ORGANIC FERTILISER AND ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION

PROJECT

WASTE TO ENERGY

INTRODUCTION
Solid waste management is increasingly becoming a major environmental challenge in
Uganda especially in the urban and peri-urban areas. The challenge of solid waste
management is set to increase as the country undergoes urbanization, coupled with the
increasing population. The urban authorities are overwhelmed and do not have adequate
facilities and resources to effectively manage this enormous challenge. Poor waste
management poses health and environmental challenges including contribution to Global
warming/Climate Change through the emission of Green House Gases (GHG) such as
Methane, Carbon dioxide and others.
The Municipal Solid Waste Composting (MSWC) project under the CDM was initiated in
Uganda in 2005 as a project under the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
with financial and technical support from the World Bank under the Environment
Management and Capacity Building Project. To undertake the CDM Project, NEMA was
required to obtain commitment from selected municipalities, agreeing to be part of the project.
NEMA in turn, entered into a formal agreement with the World Bank in regard to this project.
NEMA and the World Bank established a criterion for selecting the urban councils for
participation in the project.
What Waste To Energy will do is take this a step further and in collaboration with the
municipals expand their horizons by adding an electricity component to the project using
anaerobic digestion and fully harnessing the methane in the biogas to produce electricity.
Waste to energy will also add value to the compost by granulating the solid fertilizer for sale
as well as export.

OPPORTUNITY
Value addition of compost to increase sales and market
scope.
Increase income and product range by adding liquid
fertiliser to list of plant output.
Increase income from municipal solid waste projects by
adding electricity component to compost project

AGRICULTURE

Soil experts say yields per hectare of land have been declining over the years
due to reduced soil fertility. Ugandas first soil scientist, Prof. Kitungulu Zaake,
said although production has been increasing due to the expansion of land
under agriculture, this is no longer possible in most parts of the country.
Uganda has one of the lowest fertilizer utilization rates in the world at less
than 1kg per 200 hectares. To make matters worse 60% of fertilizer on the
market is fake! Without increasing soil productivity, getting people out of
poverty will remain a dream.
Improved soil fertility Conventional farming methods rely on artificial fertilizers
to maintain fertility. The difference with organics is that they're naturally slowrelease. They're there for the entire season. They build up the soil structure,
boosting its water-holding capacity and adding to its biodiversity and longterm productivity creating a healthy, hearty root system. Organic fertilizer can
improve drainage, minimizing soil erosion and soluble nitrogen- and
phosphorus-rich runoff. Its also amazingly easy to apply as its almost
impossible to overdose the plants as its slow releasing. Ultimately, these
factors increase tolerance to drought and stress, and reduce plant disease.

ENERGY

Biomass is an underutilized, renewable resource that can potentially reduce fossil fuel
dependency as a part of the primary energy supply. Historically, biomass has merely been used
for heating. Today's developing energy technologies are broadening the uses of biomass well
beyond simple combustion for heating. The flexibility of biomass as an input to conversion
processes provides the ability to generate a wide range of energy products. In 2005 there were
2690 plants in Germany with a capacity of 1109MW. By the end of2011 this had risen to 7621
plants with 3185MW capacity.

In Uganda there is a persistent shortage of power regardless of the numerous electricity dams
being commissioned. Waste To Energy will certainly not be the silver bullet solution to the
persistent energy problems but will ensure that all available resources including the untapped
biomass is put to good use.
Local councils and municipals are also persistently short on cash ever since the scrapping of
graduated tax nearly a decade ago and Waste To Energy sees this as an opportunity that they
can use to raise revenue not just from the sale of value added fertilizer but also the electricity
that will be fed into the national grid in a public private partnership arrangement. The changing
face of municipal waste will also improve sanitation as more emphasis will be put on collection
owing to the fact that it wont be perceived as a burden but as an income generating resource.

SOLUTION (Agriculture)

Maize production in USA stands at 4 ton per acres. The world average is around 2 tons per acre despite the
unfertile soils that they have. Ugandan production is at a measly 1000 kg / acre and declining. The price of maize
today in Uganda is put at UGX 1,000 per kg
It is for these reasons that we came up with the agricultural soil and plant conditioner which is basically Organic
fertilizer in solid and liquid form as a cheaper and better long term alternative to inorganic fertilizer. The long term use
of inorganic (chemical) fertilizers in the long-run causes soil hardening which causes poor root formation and will not
improve productivity since the plants cant respond to fertilizer application anymore.
We aim to facilitate realization of 2.5 tons per acre in the first season then rise up to 3 tons per acre in the next three
to four seasons and hit 4 tons per acre in the next 6-8 seasons. This goal can only be reached by producing the
fertiliser consistently and in accessible packaging that can be purchased by farmers delivering produce at the market.
By adding value to the compost Waste To Energy will create new markets for the fertiliser and help the country
achieve its goal in improving agricultural yields and municipal earnings

WHY THIS SOLUTION?

