ROFSIEQ Technology

Climate change has brought about a rise in sea level (www.ipcc.ch/report/ar1..), which is expected to continue and bring about floods (www.nature.com/articles/s41598...). Droughts are not left out, as the UN reports that about 75% of the world could face drought by 2050 (www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/drought-2050-un-report-climate-change). To combat climate change, there is a need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One significant contributor to greenhouse gases is the wastewater treatment sector. For example, in Vietnam, it was estimated that the average methane and carbon dioxide emission rates from blackwater (fecal sludge) tanks were 11.92 and 20.24 g/cap/day, respectively. Also, it was reported that sanitation services in Kampala, Uganda, produce 189 kt CO2 e per year (www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00413-w). We estimate 1000s of g/cap/day in numbers when extrapolated into global figures. When fecal sludge is poorly managed, its greenhouse gas emission potential is aggravated. Unfortunately, fecal sludge management in the Northern region of Ghana is poor. Though a new wastewater treatment plant has been commissioned for the area, its capacity (1000 cubic meters/day) cannot service the growing population of the region (> 2,310,939 people as of 2021). Given this, there is the need to look for additional technologies and investments to manage the increasing volumes of fecal sludge generated and reduce GHGs from fecal sludge management. Also, when fecal sludge is poorly managed, it brings about environmental pollution, puts people living near treatment sites at a greater risk of contracting diseases, and thus reduces their resilience to climate change. Therefore, Myco-substitutes developed the Reuse of Fecal Sludge for Income and Environmental Quality Management (ROFSIEQ) technology to tackle the problem of the release of GHGs from fecal sludge management.

Our innovation uses processes that reduce the emission of GHG from fecal sludge management. It treats fecal sludge with bacteriophages and converts the bacteriophage-treated sludge into suitable media for producing fungal mycelia. The fungal mycelia are engineered to come out as leather-like and thread-like. These can be used to make shoes, bags, and clothes/fabrics. Moreover, after mycelia harvesting, the spent growth media (fungi-treated fecal sludge) is converted into biochar for soil quality improvement and briquettes as a fuel source for cooking. Essentially, we are making products out of fecal sludge, and by so doing, we are combating climate change (reducing GHG emissions) and promoting a circular economy in the fecal sludge value chain. Our solution can potentially build the resilience of businesses that revolve around animal hide, thread, and fuelwood/charcoal amid climate change. We offer climate-smart alternatives to animal hide, cotton, fuelwood, and charcoal.

The ROFSIEQ Technology solution is designed for the world but will start in the northern region of Ghana. In a decade, we intend to contribute ~10% in efforts towards reducing GHG emissions (SDG 13, Climate action) from fecal sludge management activities in this region of Ghana. This will help reduce the impact of climate change not only on the inhabitants of the area but also on the world. In cases of extreme events of climate change where animal husbandry (source of leather), cotton production, and fuelwood/charcoal businesses are hard hit, our solution will be available to build the resilience of these businesses to climate change by providing alternative sources of leather, threads, and fuel for the sectors concerned. Even now, inhabitants' high consumption of animal hides and the high cost of imported threads throw firms that depend on these raw materials almost out of business. Thus, ROFSIEQ is needed to cushion lives in this region. Moreover, in line with sustainable development goal one (no poverty), our initiative has the potential to contribute to poverty reduction by providing jobs to the poor. For instance, it can create 1000 direct jobs within two years of its operation, given that a 10,000 L capacity facility has been built and operated. It also addresses sustainable development goal 6 (water and sanitation for all), leading to goal 3 (good health and wellbeing). 

