Flexigester V10

The Flexigester is made from butyl rubber which is impervious to both liquids and gases. This stops waste water soaking into the ground and polluting soil and water courses and controls odours from rotting waste.

An area of 16 x 3 m is required within which to dig the 12 x 1.5 x 0.75 m hole for the Flexigester V10.

Technical specifications:

All technical support is provided by the manufacturer, and each item is supplied with an instruction manual.^{Interview with representative}

The manufacturer expects the Flexigester to remain operational for 10 years.^{Interview with representative}

The Flexigester is made from Butyl, which is a resilient and robust material, and which can be maintained with simple hand tools. Butyl products have been in use for periods well in excess of 10 years in tropical and subtropical climates.

The Flexigester comes with a 12 month warranty.^{Interview with representative}

Kite International conducted a program called SimpliSafi in which Flexigesters were used. The project was supposed to be the world’s first simplified sewerage and biogas system – a community-centred sanitation and clean energy solution. During the three year couse of the project, the following impacts were observed:

• Construction of three simplified sewerage networks, providing sustainable sanitation to over 450 community members of the informal settlements in Dar Es Salaam.
• Development of an effective method to empower the local community, organising local Sanitation User Associations to manage each network.
• Installation of a Flexigester, adapting it to function as part of the world’s first integrated simplified sewerage and biogas network– including evidence of proof of concept with the successful production and testing of burnable gas in the community.
• Build and trial designs from the University of Cambridge that aimed to concentrate solar power to process the flexigester output to create biofertiliser and greywater, closing the loop and achieving zero waste sanitation.

Academics from University of Malawi also vetted the performance of the flexigester installed in Malawi, finding it is generally successful and effective for community and disaster relief contexts, though in winter post-treatment of the biofertilizer is required to reduce pathogen concentration.

There are some potential dangers to running the biogas plant: noise, hazardous waste material disposal, etc. Adequate ventilation, appropriate precautions, good work practices, and adequate personal protective equipment will minimize the dangers associated with biogas.