International Journal of Waste Resources

Abstract

Economic Analysis of Biogas Production from Pineapple Waste as Alternative Source of Energy in a Pineapple Processing Plant, Case of Del Monte Kenya Limited

Edwin Ochieng Otieno*, Robert Kiplimo and Urbanus N.Mutwiwa

This study assesses the economic feasibility of harnessing biogas derived from pineapple waste as an energy source within the operations of Del Monte Kenya Ltd (DMKL), a prominent exporter of canned pineapple products. DMKL operates on a vast expanse of approximately 10,000 acres dedicated to pineapple cultivation. The company’s processing capacity of 100,000 tons of pineapple yearly produces approximately 23,000 tons of pineapple waste per year. Currently these wastes are sold to local farmers as animal feed at $20 per ton. A study was conducted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) that revealed that a ton of pineapple waste has the potential to generate 7.41 m³/day of biogas. Cost comparative analysis was conducted between employing anaerobic digester to treat pineapple wastes to generate biogas for usage within the plant and selling the waste to locals for feeding the livestock. The results revealed that it is more economical to use wastes to generate biogas as an alternative source of energy in the processing lines. The Net Present Value (NPV) of $1,939,019 Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 16% and Payback period of 4 years was estimated. The positive value of NPV shows that the project is viable.

Published Date: 2023-09-22; Received Date: 2023-08-16