Social and Environmental Benefits of Biogas

In recent years institutional biogas systems have been mainly built as waste treatment facilities for toilets. Institutions that opted for biogas digester technology instead of the commonly used sanitation systems as the (Kumasi) Ventilated Improved Pit (KVIP) and toilet swith septic tanks, wanted to solve their practical challenges with odour and desludging of these systems. In addition the institutions saved the costs associated with desludging of the septic tanks. The use of biogas systems for sanitation partly has been stimulated by EPA as new institutional structures are obliged to use anaerobic digesters as standard technology. In addition to the benefits mentioned above there are many more, both for the institutions and the society as a whole. This is especially the case if all three advantages of biogas systems are used to their full potential: 1. Improve sanitation 2. Use the biogas as an energy source 3. Use the effluent for irrigation and as an organic fertilizer Many studies on biogas in Ghana have shown these potential advantages

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• Decreased water use
• Increased usage of organic fertilizer, decreased use of artificial fertilizer.
• Increased usage of organic fertilizer, decreased use of artificial fertilizer.
• Reduced deforestation and desertification as biogasis used instead of firewood
• Improved soil fertility

SOCIETAL BENEFITS

• Improved fertilizer availability which positively impacts cropland productivity and food security.
• Reduction in smoke borne diseases and infant mortality rates.
• Reduction of diseases caused by pathogens in human excreta (e.g. gastrointestinal diseases and cholera).
• Health related productivity (reduction in unproductive time due to sickness).
• Savings in health and illness related costs.
• Increased private sector development

SOCIO- ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• Reduced nuisance from smoke and smoke borne diseases when substituting fire wood with biogas.
• Less water use (and costs) when using (watery) digester effluent for irrigation.
• Cooking with biogas is easier than with firewood (or charcoal), saves time and is clean (no soot).
• Savings in institution’s health related expenditures.
• Health related productivity (reduction in unproductive time due to sickness).