Compressed Biogas (CBG)

Producing and distributing compressed biogas for households
Waste Management
Kigali
Rwanda

The initiative Compressed Biogas proposes to build large biogas plants that will continuously produce biogas from urban, domestic and industrial wastes. The biogas produced will be stored under pressure in gas cylinders for easy distribution to urban and peri-urban customers as alternative to charcoal and firewood. The objective of CBG is to provide affordable biogas for poor households, targetting peri-urban and urban Rwandan households that are still using firewood and carbonized charcoal for heating and cooking. Distribution will be through a network of sales representatives, existing hardware shopkeepers in focal commercial centres throughout the country. 

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
This initiative provides affordable biogas for poor households while creating new local employment opportunities at the plants. Using CBG instead of firewood and carbonised charcoal also saves woods and reduces CO2 emissions.
  • Improving health conditions by providing a clean source of fuel for cooking.
  • Reducing the burden on women and girls in searching for and carrying firewood.

 

  • Decreasing the use of firewood and carbonised charcoal and saving more than 1 million tons of wood per year which corresponds to the removal from the atmosphere of more than 54 thousand tonnes of CO2.
  • Reducing indoor pollution and natural water contamination.
  • Improving economic situation of urban populations by enabling them to save money and time through the use of a cheap and efficient cooking fuel.
  • Creating 32 new jobs at the plants, 112 other jobs in distribution and raw materials collection centers.

Partners

This initiative has been developed by a private company, an international NGO and government organizations to produce and store pressurised biogas for cooking made from urban, domestic and industrial wastes. Environmental benefits are achieved by offering an alternative firing material to firewood and charcoal.

DASSY Enterprise is responsible for the general management, the feasibility study and the selling of the biogas.

INES Ruhengeri: research and development of the technology.

National Domestic Biogas Programme: technicians’ training and product advertisement.

Rural Energy Foundation: technical assistance in marketing, promotion and trainings for sales agents.

Indian Compressors Ltd: supply of biogas compressors and test of the technology.