The Northern region of Ghana is among the poorest in the country (UNDP, 2020-New data looking at poverty in different dimensions in Ghana show reduction over time | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)), and the poor are the most vulnerable to climate change (World Economic Forum, 2020- Climate change hits the poor hardest. Here’s how to protect them | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)). Most people in the Nothern region are farmers who already have low farm yields due to inadequate rains. Also, the poor management of fecal sludge can lead to low economic time due to sickness and thus further aggravate their poor financial status. Climate change is also implicated in the occurrence and spread of diseases that are of public concern (Climate change (who.int)). Our experiences in this region and interactions with fellow inhabitants reveal the desire to have additional sources of income to build resilience to climate change effects on farming (food and cash crops and animal husbandry). Fortunately, the ROFSIEQ solution will help reduce GHG emissions, reduce the incidence of drought, and protect the health of people in this region. ROFSIEQ will sustain jobs in the leather, fabrics, and local fuel industries and thus has the potential to improve the livelihoods of inhabitants.  Driven by active stakeholder participation, we continuously engage our minimum viable product customers and prospective ones in product line selection, design, and quality improvement. 

We have produced leather-like and thread-like materials from mycelia grown on fecal sludge. These have been used to design belts and local head nets. We have also produced biochar and briquettes from pyrolyzed fecal sludge and have had some inhabitants test and recommend them for adoption. We are not selling at the moment. One significant progress made is that the team lead is a partner in a grant won to expand what we do to have our products on the market soon. We are not in the market now because of financial limitations. 

My Team believes MIT Solve will grant us the opportunity(s) to receive technical and legal support from its vast human resource pool and network. Also, we believe that when we become a part of the Solvers, the hurdles we will face when expanding our market base will be lessened. We will broaden our social capital through networking and have the opportunity to be constantly motivated and guided by experienced and like-minded people in the innovation space created by MIT Solve. This will also enhance our chances of signing partnership deals with prospective partners. We are also optimistic that Solve can help us attain our innovation's right copyright/patent/trademark. 

Our ROFSIEQ solution creates value from fecal sludge/blackwater by turning it into a growth medium for cultivating fungi whose mycelia are used to make leather-like and thread-like materials. By this, unlike others, the technology removes GHG (Oxidation of CH4 to CO2 for fungal use) from the treatment process. To our knowledge, this innovation has never been reported in any part of the world. Downstream, the ROFSIEQ technology produces biochar for soil amendment and briquettes (which is also renewable) as fuel substitutes for charcoal and fuel wood. ROFSIEQ creates a circular economy in the fecal sludge value chain and builds the climate change resilience of firms in the leather, fabrics, and traditional fuel business sectors. We repurpose fecal sludge for a sustainable future.

Standard fecal sludge management technologies release GHGs into the environment through anaerobic processes (Johnson et al., 2022). Also, without affordable and sustainable alternatives to fuelwood and charcoal, inhabitants of the northern region of Ghana will continue deforestation activities. However, by converting fecal sludge into fungal growth media for leather and fabric products, biochar, and briquettes, the concentration of GHGs released from the fecal sludge treatment plant and the deforestation rate in targeted communities will be reduced, respectively. The jobs created from this system will help increase inhabitants' resilience to climate change by providing additional or alternative jobs to the predominantly agrarian activities (Ghana Statistical Service, 2021). ROFSIEQ will also positively impact the businesses of those selling fuelwood and charcoal as climate change threatens the availability of the trees they cut to be in business. Analysis of the calorific value of our briquettes showed results comparable to charcoal and fuelwood. Our team has designed incentive systems to encourage inhabitants to patronize cesspool vehicles that deliver sludge to our facilities. Through this arrangement, inhabitants can be retailers of our products, buy our products at relatively lower prices, and have priority opportunities to be direct employees of our business and contribute to the combat against climate change, which is already rendering them less productive. We have received endorsements from some smock, Kente, and local shoemakers through surveys in our present catchment. 

