Measuring the Calorific Value of Methane Gas from the Wastewater Treatment Facility

The 2018-2019 Environmental Engineering Capstone Project focused on designing a methane gas capping system for the wastewater treatment lagoon facility in Tameslouht. The potential use of the methane can be for the new pottery kiln prototypes or for household use. Resilient Communities has recently obtained a contract with the National Office of Electricity and Potable Water, the International Agency of Water and Sanitation, and the National Research and Study Center for Renewable Energy and Water at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech to be able to access the facility to gather samples and test in a small-batch reactor to verify the calorific value and cubic meters of methane produced and determine the best gas scrubbing process. We need funds to purchase the reactor and to begin the research.

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For further development, RC is asking for financial support for laboratory equipment to build a bio-reactor to test the combustibility of the methane gas and also gather data on the amount of methane gas produced by the lagoons. This gas then can be tanked to be used to power the eco-pottery kilns. This project could be designed as a collaborative university project with an in-person internship or study abroad. Contact ejohnson@resilientcommunitiesngo.org for more information.