Changing waste management scene in Nigeria has economic, social benefits — Wagland

Stuart Wagland is a professor from Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He has worked in the waste industry for over 12 years and has special interest in recovering energy and value from wastes. In this interview with YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, he speaks on converting wasteto fuel, the UK experience and the process of waste conversion.

How feasible is converting wasteto fuel in Nigeria on a commercial basis following the prototype you have at Cranfield?

The demonstrator facility is owned and operated by Syngas Products, a partner in the project funded by Innovate UK, which also includes WestAfricaENRG.  Currently, converting wasteto fuel in Nigeria would be more challenging to achieve on a commercial basis, than say the UK.  The reasons for this are that in the UK we have many drivers, such as very challenging Government Policy targets for landfill diversion and recycling, plus landfill disposal is very expensive.  Large-scale energy from waste in the UK is well established now, as the cost to send waste to an incinerator is similar to the costs of landfill disposal.  In Nigeria, landfill/dump site disposal is much cheaper, meaning that there is little incentive (cost-wise) for those paying for wastemanagement to seek alternatives; however, the environmental impact is still very significant.

What is significant about waste to fuel conversion?

Environmentally, energy from waste processes are a huge improvement on landfills and dumpsites, so should be pursued to reduce the environmental and human health impacts.  Improper wastemanagement can have enormous negative impacts on water and air quality, plus waste attracts vermin which can also spread disease such as SARS.  Therefore, energy from waste technologies, along with improving the infrastructure for collection and recycling in Nigeria, would have far-reaching benefits. Back to your question, what we are proposing with pyrolysis is a small-scale, or as we call it ‘town-scale’, around 10,000 tonnes of waste per year.

How easy is the process of converting wasteto energy?

The process of converting wasteto energy is relatively straight forward and very well-established.  The most common approach is to burn the waste, which is similar to burning coal and wood. The UK manages over 10 million tonnes of waste per year in this way, providing clean energy to the grid.  The energy conversion is simple, however there needs to be systems in place to clean the exhaust gases.  Pyrolysis, as we are investigating in this current project, is less-established but is proven on a much smaller scale than combustion.

How feasible is zero waste in Nigeria?

Zero waste is difficult.  Waste should be viewed as a valuable resource; meaning that materials which can be recycled are, organic waste is composted and that what remains is converted into energy.  When waste is converted into energy a residue remains (ash), metals can be recovered from this and what remains can be used in construction of roads.  So, to achieve zero waste, there needs to be full engagement from those generating wastes to separate the recyclable material for collection.  Recycling requires there to be someone willing to take the plastics, paper, metals and so on. And of course there needs to be a way of managing materials which cannot be easily recycled.

One of your students is undergoing a research presently in Nigeria, what have you discovered so far?

We have several PhD students doing research on wastemanagement in Nigeria, in addition to the project with WestAfricaENRG and Syngas Products.  We have found that there are differences between how the people of Nigeria and UK perceive waste and the methods of management, plus understanding the differences in policy, economics and other drivers.  There are a lot of very interesting challenges, such as engaging with people to ensure that they recycle and dispose of waste properly, and the technology challenges such as finding ways of implementing alternatives to dumpsites.  I am also pleased to say Cranfield has a very large alumni network in Nigeria, as technicians within energy, Oil and Gas, as well as senior business professionals.

Will your institution be willing to partner with the Nigerian government on this? 

Yes, we would be very interested in doing this and would welcome such a partnership.  We have met with local governments from Nigeria previously, including those from Oyo State.

What is the advantage of biofuel over the popular fossil fuel?

Using fossil fuels introduces ‘new’ greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and are not a sustainable supply of energy; they will run out eventually. Biofuels from waste is a sustainable and mostly renewable (plastics are fossil materials) and have a much lower impact on greenhouse gas emissions.  There is always going to bewaste leaving homes, so this is a steady supply of energy if the means of recovering that energy exists alongside the recovery of materials which could be recycled.

What economic impact will conversion of wasteto fuel have on the country and the people of Nigeria as a whole?

In this project, we are keen to investigate the production of liquid fuels fromwaste, which could replace fuels from oil.  Diesel from crude oil is very expensive, so if thewaste-derived fuels can be produced at a lower cost, then it would have significant benefits on the local users.  Changing the wastemanagement scene in Nigeria would have economic and social benefits, generating income from recycled materials, having a steady supply of energy fromwaste and providing jobs in the sector.