Which of these two burgers would you rather eat?the one on the left or the right. So why would you subject your
plants to what you wouldn't consume yourself and still expect better yields?
The Waste To Energy produced fertiliser will be significantly cheaper than the inorganic fertiliser on the market.
Inorganic fertiliser is bad for roots in the long term as it causes soil hardening.
Organic food fetches better prices
Application of bio-fertilizers can increase crop yields up to 30-50%.
Our bio-fertilizer is also better for the soil and environment in the short to long term as it doesnt introduce new
NPK into the environment. It only recycles the already existing NPK(more bio-fertilizer advantages) fertilizer 54%
nitrogen 11% phosphorous 35% pottasium.biosolids are rich in plant essential nutrients such as nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) and also contain other essential nutrients like calcium, copper, boron,
manganese, molybdenum, sulfur, zinc, and iron.
Value addition to the compost granulating it to make it easier to handle and package.
Diversifies the product range to include liquid fertiliser or foliar.

SOLUTION(Energy)

The subjection of the municipal waste to anaerobic digestion to produce

biogas for electricity production in itself isnt a new idea and is a proven
technology the major difference is with Waste To Energy's method is how.
Waste To Energy will mix and match technologies to suit different fuels and
produce optimum products and by products with anaerobic
digestion(dry&wet) and gasification technically all on the table without
necessarily compromising electricity production as the generators of
choice(turbines) can operate with a variety of fuels including;Natural Gas,
Propane, Landfill Gas, Digester Gas, Diesel, Aviation, and Kerosene fuels
for maximum flexibility.

WHY THIS SOLUTION?

Total use and exploitation of biomass resource in municipal waste.

Favourable economic conditions encouraging the development of such projects(GET FIT) ensuring
project incomes for at least 20 yrs.
Enormous potential for replication across all municipals in the country.
Use of turbines rather than reciprocating engines for small capacity electricity production yet more
efficiently with lower maintenance costs.
One moving part minimal maintenance and downtime
Patented air bearing no lubricating oil or coolant required
5 and 9 year Factory Protection Plans
Remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities
Integrated synchronization and protection
Reliable tens of millions of run hours and counting

HOW IT WORKS

The bio-fertilizer will be one of the products of the Anaerobic digestion plant that we will set up; the other being biogas for electricity production for now
but also cold be enriched for bottled bio-methane production for household fuel in the future or even synthesized into ethanol or hydrogen depending on
where the future of fuel takes the world.
Bio-fertilizer efficiency is defined by active substance N-P-K and its biologic compound. Biomass at the exit of the plant conserves all active substances
but now they are in free form. Biological compounds of bio-fertilizers are humic acids and macro elements.
The purchasers will have options on how they would like to purchase the fertilizer; unpacked and pre - granulated or packed and granulated.

The electricity produce will be sold to the national grid under the RE FIT Program Uganda which is meant to fast-track a portfolio of small-scale RE
generation projects (1MW-20MW) promoted by private developers with a total installed capacity of roughly 125MW.
Guarantee Facility to secure against offtaker and political risks, as well as a Private Financing
Mechanism that will offer debt and equity at competitive rates. In conjunction, these three instruments will help to address the key hurdles that are
currently blocking more private investment in renewable energy generation capacity in Uganda.

WAY FORWARD
OUR INVESTMENT
Digester cost
=$3,748,850
Turbine cost
=$1,500,000
Other Equipment =$150,000
Working Capital =$100,000
TOTAL

=$5,498,850

DAILY PLANT OUTPUT

10800m3 of raw biogas-55% methane for 1mw power plant
23.5 tons of solid fertilizer
15.875 litres of liquid fertilizer
Waste to Energy is proposing a joint venture partnership with Mukono to set
this up and make this a reality in a way that reflects each partners
contribution to the total cost of the project . While keeping true to the reasons
the composting plant was set up in the first place,dealing with methane
emissions and yet still providing fertilizer and now adding an electricity
dimension to it in a way that keeps doors open for a lot of other future
developments and revenue streams.

THE END

Waste to Energy is a yet to be registered special purpose vehicle affiliated to Oltanativ U Ltd
Web: Oltanativ.com
Email:info@oltanativ.com Tel:0752809809/0792809809