Nigeria
Conditions of the Niger Delta
Though the Niger Delta produces immense oil wealth, the region suffers from “administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructure and services, high unemployment, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor, and endemic conflict.”
Natural gas flares in Nigeria burn vast quantities of gases which could be used for methanol production but are often burned or vented. Pollution from these unharnessed flares affects the air, water, soil, vegetation, and even physical structures.
This pilot study participant no longer has to worry about the dangers of using potentially contaminated “killer kerosene” in her cooking. The methanol fuel she uses now burns more cleanly and cooks more quickly.
You can give this gift to a family in need.
The majority of households in Delta State rely solely on biomass (fuelwood) for their cooking needs. Few people can afford bottled gas, and while some households are able to obtain kerosene, it is regularly contaminated by unscrupulous merchants. Residents of the region refer to this contaminated kerosene as “killer kerosene” due to the high number of burns and deaths associated with its use.
Cooking with methanol in the CleanCook stove
Methanol, made from flare gases, is the ideal clean alternative for household cooking needs in Nigeria. To stimulate demand for this locally-produced methanol, Project Gaia is working to introduce the CleanCook stoves to families in the Niger Delta.
Two pilot studies (in 2003 and 2007) in Delta State indicated that all of the participating households would buy a CleanCook if regular fuel could be guaranteed. The Delta State government is working closely with HydroChem of Linde AG, a technical partner on the Project Gaia team, to develop a natural gas-to-methanol plant to capture this untapped energy. Project Gaia is working with the NEPAD Pan-Africa Cassava Initiative to convert flared gas to methanol by building a methanol plant to provide alcohol fuel for alcohol stove users.
Projects in this region are being conducted by Project Gaia Nigeria »
Additional documentation of our Nigeria project can be found here »