Fadekemi Ajakaiye
Biogas technology has been described as the future of modern and efficient living and the solution to many environmental challenges in Nigeria.
Real Estate Consultant and Managing Director of Afrihood Development Company, Olufemi Shield, described biogas as a non-hazardous creation of methane through the decomposition of organic matter like agricultural waste, food scraps, manure, and sewage in an anaerobic digester.
While expressing his displeasure at the present state of the environment, Olufemi stated that the creation of methane had, for a long time, been achieved through the burning of fossil fuel, which caused air and water pollution and also contributed to the build-up of the greenhouse effect, causing global warming and making the ecosystem unhealthier.
He expressed the greenhouse effect of burning fossil fuel; “when fossil fuel is burned,” he said, “greenhouse gases are produced, trapping heat in the atmosphere, which warms the earth’s surface and causes extreme weather events. Continuous greenhouse gas emissions would result in the creation of new carbon compounds from hydrocarbons, which would be released into the atmosphere. This is ultimately hazardous to the ecosystem.”
Olufemi opined that biogas technology is the key to healthy living, noting that it neither pollutes the air and water nor tampers with the ecosystem because greenhouse gases are not emitted in the creation process. He maintained that biogas eradicates environmental hazards and increases the life expectancy of the average Nigerian.
He also highlighted the additional benefit of the biogas sewage system, which reduces soil and water pollution, as opposed to the traditional use of soak-away and septic tanks, whose hazardous waste often finds its way back to drinking sources.
“If this technology is very well embraced by all and sundry, you will see that there will be a drastic decline in the spread of diseases like cholera and other air and water-borne ailments,” he stated.
The Real Estate authority also stated that biogas technology transforms organic materials into renewable energy that can be utilized for electricity and as an alternative to cooking gas. “Anything your fuel can do, biogas can do,” he said.
While highlighting the need for the nation to throw its weight behind biogas technology, Olufemi explained that it would help governments reduce reliance on non-renewable sources, leading to energy security and environmental benefits, and individuals who embrace the use of biogas for cooking, heating, or electricity generation would lower their dependence on traditional energy sources, potentially reducing utility bills.
He also emphasized the need for enlightened Nigerians to sensitize their neighbors who are yet to embrace biogas technology, noting that if a homeowner has adopted it and his neighbor has not, such a homeowner is still susceptible to environmental hazards
