Biodigester in Kenya

Biodigester in Kenya

The introduction of Biodigesters in Kenya has helped better our country in many ways. Setting up a biodigester in Kenya is one of the best decisions a property owner can make. The many people who have set up biodigesters have seen the many benefits it brings.

It has led to the creation of a cleaner and healthier environment where they have been put up. Streets, schools, living, and working spaces have improved in terms of cleanliness.

Bio latrines that have replaced the traditional pit latrines have improved cleanliness and done away with the bad smell they are associated with.

Setting up of biodigesters in Kenya has also increased the recycling of wastewater that is then mostly used for cleaning and irrigation.

What are Biodigesters?

Biodigesters are specially designed concrete, metal, or plastic structures that provide anaerobic environments where organic matter is broken down into sludge, water, and gas. Biodigesters are constructed for different purposes. Some biodigesters are made for the purpose of managing household waste from the kitchen, bathrooms, and toilets. Others are made to manage wastewater produced from domestic or commercial premises as well as institutions that produce large amounts of organic waste like agricultural factories, schools, and jails among others. Other biodigesters are made to work in place of traditional pit latrines. Others are made for the purpose of generating biogas that is then used for lighting and heating. Putting up a biodigester in Kenya for any of the above reasons offers long term benefits to the users.

What is a biodigester used for?

Biodigesters are used for domestic and commercial waste management, wastewater management, as replacements for traditional pit latrines and for generating biogas that is used for heating ad lighting.

Biodigesters for domestic and commercial waste management.

In this case, biodigesters are installed to manage organic or biodegradable waste generated in households or commercial premises instead of the same waste being ferried out to be dumped elsewhere. Most of this waste is generated in kitchens and toilets. This waste could be in both solid and liquid forms.

Well designed biodigesters break down the waste to a point of reducing the solid waste by more than 90%. That means that most of the effluent from the biodigester is gas and water. If your digester is a high quality one, the water will be clean enough to be used for cleaning and irrigation.

The Blueflame Biodigester System does all the above and more, you can read more about it HERE.

Biodigesters for wastewater management.

Most people who dispose of their solid and liquid waste separately, especially those who live in areas where local governments have not set up sewerage systems have a hard time getting rid of wastewater. In most cases, they put up traditional septic tanks that have to be emptied regularly at a fee. Others just dispose of the wastewater in the open and this pollutes the environment and creates a risk of spreading water-borne diseases.

Biodigesters for wastewater management solve this issue.  Putting up this kind of biodigester in Kenya is gaining popularity by the day. This kind of biodigester breaks down the organic components in wastewater and then separates the remaining solids with the water. The water is then cleaned further and finally treated to get rid of all pathogens in it. The end result is recyclable water that can be used for cleaning and irrigation.

The Bluflame Biodigester Water Treatment Plant has been proven to produce effluent that is 99% water and pathogen-free. You can read more about it HERE.

Bio-Latrines

Bio-latrines are biodigester versions of traditional pit latrines. Traditional pit latrines are used are mostly used to collect human waste and other types of waste in a pit. These pit latrines are used until they fill up. Then they are either emptied at a fee or new ones are built in a new location. Emptying them is expensive and it poses the danger of environmental contamination which leads to the spread of diseases like cholera, dysentery, and other similar infections. Constructing others is both expensive and wastes space.

Bio Latrines solve all the above-mentioned challenges. Biolatrines break down the waste deposited in them and produce sludge, water, and gas as effluent. The gas is odorless and that takes away the discomfort of contending with smelly human waste as is common with pit latrines. The water produced from bio latrines can be recycled and used for irrigation.

The fact that bio latrines break down the waste in them means that owners never have to incur the cost of emptying them or constructing new ones.

The Bluflame Bio Latrine is designed to break down all biodegradable solid waste deposited in it by more than 90% and to produce effluent that is odorless and that is mostly clean recyclable water. You can read more about it HERE.

Biodigesters for Biogas production (Biogas Plants)

Biogas Plants are biodigesters that are essentially designed to break down organic waste to produce methane which is a flammable gas that is widely referred to as biogas. Biogas is used for lighting and heating, especially cooking. Biogas plants use solid organic (biodegradable) waste as raw materials. The waste is broken down into biogas and liquid slurry. The slurry works very perfectly as organic fertilizer.

Setting up a biogas biodigester in Kenya requires expertise and experience so as to get the desired end result of enough biogas as the main product and organic fertilizer as a byproduct.  Our biogas biodigester at Blueflame Energy Solutions is designed to achieve all that. You can read more about it HERE.

How does a biodigester work?

A biodigester works by creating an anaerobic environment that is optimum for bacteria to break down organic material into sludge, water, and methane gas. A biodigester comprises at least one chamber that is airtight to create an environment that is completely devoid of oxygen (anaerobic). The chamber is fed with bacteria that thrive in environments that are devoid of oxygen. These microorganisms digest organic material in the chamber, breaking it down, as indicated above into sludge, water, and gas. 

The design of individual biodigesters determines it’s efficiency in breaking down waste. Biodigesters made according to well-developed designs produce effluent that is mostly water. The easiest way to determine this is by simply looking at the effluent as it leaves the outlet of the biodigester. The better the biodigester design, the clearer the effluent. A more thorough and reliable way of determining the efficiency of a biodigester is by testing its effluent in a verified laboratory. 

Effluent from waste management biodigesters designed and installed by Blueflame Energy Solutions is almost 100% clear. We have had the same effluent tested in a government laboratory and the results that have consistently come back is that the effluent is over 99% water. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you to design and set up a biodigester in Kenya or elsewhere, visit the Products page on our website where you can click on the particular product you are interested in to read more about it.

What do you feed a biodigester?

