Summary: In Ghana, there is a place called “Lavender Hill” that smells only of feces. 150 trucks containing human waste from Ghana’s capital city have been unloaded there for the past 20 years. The sewage goes directly into the ocean. Fortunately, leapfrog Western technologies developed a method that allows “human waste to be converted into fertilizer, biofuel and biodiesel.” Not only will this technique solve Ghana’s waste issues, but it will also increase food production and fuel the nation. The method is simple. Trucks collect wastes and unload half of them into holding tanks where they will separate the solid garbage from liquid waste. The other half is dumped into the ocean. The liquid waste is then transported through a pump containing five liters of polymer that dewaters the waste. The sludge is utilized in drying bed and as fertilizer on crops. The waste also emits less carbon when burned as biofuel. Another method created by Prof. Kartik Chandran also contributes to the notion. He discovered a way to extract methane from the sludge and convert it to methanol. This technique recovers nutrients and the process is anaerobic. “Limiting public exposure to human waste would reduce fecal-borne diseases such as cholera, says Dzido Tawiah-Yirenya.”
Reflection: I chose this article because the title was humorous and appealing. I was extremely fascinated when I read that waste is being used to make energy. Currently, overpopulation is the biggest environmental issue. As the human population increase, it becomes harder to manage waste. Many countries get rid of their wastes by dumping them into holes, burning them, pouring them into the ocean, and disposing them into another land. All of these methods create many toxic substances that can damage the ecosystem. The techniques utilized in Ghana can act as a role model for other developing countries. The process is simple and the benefits are worth it. I believe that if every country carries out the methods used in Ghana, the Earth can become a better place.