Josiane Nikiema Researcher – Environmental Sciences and all of the Resource Recovery and Reuse team

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Water for a food-secure world
Processes for resource recovery for
African agriculture
Resource recovery and reuse (RRR)
Josiane Nikiema
Researcher – Environmental Sciences
and all the RRR team
West Africa Office – Accra, Ghana
Phone: (+233) 302 784 753/4
Fax: (+233) 302 784 752
Email: J.Nikiema@cgiar.org

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Outline
1. Opportunities and challenges in waste
2. Case studies

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1. What is contained in waste ? Opportunities
Water
Nutrients
Organic
matterImproves soil quality
Improve crop yields
Required for irrigation

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What is contained in waste ? Challenges
Pathogens
Undesirable
fractions
Toxic
fractions
Example: heavy metals
Example: plastics
Example: helminthes
eggs
Safe quality improvement

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2. Case studies
A. Reuse of water
B. Recycling of fecal sludge

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Clarias gariepinus (African catfish)
Stabilization Ponds
A. Water reuse – Aquaculture; Kumasi, Ghana

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B. The Fortifer© case, Ghana
• Recycle fecal sludge
• Produce a good quality product
Objectives Challenges
• Pathogens
• Sorting required
Keywords
Cost
effective
SafeSimple

8. • 18 tanks (15 m3 each) needed
– 6 public latrines
– 12 Septic tanks
• Over 2 tonnes solid fecal sludge
produced every 2 weeks with a 240 m2
drying bed
Phase 1.
Drying step

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Phase 1. (Co-)composting, e.g. with organic market
waste or sawdust
First stages
Monitoring, through control of temperature and
addition of water
Final stage

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Phase 2.
Grinding

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Phase 2.
Enrichment
• It allows to align the
composition to the
needs for different
crops and soil
• So far, only N
enrichment (using
ammonium sulphate)
was performed

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Phase 2.
Pelletization
• Less volume is needed
for packaging
• Water and binder (e.g.
starch) are added
before pelletization
• Pellets can be sun-
dried

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Recapitulation: Phase 1
Production of composts
Organic
waste
Regular addition
of water
Drying
beds
Raw liquid fecal
sludge from
tankers or
collection points
Excess liquid to be
treated, e.g. in a
pond
Raw fecal
sludge
Composting Compost
Raw solid fecal
sludge from dry
toilets

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Pelletization
Material to
pelletize
Raw
pellets
Drying
Mixing
26%
water
Ground
compost
3% Starch &
7% Ammonium sulphate
Grinding Compost
Fine particles
Dry
pellets
Heat
Sieving
Pellet
packaging
and use
Recapitulation: Phase 2
Production of enriched pellets

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Open field test with Fortifer© in Accra
(with Ferric lixisol)
0
1
2
3
4
Control Inorg. Fert. EC-DFS (IR) EC-DFS (PG) EC-SDFS (PG) Poultry Manure
Maizegrainyield(Tonne/ha)
150 kg N/ha 210 kg N/ha
Various pellet formulations

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5
10
15
20
25
30
Control IN-F EC-DFS IR EC-DFS PG EC-SDFS PG ECO-F
Cabbageyield(Tonne/ha)
Cambisol - 150 kgN/ha Cambisol - 210 kgN/ha
Ferric Lixisol - 150 kgN/ha Ferric Lixisol - 210 kgN/ha
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Control IN-F EC-DFS IR EC-DFS PG EC-SDFS PG ECO-F
Maizegrainyield(Tonne/ha)
Greenhouse tests
with Fortifer©
ECO-F is a commercial compost

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Benefits with Fortifer© pellets
Challenges Final conclusions
Disease
incidence
Fortifer is safe.
Transport 50-80 % of the initial volume is needed to transport Fortifer
Handling Fortifer pellets are strong
The nutrients are gradually being released into the soil
Use No dust generated
Perception No perception barrier to Fortifer in 5 selected regions of Ghana
(preliminary investigation)
Cost < 10 US$ per bag of 50 kg

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Current stage: Demonstrate the feasibility of this
reuse concept – WaFo project
Kick off a Fortifer© plant (up to 1,000
tonnes per year)
Outcomes to achieve are:
1. Form a PPP with co-funding at 50%
of total lifecycle costs
2. Secure off-take contracts for 50% of
the production
3. Demonstrate an increase in volumes
of sludge treated and a reduction in
costs of sludge management in the
target city
4. Proven and replicable business and
technology solution established

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Thanks for your kind
attention !
The authors would like to express their gratitude to:
• Donors (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Department for
International Development (DFID) and Grand Challenges Canada (GCC).
• All partners! (BNARI: Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research
Institute, Ghana; UI: University of Ibadan, Nigeria; UG: University of Ghana;
VVU: Valley View University; TMA: Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana;
CSIR: Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana)