Techno-economic analysis of electricity generation from household sewage sludge in different regions of Nigeria

Abstract

Waste management has been a chronic environmental challenge in Nigeria, coupled with declining economic performance due to energy crises. This study was designed to estimate electricity potential of sewage sludge to meet the 2030 Renewable Energy target. However, there was a need to fill the gap in data related to wastewater management in Nigeria. The wastewater and sludge generated from households were evaluated based on data on population, access to water, and coverage of sewer networks. Consequently, the technical and economic feasibility of electricity generation was assessed using Anaerobic Digestion (AD)11AD - Anaerobic Digestion and Incineration (INC)22INC - Incineration scenarios. The core results found that North Central had the highest potential for wastewater generation (142.8–403.6 billion litres/yr) and collection (8.3–37.5 billion litres/yr) over 20 years. However, the South East had the highest average sewer collection rate of 9.08 %. The AD technology was the most technically viable, with a maximum generation of 6.8 GWh/yr in the North Central. In comparison, the INC outperformed AD in most of the financial viability indicators considered viz-a-viz: Life Cycle Cost (LCC),33LCC - Life Cycle Cost Net Present Value (NPV),44NPV - Net Present Value Pay Back Period (PBP),55PBP - Payback Period Internal Rate of Return (IRR),66IRR - Internal Rate of Return Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).77LCOE - Levelized Cost of Energy The AD had a higher NPV of 16.3–69.58 million USD and a shorter PBP of about 4 years. The INC had a lower LCC of 0.1–0.34 million USD, LCOE of 0.046–0.094 USD/kWh, and a higher IRR of 19.3–25 %. Additionally, the sensitivity of NPV and INC to changes in economic factors would be noteworthy for investors and policymakers. Ultimately, the choice of technology should reflect the fiscal goal and priorities of a project.