Rio Fish, Kepsa Ran Maiden Innovative Project To Turn Fish Waste Into Biogas

September 12, 2024 - Features, Main Feature - no comments

By Manuel Odeny

SUBSCRIBE: Can Fish Waste, Water Hyacinth Be Turned Into Biogas? Rio Fish, Kepsa Ran Maiden Innovative Project

A fish processing firm is trying a novel plan to conserve the environment by converting fish waste into biogas.

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) in conjunction with Rio Fish, a processing plant based in Migori county and working on ways to ensure fish waste measuring tonnes is converted into biogas.

Everyday fish is processed across Lake Victoria with proliferation of small-medium sized fish process plants like Rio Fish increasing fish waste which releases ammonia to the environment.

The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) reports that 150,000 tons of fish waste are generated each year, of which 80% is dumped.

“We are turning fish waste which is often thrown out to change it into biogas, most fish is gutted and wasted,” Denis Kiplagat, an officer at Kepsa said.

He said most Kenyans still believe only cow dung can be used to generate biogas which can be turned into source of fuel for power and electricity.

“We have established a center where farmers and beach management units can learn on using fish waste, which is reach in oil in making biogas,” Kiplagat said.

Janet Wangusi, Rio Fish operations manager said for each 100kg of fish they fillet for flesh, 15 per cent of it is waste and cumulatively they produce a lot per day.

The firm can process 20-25 tonnes of fish at a given time which makes waste management to be a big problem.

Before fish waste was channeled into ponds which have been chocking with water hyacinth and algae growth with excess sipping off to nearby water bodies.

“This project has helped us manage waste and water hyacinth which is added to the ingestor to also produce biogas,” Wangusi said.

She said the firm have been using about Ksh100-150,000 per month for electricity bills especially on using drier to add value to tilapia to produce ‘obambo’ a dried fish delicacy with longer shelf life.

“We have found that the obambo we produce through biogas drying is cleaner, has less smell and still tilapia original flesh and skin colour,” Wangusi added.

Rio Fish works with 600 youths and women groups with fish ponds and several beach management units to have cages in Lake Victoria and the technology will given to them at smaller scale.

“The liquid fertilizer produced from fish after biogas processing has more value because it cannot only be used as fertilizer but also as feed for chicken and pigs,” she said.

Migori county fisheries officer Otieno Gabriel said the county has 1,200 fish farmers who will use the center for training.

Among the farmers is Samora Machel Mwamba, the CEO of Nyakwar Sana Eco-Farm who has 12 ponds.

“We never saw gutted fish waste as can be used in biogas, but now we will have more heat for brooding of chicken and waste has better fertiliser for farms,” he said.