Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Business Models and Economic Approaches for Recovering Energy from Wastewater and Fecal Sludge

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Wastewater

Abstract

Universal access to water, sanitation and energy services are key challenges in low income countries. The conventional model of providing water, sanitation and waste disposal as a social service is no longer viable because national authorities lack financial and human resources for operation and maintenance and for addressing the sanitation needs locally. Human excreta and wastewater represent resources that can be used to generate new income and support livelihoods through use as a source of energy. The reduction, removal and reuse of wastes must become financially feasible and economically profitable and yield high returns. This requires innovative and sustainable business models and financing instruments for their implementation. This chapter presents an overview of successful and emerging business cases for recovering energy and other useful products from wastewater and fecal sludge from low and middle income countries. The business cases are analysed for their business concepts and opportunities and challenges for scaling-up and scaling-out. Key policy implications and conclusions for supporting the business model approach in the developing world are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Amigun B, von Blottnitz H (2007) Investigation of scale economies for African biogas installations. Energy Convers Manage 48:3090–3094

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amigun B, von Blottnitz H (2010) Capacity-cost and location-cost analyses for biogas plants in Africa. Resour Conserv Recycl 55:63–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bidart C, Fröhling M, Schultmann F (2014) Electricity and substitute natural gas generation from the conversion of wastewater treatment plant sludge. Appl Energy 113:404–413

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brohe A, Eyre N, Howarth N (2009) Carbon markets: an international business guide. Earthscan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Butare A, Kimaro A (2002) Anaerobic technology for toilet wastes management: the case study of the Cyangugu pilot project. World Trans Eng Technol Educ 1(1):147–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarens AF, Resurreccion EP, White MA et al (2010) Environmental life cycle comparison of algae to other bioenergy feedstocks. Environ Sci Technol 44:1813–1819

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CSIRO (2008) Energy use in the provision and consumption of urban water in Australia and New Zeland. http://www.csiro.au/files/files/pntk.pdf. Accessed 7 March 2014

  • Dominguez A, Menendez JA, Inguanzo M, Pis JJ (2006) Production of bio-fuels by high temperature pyrolysis of sewage sludge using conventional and microwave heating. Bioresour Technol 97:1185–1193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dominguez A, Fernandez Y, Fidalgo B, Pis JJ, Menendez JA (2008) Bio-syngas production with low concentrations of CO2 and CH4 from microwave-induced pyrolysis of wet and dried sewage sludge. Chemosphere 70:397–403

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012) Towards the circular economy 1: economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, McKinsey & Company, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • EPRI (2002) Electric Power Research Institute. Water and Sustainability. USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Flores-Alsina X, Rodríguez-Roda I, Sin G et al (2008) Multi-criteria evaluation of wastewater treatment plant control strategies under uncertainty. Water Res 42:4485–4497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friotherm (2012) Dalian-Xinghai: environment-friendly heating and cooling for a business district in China, with 3 Unitop® 33/28 units. http://friotherm.com/webautor-data/41/xinghai_e013_uk.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2014

  • Gauthier M, Oppliger A, Lohri C, Zurbrugg C (2011) Ensuring appropriateness of biogas sanitation systems for prisons—analysis from Rwanda, Nepal and the Philippines. ICRC, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorrie P (2012) Biomethane production at Ontario wastewater treatment plant. BioCycle 53(11):43

    Google Scholar 

  • GWRC (Global Water Research Coalition) (2010) An energy and carbon footprint neutral urban water cycle by 2030. Workshop on water and energy. Singapore: Water HUB. PUB. www.globalwaterresearchcoalition.net. Accessed 7 Nov 2013

  • Hernández-Sancho F, Molinos-Senante M, Sala-Garrido R (2011) Energy efficiency in Spanish wastewater treatment plants: a non-radial DEA approach. Sci Total Environ 409:2693–2699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) (2011) ICRC—Philippines. Waste no more: introducing renewable energy in Philippine jails. http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/feature/2011/philippines-feature-2011-03-25.htm. Accessed 20 March 2014

  • IDAE (2010) Water and energy: the complex interplay of two scarce resources. The energy footprint of the water. A first estimate of energy consumption of desalination and urban wastewater treatment