A biodigester’s feed is determined by its purpose. A domestic biodigester is fed with organic solid and liquid waste mostly from kitchens and toilets. A biodigester water treatment plant is mostly fed untreated wastewater. A bio latrine biodigester is fed with raw organic solid and liquid waste. A biogas biodigester is mostly fed with organic food waste and livestock manure.

Biodigester construction companies in Kenya

The design, installation, and maintenance of biodigesters in Kenya have been gaining popularity by the day. People all over the country, from individual homeowners to managers of organizations have been adopting the use of biodigesters in place of traditional waste management systems. This is because of the many advantages biodigesters have over traditional waste management systems where management of waste and generation of biogas is concerned.

This has led to the emergence of very many biodigester construction companies in Kenya. All these companies compete for clients by tailoring their packages in the most attractive fashion.

BlueFlame Energy Solutions is among the topmost biodigester construction companies in Kenya. Blueflame Energy Solutions has consistently carried out research to improve on their biodigester designs to make them more effective in their work and cheaper to put up. Biodigesters designed and constructed by Blueflame energy solutions have proved to be very effective and efficient time and again. Our domestic biodigesters and water treatment plants have been proven to produce effluent that is over 99% water while our biogas biodigesters produce relatively large amounts of biogas from relatively low amounts of feedstock.

The effectiveness, efficiency, and durability of Blueflame biodigesters have created trust among many clients in Kenya. It’s because of that reason that many government-owned and privately-owned housing estates and institutions have chosen Blueflame Energy Solutions as the biodigester construction company of their choice. Individual homeowners, hotels, petrol stations, factories, learning institutions, and many other organizations have also had their biodigesters designed and constructed by Blueflame Energy Solutions.

These clients include the National Housing Corporation, Urithi Housing Society,  Hard Rock Park Estate on Kenyatta Road, Bamboo Villas Estate in Ruiru, Bendera Kigumo High School in Muranga County, Kirigara Girls High School in Meru County, Rosewood Court Apartments in Thindigua, Kiambu County, among many other clients.

To get more information about the Blueflame biodigesters, visit our CONTACT US page. 

How much does a biodigester cost in Kenya?

The cost of design and construction of biodigesters in Kenya varies from one biodigester construction company to another. At Blueflame Energy Solutions, the price of a biodigester is determined by the purpose for which it is being built and the volume of waste it is designed to digest.

Modern Biodigesters in Kenya

Biodigesters in Kenya have undergone a lot of changes where technology is concerned.  Tim Hutchison introduced biodigesters in Kenya for the first time in 1957 in his farm to provide gas and fertilizer in the form of sludge for his coffee farm. in 1958 he started commercial production of biogas digesters through his company Tunnel Engineering Ltd. Since then, thousands of biodigester plants have been set up in Kenya.

The use of biodigesters has been diversified greatly since their introduction in Kenya.  Besides being set up for biogas production, we now have biodigester plants for wastewater treatment, domestic waste management, and waste management using bio latrines.

The technology used in the construction of biodigesters has greatly improved over the years. At Blueflame Water and Energy Solutions, we have invested heavily in the development of technology used to construct our biodigesters. Our biogas digesters digest biomass completely to produce biogas for cooking and lighting as well as organic fertilizer in the form of sludge. Our wastewater, domestic waste, and bio latrine digesters break down waste completely to a point of producing clean water as effluent.

To learn more about this, browse this website further or contact us by going to our CONTACT US page. 

Biodigester Installation

The process of biodigester installation depends on the type of biodigester being installed and its design. At Blueflame Water and Energy Solutions, we install concrete, plastic, or metal biodigesters. These biodigesters can either be installed underground or over the ground.

The amount of time it takes to install a biodigester depends on its type too. Installing a concrete biodigester takes longer than installing a plastic or metal one. This is because a concrete biodigester involves constructing it from scratch but our plastic and metal biodigesters are prefabricated and therefore don’t require too much time to set up. 

For a biodigester to function effectively, it’s installation needs to follow certain industry standards without deviation. Our technicians are trained in following those standards to the letter while observing our modern biodigester designs.

To learn more about how we install our biodigester systems for effective functioning, browse this website further or contact us by going to our CONTACT US page. 

Domestic Biodigester Systems in Kenya

Blueflame Water and Energy Solutions Ltd have one of the most effective domestic biodigester systems in Kenya and Africa at large. This domestic biodigester perfectly manages domestic waste, especially from the kitchen and washrooms. The Blueflame biodigester system is superior because it has many unique features that are not found in other domestic biodigesters in the market.

The first unique feature of the Blueflame biodigester is that its size is not fixed. We set up domestic biodigesters depending on the amount of waster it’s being set up to manage.

The second feature is that unlike the common biodigesters in the market that have only one chamber, the Blueflame biodigester has at least four chambers. Each of these chambers have their functions. The first chamber receives raw waste ad traps grease as well as all non-biodegradable materials like plastics. The second chamber is airtight and it’s in it that anaerobic digestion of organic waste happens. This is where waste is reduced into water, sludge, and gas. The third and fourth chambers help in settling of solid matter to make sure that only water leaves the biodigester as effluent. 

The third unique feature of the Blueflame biodigester is it’s large inspection points that allow very effective servicing of the biodigester system.

The fourth unique feature is the presence of well-fitted downpipes between the chambers. This reduces turbulence in the biodigester and that ensures floatation and settling of solid waste to ensure that only water and gas leave the biodigester at the last point of exit.

The fifth unique feature of the Blueflame biodigester is the presence of the membrane bioreactors between the third and the fourth chambers as well as at the last point of exit from the fourth chamber. These bioreactors filter the water before it moves to the next level and that makes sure that the effluent that leaves the biodigester is over 90% free of solids.