NGO "ANOTHER WAY" (STICHTING BAKENS VERZET), NETHERLANDS, SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED SELF-FINANCING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES

With regard to CDM financing, this application refers to the saving of CO2 emissions relating to the manufacture and transport of fertilisers substituted through the recycling of urine and faeces produced by 50.000 people in each integrated development area. This is dealt with under sub-section 1. CO2 savings from the production of fertilisers.

Replacement of imported industrial fertilisers through recycling of urine and faeces also leads to savings in agricultural costs. These savings are not connected to the CDM mechanism. They are included in the costs and benefits analysis. This is dealt with under sub-section 2. Financial benefits from recycling of urine and faeces.

1. CO2 savings from the production of fertilisers.

There is no existing CDM methodology covering this application. A new small-scale methodology would therefore have to be registered by the CDM Executive Board for the purpose. A distant relation might be recovery and recycling of plastics materials is covered under methodology AMS-III-AJ but AMS-III-AJ falls under CDM sector 13. Waste handling and disposal, while fertilisers production would fall under CDM sector 05. Chemical industries or, eventually, under sector 04. Manufacturing industries.

While the manufacture of urea and NPK 15 :15 :15 fertiliser is itself CO2 emissions intensive, the inherent CO2 emissions potential of the fertiliser products themselves is small. The same is probably true of transportation where relatively small amounts (550 tonnes) of fertiliser are involved as in this case. Calculations on the production, packaging, and transport of the fertilisers indicate CO2 savings to the order of Euro 25.000 per project per year. They are therefore too low to be taken into account here.

2. Financial benefits from recycling of urine and faeces.

Various sources indicate various calculations for the quantities of urine and faeces produced by humans in various parts of the world. This may be partly because climatic conditions, diets and the amounts of liquid drunk vary.

An early source of information dates back to 1911.

“From the analyses of mixed human excreta made by Wolff in Europe and by Kellner in Japan it appears that, as an average, these carry in every 2000 pounds 12.7 pounds of nitrogen, 4 pounds of potassium and 1.7 pounds of phosphorus. On this basis and that of Carpenter, who estimates the average amount of excreta per day for the adult at 40 ounces, the average annual production per million of adult population is 5,794,300 pounds [2.630.612 kg] of nitrogen; 1,825,000 pounds [828.550 kg] of potassium, and 775,600 pounds [352.122 kg] of phosphorus carried in 456,250 tons of excreta. The figures which Hall cites in Fertilizers and Manures, would make these amounts 7,940,000 pounds [2.604.760 kg] of nitrogen; 3,070,500 pounds [1.394.007 kg] of potassium, and 1,965,600 pounds [892,382 kg] of phosphorus, but the figures he takes and calls high averages give 12,000,000 [5.448.000 kg] of nitrogen; 4,151,000 pounds [1.884.554 kg] of potassium, and 3,057,600 pounds [1.388.150 kg] of phosphorus.’ .” (F.M. King, The Utilization of Waste, Chapter 9 of Farmers of Forty Centuries, Or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan, published Mrs C.B. King, 1911.) (Courtesy Earthly Pursuits website, accessed 19 January, 2012).

A recent conservative source is Richert A. et al Practical Guidance on the Use of Urine in Crop Production Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), EcoSanRes Series 2010-1, Stockholm, 2010, ISBN 978-91-86125-21-9. Table 2 on page 2 suggests an average of 550 kg of urine and 51 kg of faeces per person per year, with a total production of 4550 gr, of nitrogen and 548 gr of phosphorus. Table 8 on page 3 refers instead to South Africa for which the indications are 3980 gr. of nitrogen and 580 gr. of phosphorus.

For the purposes of this application 09-09 a more interesting statistic is provided in table 8 on page 8, where a comparison between human wastes in Burkina Faso and their industrial equivalents is made. The table suggests that the nutrients in the excreta (urine and faeces) of a family (or group) of 9 people is the equivalent of one 50 kg. bag of urea plus one 50 kg. bag on NPK 15:15:15 fertiliser.

On this basis, the population of 50.000 people in each integrated development project area (5500 groups of 9 persons) produce the equivalent of 5.500 bags of urea and 5.500 bags of NPK.

This is the equivalent of 275 tonnes of urea and 275 tonnes of NPK 15 :15 :15 fertiliser per project per year.

Local commercial prices can be calculated when each individual project documentation is drafted. Current world prices are about € 387 per tonne for 46% urea, and € 402 for NPK 15/15/15 fertiliser. The amount included in the Block 8, section 3, 06. Costs and benefits analysis is therefore 275 * (387 + 402) = € 217.000 per project per year.