    Google Scholar 

  • IWA (2012) Water-energy interactions in water reuse. IWA Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Jewitt S (2011a) Geographies of shit: spatial and temporal variations in attitudes towards human waste. Prog Human Geogr 35:608–626

    Google Scholar 

  • Jewitt S (2011b) Poo gurus? Researching the threats and opportunities presented by human waste. Appl Geogr 31:761–769

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapdi S, Vijay VK, Rajesh S, Prasad R (2005) Biogas scrubbing, compression and storage: perspective and prospectus in Indian context. Renew Energy 30(8), 1195–1202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • KIST (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology) (2006) Impact assessment of the CITT disseminated technologies in Rwanda. KIST, Rwanda

    Google Scholar 

  • Krich K, Augenstein D, Batmale JP, Benemann J, Rutledge B, Salour D (2005) Biomethane from dairy waste: a sourcebook for the production and use of renewable natural gas in California. Available from: http://www.calstart.org/Libraries/Publications/Biomethane_from_Dairy_Waste_Full_Report.sflb.ashx. Accessed 3 July 2014

  • Kriegler E, O’Neill BC, Hallegatte S, Kram T, Lempert RJ, Moss RH, Wilbanks T (2012) The need for and use of socio-economic scenarios for climate change analysis: a new approach based on shared socio-economic pathways. Global Environ Change 22:807–822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linné M, Jönsson O (2004) Summary and analysis of the potential for production of renewable methane (Biogas and SNG) in Sweden. Biomil Ab and Swedish Gas Center. Available from http://www.biogasmax.eu/media/summary_and_analysis_april2005__022436100_1644_26042007.pdf. Accessed 2 July 2014

  • Lazarova V, Asano T, Bahri A, Anderson J (2013) Milestones in water reuse: the best success stories. IWA Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Lempert RJ, Groves DG (2010) Identifying and evaluating robust adaptive policy responses to climate change for water management agencies in the American west. Technological Forecast Social Change 77:960–974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohri C, Vogeli Y, Oppliger A, Mardini R, Giusti A, Zurbrugg C (2010) Evaluation of biogas sanitation systems in Nepalese prisons. IWA-DEWATS conferene. Decentralized water treatement solutions in developing countries conference and exhibition, 23–26 March, 2010, Surabaya, Indonesia

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundquist TJ, Woertz IC, Quinn NWT, Benemann JR (2010) A realistic technology and engineering assessment of algae biofuel production. Energy Biosciences Institute, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Meda A, Lensch D, Schaum C et al (2012) Energy and water: relations and recovery potential. In: Lazarova V, Choo K, Cornel P (eds) Water-energy interactions in water reuse. IWA Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Medeazza G, Moreau V (2007) Modelling of water–energy systems, the case of desalination. Energy 32:1024–1031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell D (2011) Biofuels in Africa—opportunities, prospects and challenges. The World Bank, Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • MNRE (2014), Technology demonstration projects on biogas generation, purification and bottling under RDD & D policy of MNRE. http://www.mnre.gov.in/schemes/r-d/rd-projects/. New Delhi, India

  • Munyehirwe A, Kabanda P (2008) Performance assessment of institutional biogas systems in Rwanda. Inclusive Business and Consultance Ltd. GIZ, Rwanda

    Google Scholar 

  • NSCA (2006) Biogas as a road transport fuel. National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA), Brighton

    Google Scholar 

  • Oate N, Ross I, Calow R, Carter R, Doczi J (2014) Adaptation to climate change in water, sanitation and hygiene—assessing risks, appraising options in Africa. http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/8154-climate-change-adaptation-wash-water. Accessed 26 March 2014, ODI, London, UK

  • Otoo M, Drechsel P (2015) Resource recovery from waste: business models for energy, nutrients and water reuse. IWMI and Earthscan. (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Phalakornkule C, Petiruksakul A, Puthavithi W (2009) Biodiesel production in a small community: case study in Thailand. Resour Conserv Recycl 53:129–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PURAC Puregas (2013) Biogas upgrading plants. http://purac-puregas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/BiogasUpgradingPlants.pdf. Accessed 6 July 2014