Impact Goals in Five Years and their Indicators

• By 2029, at least 20% of local shoemakers will have a sustainable supply of mycelia leather as an alternative to animal hide, which is increasingly becoming limited by factors including climate change
  • Indicator: Proportion of shoemakers who have access to our leather materials
• By 2029, at least 20% of Kente, Smock, and other local garment industries will have a sustainable supply of threads from mycelia grown on fecal sludge
  • Indicator: Proportion of Kente, Smock, and local garment dealers with access to our threads
• By 2029, at least 20% of fuelwood and charcoal dealers will have higher revenues as a result of the sale of briquettes and pellets from us
  • Indicator: Proportion of fuelwood and charcoal dealers who have access to our briquette and pellet products
• By 2029, at least 20% of inhabitants of our target communities will have affordable leather, garment, and domestic fuel sources, which will improve their livelihoods.
  • Indicator: Proportion of the population who have access to our products
• By 2029, we look forward to a one-fifth reduction in the number of trees that are fallen for fuel in the communities
  • Indicator: Percentage reduction in the number of trees fell for fuel 

The ROFSIEQ Technology combines mycology, virology, sanitation engineering, biotechnology chemical, and mechanical engineering to produce its final products. Through mycology, we culture and select fungi with the desired characteristics in our laboratory. Virology helps us culture bacteriophages that kill bacteria in the fecal sludge before use. Sanitation engineering is used to dewater and process the sludge for fungal cultivation. We work with selected principles of applied biology to grow the fungi into leather and threads. Biochar and briquettes are produced through chemical engineering (pyrolysis) and mechanical (fabrication of pyrolyzers and briquette makers) engineering processes. 

Seven (7) people. 

Three (3) years

Our core team comprises individuals from different genders, cultural backgrounds (tribes), and religious persuasions. We thus represent diversity as founders and look forward to more diversity in our workforce. We insist on no discrimination against sex, race, religion, tribe, physical appearance, or political affiliation. The use of inclusive language and empathy is a priority. With the requisite qualifications, everyone has an equal chance of employment and growth in our startup.  The core principles of equity and equitable distribution of labor, opportunities, and profit guide all decisions in our startup. We do not accept child labour, sexual harassment, and any form of physical, verbal, or psychological abuse. We create an enabling environment for transparency and accountability. We encourage teamwork, mutual respect, and equitable access to business resources.

Our business model is distinct, focusing on the unique interventions we offer, specific market segments, our unparalleled value proposition, effective channels of sales and communication, and revenue generation strategies as outlined below: 

Segment: Our immediate beneficiaries and customers are community members and firms in the leather, garment, wood, fuelwood, and charcoal businesses (B2B and usage segmentation). Our intervention benefits the community by providing relatively lower-priced, durable, climate-friendly products and services. For the leather and garment industries, we offer a sustainable alternative to animal hide and cotton, which are threatened by and contribute to climate change. We cater to rural and urban customers, ensuring a broad reach and impact.

Value Proposition: Our unique solution not only builds the climate change resilience of inhabitants but also provides alternative/additional source/s of income. Farmers can diversify their livelihoods during the off-season by selling our products. Additionally, we offer shoe and garment producers, who rely on animal hide and cotton, respectively, relatively cheaper and equally durable alternatives. We also provide a responsible fecal treatment service that reduces disease incidence and GHG release. Our products and services enhance climate change resilience and offer significant economic opportunities to beneficiary communities.

Channels (marketing and communication): Direct sales, radio and television, social media, web advertisement.

Revenue: Revenue from fees charged for fecal sludge dislodgement at our facility and competitive prices against existing products (mycelia leather, threads, briquettes, and pellets). We will use real-time marketing campaigns tactically to attract and keep customers. We also intend to diversify our product line to include bio-fabricated materials like toilet brush sticks and broomsticks, toilet tissue holders, toilet design tiles/artifacts (economics of scope)

We will handle this by using a suitable business model. In this case, we will use the transactional revenue model to sell products based on B2B contracting with local leather and garment industries. We will support this with a substantial budget and financial planning that considers all types of risks. Production and operational efficiency are fundamental guiding principles as we grow financially. We are already prospecting key customers, and we plan to keep and expand our customer network even as we bootstrap from our laboratory. Innovation to meet customer demands and compete in the market is critical for our financial sustainability, and our lab is already testing bio-fabricated material produced from fecal sludge. We are also continuously working to strengthen our due diligence folder to attract funders and investors. We constantly monitor and evaluate, which is critical to fostering financial sustainability. Companies like MycoWorks and Bolt threads started to like us, but with similar strategies stated here; they have achieved some growth and are brand names in the Mycelia market.