Cow dung used to energise villages

RURAL communities in Limpopo will soon be able to turn cow dung into useable cooking gas thanks to the University of Venda’s (Univen )newly launched biogas digester.

According to Lily Maja, acting general manager of the department of economic development, environment and tourism (Ledet), who spoke at the launch of this revolutionary device last Thursday, this technology could be life changing for many people.

Maja and Univen vice chancellor and principal Prof Peter Mbato officially opened the university’s fully functional demonstration model situated at the Univen Agricultural School.

Maja explained that Ledet wanted to install a biogas digester in Limpopo as a demonstration model and pilot project, and Univen had proved to be the best place to invest in such a groundbreaking project.

“Univen and Ledet will train 10 people from surrounding communities on how to install and manage biogas digesters. Eventually we want all communities to be self-reliant when it comes to energy use,” she said.

Univen science lecturer, Vhutshilo Nekhubvi, explained that the biogas digester used cow dung and water to produce natural gas that could be used for cooking.

“A biogas digester is a chamber built into the ground with two sealable openings on top. One opening is used to pour in clean water and 40kg of cow dung at one go for a single day’s worth of energy. That amount of cow dung will generate about 1 000 litres of biogas which can boil a cooking pot for up to four hours.”

He said this innovation could eventually mean the end to wood fires, paraffin stoves and other costly energy products.