Morocco now boasts a low-cost and local solution for converting agricultural waste into biogas and fertilisers. Thanks to Biodome, local farmers are able to recover their waste and now use clean fuel to pump the water for their irrigation systems.
Methane, the biogas of the future
In Morocco, in the meadows surrounding the city of Marrakech, Fatima Zahra Beraich is reusing ancestral solutions to provide rural populations with a sustainable energy solution. The principle lies in organic fermentation. The country has been lacking confidence in its capacity for formal waste management, especially so in rural areas. However, it is reckoned that biowaste could represent up to 6.6-million mWh of energy per year.
Fatima Zahra Beraich, the creator of Biodome
Agglomerated together, bio-organic waste can be converted into compost in a matter of weeks. However, Fatima Zahra Beraich has found a solution for taking advantage of another chemical that forms as a result of this transformation process: methane. She has developed the concept of biodome involving a tank buried in the ground into which the biowaste is placed. As it rots down, the latter releases this methane.
The gas is then recovered and stored in bottles, which are used to supply energy to households. It’s an affordable solution for these populations, who generally live below the poverty line. A biodome can produce one to three bottles of gas a month, which represents a massive saving and above all provides a sustainable alternative to propane.
