Feasibility assessment tool for urban anaerobic digestion in developing countries

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Sustainability Studies

Background:

• Urban anaerobic digestion (AD) requires comprehensive feasibility assessments.
• Existing methods often lack a holistic sustainability perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a novel method for assessing the feasibility of urban anaerobic digestion (AD) projects.
• To integrate technical and broader sustainability criteria into a decision-support tool.

Main Methods:

• Development of an assessment tool with questions structured around four sustainability dimensions: Why, Who, What, and How.
• Integration of technical-operational, environmental, financial-economic, socio-cultural, institutional, policy, and legal criteria.
• Application of Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and risk assessment for scoring and evaluating uncertainties.

Main Results:

• The developed tool provides a structured approach to evaluate urban AD projects.
• It incorporates diverse sustainability aspects, offering a broader perspective than purely technical assessments.
• Case study application in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, demonstrates the tool's utility.

Conclusions:

• The method supports decision-makers in selecting suitable urban AD project setups.
• It enhances the feasibility assessment process by considering multiple sustainability dimensions.
• The tool aids in identifying and mitigating potential risks and uncertainties in AD projects.