  • Qadir M, Wicheln D, Raschid-Sally L, McCornick PG, Drechsel P, Bahri A, Minhas PS (2010) The challenges of wastewater irrigation in developing countries. Agric Water Manage 97:561–568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qureshi M, Hanjra MA, Ward J (2013) Impact of water scarcity in Australia on global food security in an era of climate change. Food Policy 38:136–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roma E, Benoit N, Buckley C et al (2013) Using the receptivity model to uncover ‘urine blindness’: perceptions on the re-use of urine. Waste Manage Res 31:648–654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schosseler P, Lohmann T, Schmitt B, Perbal S, Dubois C, Sauerborn K (2007) Implementing sustainable sanition in Luxembourg—methodological approach and outcomes. Water Sci Technol 56:33–41

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SevernWye Energy Agency (2012) Introduction to the production of biomethane from biogas—a guide for England and Wales. http://www.severnwye.org.uk/Bio-methaneRegions/downloads/Biomethane_developer_brochure_EN.pdf. Accessed 3 July 2014

  • Stillwell AS, Hoppock DC, Webber ME (2010) Energy recovery from wastewater treatment plants in the United States: a case study of the energy-water Nexus. Sustainability 2:945–962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNWATER (2013) The Post 2015 water thematic consultation report—the world we want http://www.unwater.org/downloads/Final9Aug2013_WATER_THEMATIC_CONSULTATION_REPORT.pdf. UNWATER, New York, USA. Accessed 3 March 2014

  • VALORGAS—Valorization of food waste to biogas (2011) D5.1 Evaluation of potential technologies and operational scales reflecting market needs for low-cost upgrading systems; Jyväskylän Yliopisto. http://www.valorgas.soton.ac.uk/Deliverables/VALORGAS_241334_D5-5_130824.pdf. Accessed 3 July 2014

  • VALORGAS—Valorization of food waste to biogas (2012) D5.2 Evaluation of existing low cost gas bottling systems for vehicles use adaption in developing economies. http://www.valorgas.soton.ac.uk/Deliverables/120825_VALORGAS_241334_D5-2_rev[0].pdf. Accessed 4 July 2014

  • VALORGAS—Valorization of food waste to biogas (2013) Final publishable summary report. http://www.valorgas.soton.ac.uk/Pub_docs/VALORGAS_241334_Final_Publishable_Summary_140110.pdf. Accessed 4 July 2014

  • Walker ME, Theregowda RB, Safari I et al (2013) Utilization of municipal wastewater for cooling in thermoelectric power plants: evaluation of the combined cost of makeup water treatment and increased condenser fouling. Energy 60:139–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Water Enironment Research Foundation (WERF) (2011) Factsheet: energy production and efficency research—the roadmap to net-zero energy, Alexandria

    Google Scholar 

  • WEO (2011) World Energy Outlook International Energy Agency, Paris, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Wibowo A, Wuryanti W (2007) Capacity factor based cost models for building of various functions. Civil Eng Dimens 9:70–76

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2012) A primer on energy efficiency for municipal water and wastewater utilities. Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), Technical Report 001/12. The World Bank, Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhuwei D, Haoran L, Tingyue G (2007) A state of the art review on microbial fuel cells: a promising technology for wastewater treatment and bioenergy. Biotechnol Adv 25:464–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), P.O. Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Krishna Rao

  2. Department of Applied Economics II, University of Valencia, Campus dels Tarongers, 46022, Valencia, Spain

    Francesc Hernández-Sancho

  3. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Regional Office Ghana, PMB CT 112, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana

    Solomie Gebrezgabher

  4. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pretoria, South Africa

    Munir A. Hanjra

Authors
  1. Solomie Gebrezgabher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Krishna Rao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Munir A. Hanjra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Francesc Hernández-Sancho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Solomie Gebrezgabher .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Int. Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Pay Drechsel

  2. United Nations University Institute for Water, Env. and Health, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Manzoor Qadir

  3. Agricultural Water Management, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Dennis Wichelns

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gebrezgabher, S., Rao, K., Hanjra, M., Hernández-Sancho, F. (2015). Business Models and Economic Approaches for Recovering Energy from Wastewater and Fecal Sludge. In: Drechsel, P., Qadir, M., Wichelns, D. (eds) Wastewater. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9545-6_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation