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One of the biggest visitor traffic jumps we have ever experienced in the four years in which we have been running this blog occurred when we featured Toilet Maker TOTO's publicity campaign. No doubt many others who featured the story saw public interest peak. It certainly was a very effective campaign at raising awareness of biogas and anaerobic digestion in Japan, and must have been a welcome light relief from all the tragic and weighty events which JAPAN HAS HAD TO DEALWITYH SINCE THE AERTHQUAKE EARLIER THIS YEAR.
At one stage at the peak of the campiagn, our blog was receiving over 1,000 vists per hour according to Google's statistics!
So, we cannot help saying that "Toilet maker is flushed with success after bio-gas bike ride!!
Here is a quote from a recent article about the campiagn:
It's named Neo - part motorcycle, part toilet. Neo runs on eco-friendly biogas. Toto, the toilet company that created Neo, says the biogas that powers the bike was produced from sewage but is quick to point out that the rider does not not contribute to its supply. According to spokesman Kenji Fujita, it's a combination of livestock waste and household sewage, broken down and fermented to create fuel.
"The motorcycle carries two tanks which allow it to run for a total of 300 km at a speed of up to 70 km/h. It's a surprisingly nice way to travel." The toilet bike toured more then 1400 kilometers across Japan in an effort to promote the use of biogas. With a toilet for a seat and a giant role of toilet paper mounted on the rear, Ichie Tanaka, one of six volunteers who rode the bike says Neo definitely attracted attention.
"At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback, but after riding the motorcycle, I found it quite interesting. It doesn't hurt at all and it's actually quite comfortable to sit on." Toto says while Neo may not run on human waste, it hopes future models will. The company says recycling human waste is a practical solution to the environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels.
The company believes it has come a long way toward achieving awareness about the use of biogas. Ichie Tanaka says she's is happy and relieved the journey is over. She says that while the bike was a pleasure to ride, after three long weeks - she is just plain pooped. Ben Gruber, Reuters.
Biogas is one of many forms of alternative energies being promoted as the way of the future, but no one has yet done it in the style of Japanese toilet manufacturer, Toto. The company has created a stir with what it calls its Toilet Bike Neo, a motorcycle that runs on biogas and looks like a toilet on wheels. Ben Gruber reported. ( Transcript )
Gouda - Imtech N.V. (technical services provider in Europe) announces that it has been commissioned by various English water companies to realise sustainable biogas plants and upgrade waste water facilities in the UK. As a result of these orders valued at more than 67 million euro, clients will reduce their carbon footprint and deliver more sustainable services to their customers.
René van der Bruggen, CEO Imtech: 'In the UK, Imtech possesses virtually unique expertise at the interface between waste water treatment and energy. Our strong position in the market for waste water treatment is further confirmed by these new orders and a recently won prestigious environmental award for the biogas plants realized for the water company Welsh Water. As part of our growth strategy 2015, this expertise will also be exported to other European countries in which Imtech operates, such as the Netherlands.' From waste to energy Imtech's unique understanding of both the (waste) water and energy sectors has resulted in further growth in the market for waste water treatment. Imtech is a specialist in treating bio-solids, a residual product from the waste water treatment process. These bio-solids undergo sustainable treatment based on innovative enhanced anaerobic digestion technology in high-tech biogas plants. This process maximises the biogas produced, which is then converted into renewable energy. It also creates a high grade fertiliser product. Biogas plants recently completed for the water company Welsh Water in Cardiff and Afan have won the prestigious Construction News Environmental Project of the Year Award.
Imtech received a substantial new order from Anglian Water. Together with its partner Galliford Try, Imtech will deliver sustainable biogas plants at Basildon and Cliff Quay that will have a total treatment capacity of approximately 25,000 tonnes of bio-solids per year. Both partners are jointly responsible for the design, engineering, construction, commissioning and optimisation of the plants that will generate more than 17 GWh of sustainable electricity per year.
The plants will become operational in 2013. Anglian Water has challenged Imtech to deliver innovative co-generation facilities at four different locations that will generate a total of over 80 GWh of sustainable electricity by 2015. As part of a framework contract for water company Welsh Water, a technological upgrading of a biogas plant will be carried out at Five Fords that processes 10,000 tonnes of bio-solids per year. For the same customer, Imtech will be improving the waste water treatment at various other locations in Wales. A framework contract was signed with water company Veolia Water for refurbishing and expanding its existing potable water and waste water facilities across the UK.
Imtech Profile Imtech N.V. is a European technical services provider in the fields of electrical solutions, ICT (information and communication technology) and mechanical solutions. With more than 27,000 employees, Imtech achieves annual revenue of around 4.5 billion euro. Imtech holds strong positions in the buildings and industry markets in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Eastern Europe, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, Ireland and Spain, the European markets of ICT and Traffic as well as in the global marine market. In total Imtech serves 21,000 customers. Imtech offers added value with integrated and multidisciplinary total solutions that lead to better business processes and more efficiency for customers and the customers they, in their turn, serve. Imtech also offers solutions that contribute towards a sustainable society, for example in the areas of energy, the environment, water and mobility. Imtech shares are listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, where Imtech is included in the Midkap Index. Imtech shares are also included in the Dow Jones STOXX 600 index.
17 May 2011 16:55 - Source: alertnet // David Njagi
A Ugandan fisherman removes a bunch of water hyacinth from the shores of Lake Victoria, 1998. REUTERS/Stringer
By David Njagi
(Video depicts a different biogas initiative not associated with the article.)
NAIROBI (AlertNet) – Alphonse Wesonga used to criticise the Kenyan government for failing to clear Lake Victoria of its choking swathes of water hyacinth. But since discovering he could make money from the invasive weed 10 years ago, the 60-year-old trader from Busia village has joined hundreds of lakeside dwellers who provide for their children by making ornamental furniture and baskets from the floating plant.
Now, however, a new generation of environmentalists is promoting an innovative way to rid the country of one of Africa’s wildest habitat colonisers using green technology – a portable unit that can generate biogas and liquid fertiliser from water hyacinth.
The anaerobic digester normally produces gas from animal waste. But in trials at the weed-infested Nairobi Dam and Naivasha and Victoria lakes, it succeeded in breaking down water hyacinth on a large scale, according to its inventor Dominic Wanjihia of Biogas Africa, a Nairobi-based social enterprise that develops renewable energy technologies for marginalised communities.
By inoculating the digester’s contents with a bacteria obtained from animal intestines, it is able to process green, lush plant matter to produce biogas, as well as liquid fertiliser for use in urban agriculture.
“The digester can continuously generate biogas for a period of up to four months through anaerobic digestion,” explains Wanjihia. “The contents are then emptied, and can produce up to four tonnes of fertiliser.”
The digester has a large surface area exposed to the sun, enabling it absorb solar energy to catalyse the process of anaerobic digestion. It is spread as widely as possible across the ground to allow it to absorb the sun’s heat.
But this also exposes it to scorching, which can cause it to wear out quickly. So for protection, it is fitted with a shade net that filters out 50 percent of the sun’s ultra-violet rays.
MEETING RURAL NEEDS
“My passion to design user-friendly and green gadgets was inspired by my experience with poor Kenyans who struggle everyday trying to meet their energy needs,” explains Wanjihia, 46, the son of a British mother and Kenyan father. “Most of the devices I develop are meant to meet the needs of rural communities in the areas of energy, water and agriculture.”
But won’t the dome-shaped bio-digester with its heavy-duty rubber cover and PVC pipes put hyacinth traders like Wesonga out of a business that fetches him up to 200 Kenyan shillings ($2) per basket?
“Very unlikely,” says Arne Witt, coordinator for invasive species at the Centre for Agricultural Biosciences International (CABI) in Nairobi. “The problem of invasive weeds, including the water hyacinth, is very widespread in East Africa and is not easy to contain both manually and technically.”
Yet it may become easier if the goals set by the 2008 Kenya Energy Sector Environment Programme (KEEP) are met.
The government is aiming to shore up its national power grid with new capacity - 85 percent of which will come from renewable energy - a trend the country’s environment secretary says is starting to pay off.
“The policy document was meant to direct government programmes to solutions that engage the community in adapting to climate change and encourage innovations that position the country as a green economy,” says Alice Kaundia.
MEN IN THE KITCHEN
Nickson Parnisa, one of the first Kenyans to benefit from the Biogas Africa bio-digester, uses animal waste to generate gas, which is funneled to his family’s ring stove through a plastic gas pipe.
The 30-year-old father of one, a pastoralist from Kajiado in the Rift Valley region, south of Nairobi, says he no longer minds cooking. Biogas is starting to replace wood as a source of energy, making it easier and cleaner for men to perform kitchen chores, a trend previously unheard of in Maasai culture.
“I have found it wise to move the kitchen into the house because this new outfit does not produce choking smoke,” says Parnisa, who received his mobile bio-digester in February free of charge.
At a cost of 45,000 Kenyan shillings ($525) per unit, a domestic-scale facility can service an average of 45 people with a 10kg load of cow dung, while a larger version that feeds on 60kg of slurry can be used to run a commercial canteen, says Wanjihia.
The Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) has patented the design of the mobile bio-digester, meaning it can now be promoted widely.
CASH FOR INNOVATION
The National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) has indicated it is keen to support creative initiatives like Wanjihia’s through its Young Innovators Club.
It manages a two-year-old Science and Technology Innovation Fund of 320 million Kenyan shillings ($3.7 million) which has so far supported 10 projects in Kenya, including a car tracking system using a mobile phone and another gadget that produces a sound attracting fish to bait.
Some of the money has been allocated to women researchers, and some has been earmarked for young product developers, according to NCST Secretary Shaukat Abdulrazak. A panel of experts is reviewing 99 projects that have applied for financial assistance.
“Most of the projects we have funded are related to telecommunication, information and communications technology (ICT) and innovations that reduce reliance on traditional sources of energy, such as fossil fuel and biomass,” says Abdulrazak.
Wanjihia of Biogas Africa, meanwhile, is looking to take his green energy device to the next stage. “What the social enterprise needs now is to move to the investment phase with an eye for mass production,” he says.
David Njagi is an environmental writer based in Nairobi.
