The evaluation from our Pilot Project indicated a widespread need for our combined community development projects and technical education in clean water, power, and sanitation. To that end, two skilled volunteers will be sent to Peru to establish Future Scientist's continued presence. In creating roots in a community, we will be working closely with Project Amazonas at one of their field stations to set up a base for sustainable community interaction. We will initially focus on developing a biogas digester system as a solution to waste disposal, energy, and fertilizer needs. This digester will transform waste contamination to clean fuel for cooking and fertilizer for farming. This project will reduce pathogen contamination, provide sustainable cooking fuel, and expand existing farming capability.

A biogas digester, or methane digester, turns organic waste into usable fuel to provide low-cost fuel to people in poverty as well as help dispose of waste materials in a sustainable manner. The biogas digester relies on bacterial decomposition of waste consisting of a range from farm scraps to human waste. This waste attracts bacterial organisms which emit a number of useful gases, most notably methane, in the process of digestion and decomposition. These gases can be harnessed to generate power.

In a biogas digester, anaerobic digestion and fermentation are taken advantage of to create useful gases that are then vented to a storage container. From this storage container, the resulting biogas can be burned as fuel for cooking, heating, and electricity generation for the community to have clean, sustainable power. The sludge which remains in the biogas digester after fermentation can be used for fertilizer on farms.

To build these biogas digesters, two volunteers will be residing at the Madre Selva Research Station near Comandancia, Peru. Future Scientist will be combining efforts with Project Amazonas to work with the local community to begin beta test work and eventually establish a functional system for the community to use. We will also focus on developing education programs and a sustainable deployment approach.

Our Technical Team

------------------Frances Bell --------------------------------- Brigitte Cronier-------------

Follow Frances' and Brigitte's Biodigester Project Blog as they work in Peru over the next three months.

To learn more about ways to support our work, please visit our Support Us page!