PhD Position: Turning Faecal Sludge into Clean Energy in Kenya and Ethiopa

Are you passionate about developing a sustainable alternative for traditional biofuel? Do you want to contribute to the just energy transition in Africa? We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join an exciting transdisciplinary research program focused on upscaling Faecal Sludge Briquettes (FSB) production as a sustainable alternative to traditional biofuels funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), NRF-Kenya and MInT, Ethiopia. The PhD candidate is expected to work on the improvement of faecal sludge briquettes (FSB) as an alternative cooking fuel for wider FSB adoption and just energy transitions in Kenya & Ethiopia.

The widespread dependence on traditional biofuel such as firewood and charcoal for cooking in East African countries contribute significantly to deforestation, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and adverse climate change impacts. Indoor air pollution caused by biofuel burning leads to severe health risks, particularly for women and children. Simultaneously, inadequate wastewater and faecal sludge management in many urban areas pose environmental and public health hazards. To address these interlinked challenges, faecal sludge briquettes (FSB) is seen as a sustainable alternative to traditional biofuels and by utilizing waste-to-energy innovations, FSB production promotes resource recovery, climate resilience, and the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. However, scaling up production and wider adoption of FSB require a deeper understanding of the enabling environments facilitated by technical improvements, economic viability, social and political acceptability, participatory infrastructure planning, supportive policy landscape and technological improvements.

Your Job
The PhD candidate will conduct a laboratory-intensive project investigating the development and optimization of FSB. The candidate will systematically characterize the physico-chemical and microbial properties of faecal sludge from different sanitation facilities, establishing a rigorous understanding of feedstock variability and pre-treatment requirements. Then, you will design and conduct laboratory experiments to identify optimal combinations of locally available binding materials that maximize the strength, calorific value and storage stability of the briquettes. Necessary tests will be conducted to determine the emission profile of the briquettes while improving the overall caloric value of the fuel.