/bio-gas research & design to undertake a feasibility study & preliminary design for an innovative, scalable, cost effective, relevant and locally constructed refugee centered bio-gas digester/lebanon 2015-2016
UNHCR has granted a fund to studioazue in partnership with Difaf to develop a feasibility study for a locally constructed biogas production unit. The growing number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is creating a visible impact on the already weak Lebanese infrastructure in terms of waste management, electricity supply and environmental sustainability. The fast increase in demand for services is causing social conflicts between host and refugee communities. The biogas digester will be studied to reduce the aforementioned impacts, ease tensions between communities, and provide refugees with an enhanced living environment.
The role of studioazue/Difaf is to assess the need for, design and outline the impact of an innovative, scalable, cost effective, relevant and locally constructed refugee centered bio-gas digester to permit the realization of the desired impacts. The digester will be utilized by refugees at a household level to reduce the need to dispose of and/ or to treat household waste/ waste water sludge. The digester shall be constructed utilizing materials procured through a local supply chain and shall produce gas which shall meet (or substantially meet) the energy needs of refugee households.
The objectives of this project are to:
- a) Reduce the strain on existing Lebanese waste management and therefore conflict between host and refugee communities;
- b) Improve the waste management practices of refugee communities and therefore improve associated health impacts and environmental footprint;
- c) Establish energy services for refugees in the form of gas production for heating, cooking and electricity production;
- d) Ensure that residues/ byproducts created from the anaerobic/ fermentation process are complimentary to local processes (e.g. agriculture) thus creating a waste to value chain;
- e) Provide livelihood opportunities to refugees and host communities through creating a local supply chain demand for bio-gas digester inputs, outputs and bio-gas digesters.
Inputs are resources required to build, operate and maintain a bio-gas digester. Outputs are gas, residues, by-products, others(s) produced by the bio-gas digester.
A viable solution might be to use the biogas production for the small productive activities present inside the Informal Settlements.
