faecal sludge thereby reducing health problems in the community and making the city an overall cleanlier city.
- Unique and non-gimmicky state of the art technology – The technology exists and there is a functioning plant in a similar setting in Senegal. This one of a kind technology doesn’t rely on extraordinary resources such as children constantly playing. It is a practical, down to earth and no bullshit approach to a growing problem.
- Empowerment of existing services without much alteration – Instead of competing and getting rid of current services, the plant will actually rely on these services to provide the sludge needed to produce the water and electricity thus further empowering them.
Financials
Our revenues will come from the sale of bottled water and energy. We assumed that we can sell a 1,5l bottle of water for 78 Ksh and 33% cost of goods sold. The Omniprocessor is capable of processing 22 000 l of water daily. The biggest expenditure is the initial construction of the plant (10 million DKK).
Impact
Bettering WASH solutions in informal settlements, thereby reducing disease and death.
Employment for the local population in Kisumu.
Long term infrastructural change.
Link for more information
- How the JOP works: https://bit.ly/2CAKwgd
- How poor WASH impacts Kenya: https://bit.ly/2WiIf0v
- UN sustainable development goals: https://bit.ly/1BSEj9K
- Quercus group: https://bit.ly/2peTo3E
Team
In collaboration with Quercus Group, the team behind this entrepreneurial project consists of Anna, Magnus, Mira and Tanish.
Anna Rozecka is a particularly good match for this project with her focus on the intersection between business and development studies.
Magnus Schmidt Galsgaard, with a background in Process and Innovation, combines the practicality of an engineer with the creativity and business understanding of a CCO (Chief Creative Officer).
Mira Backes, having run her own company, provides experience in a start-up business, and brings a new perspective to the challenges with her studies in geophysics and space-technology at DTU.
Tanish Dhagat is the team’s expert in sustainable energy, being mid-way in his bachelor in said topic. Furthermore, Tanish has pursued a lot of experience in this field in his work environment at H.C Ørsted.
Group Members
Anna Rozecka / annarozecka@gmail.com
Magnus Schmidt Galsgaard / msgalsgaard@gmail.com
Mira Backes / backes.mira@gmail.com
Tanish Dhagat / tanishdhagat@gmail.com
