What challenge is Jua tackling?
Organic waste accounts for almost half of all waste generated worldwide. Only 19% of total waste is recovered. It is even less for organic waste : for instance in France, only 6% of the population has an organic waste recycling disposal at home. The major part of organic waste is mixed with other waste for disposal.
The two main channels taken by the mixed waste generate greenhouse gases among other sources of pollution:
- When sent to landfills or to uncontrolled dumping sites, either the organic waste is decomposed in presence of air and the process emits CO2, or the organic waste is decomposed in absence of air and it produces CH4 (methane) and CO2. Landfills represent 12% of global methane emissions today
- When sent to incineration, the combustion process transforms the carbon present in the organic waste into CO2
What solution does Jua provide ?
Jua prevents GHG emissions as well as water and land pollution associated to the decomposition of organic waste by processing them in anaerobic digesters and composters. The two integrated solutions are housed in dedicated containers and are suitable for small stakeholders (shopping centers, local communities, agro-industry, etc.), installed on their site to ensure full autonomy; The modular container-type stations can thus be sited in remote areas as they don’t need to be connected to the grid for energy or water supply.
In doing so, Jua contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by producing biogas from organic waste that would otherwise be burnt through incineration or left to decompose through landfilling. The biogas produced is purified to obtain biomethane which is used to replace fossil natural gas or to generate electricity produced with fossil fuel, Natural gas alone accounts for 24% of the global energy mix and 20% of CO2 emissions.
In addition to biogas, the integrated stations of JUA produce biofertilisers from the composting process and water and calcium carbonate from the purification of biogas
- The biofertilisers comprises a solid phase (compost) and a liquid phase (humic percolates), both bio-products are valuable inputs for farmers. This allows them to replace nitrogenous fertilisers, which cause nitrous oxide emissions and disrupt the nitrogen cycle in the soil, in addition to the high energy costs associated to their production
- An innovative approach adopted by JUA for the purification of biogas produced enables the transformation of CO2 contained in the biogas into calcium carbonate (used to reduce the acidity of soils) and water which responds to water scarcity problems
Why is this project important ? What do we like about it?
The present geopolitical context with the associated impacts on energy supply highlights the need for resilience and self sufficiency. The production of biogas from the valorization of organic waste is a very interesting local source of energy available in rich and poor countries worldwide. Although the combustion of biogas results in the production of CO2, it is considered that because the organic part composing waste participates in a short carbon cycle with release and absorption of the carbon in a closed loop, it is by nature a renewable resource and the GHG emitted during the combustion process is considered to be balanced by the carbon sequestrated,
Jua’s team has thought the design of its technical solutions to minimize their own environmental footprint. The materials and components are required to have the longest possible lifespan (up to 20 years and more for container structures or tanks for example). In order to achieve this ambitious goal, their offer proposes a preventive maintenance contract with the purchase of the equipment, This allows Jua to not only optimize the lifespan of the station, and proceed with the reconditioning and reuse of certain parts of the station, but also prevents any disruption in the operation of the station.
What are your main concerns ? In your opinion, which external negativities are keys to control for this project ?
Jua has designed its station to prevent the main risks of pollution associated to the decomposition of organic waste : treatment of waste on site avoiding transport of highly volatile waste, water-proof and air-tight bio-reactors, transformation of digestates (non mineralize substrate produced through biodigestion) into fully hygienised compost, valorization of humic percolates in organic agriculture, transformation of CO2 contained in biogas into a valuable agricultural input. However, with an activity dealing with organic waste, there may be incidents causing leakages or risks of odours, for which mitigation measures have already been included in the operation guidelines for JUA stations.
Any follow-up questions? Want to talk directly to the founders?
Please, join their dedicated Discord channel: https://discord.gg/cardashift
About Cardashift
Cardashift enables citizens-investors to build the world of tomorrow.
Our first product is a community-run launchpad that raises funds, builds and accelerates startups that are solving social and environmental issues. Cardashift is based on Cardano, the blockchain platform for change-makers, innovators, and visionaries.
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