Assessment of agricultural residues for small-scale biogas plants and adoption drivers: a case study of the Fès-Meknès region in Morocco

In this study, we present findings from our survey conducted to identify and quantify potential feedstocks for biogas plants in the Fès-Meknès region, as well as to explore opportunities for small-scale biogas systems. We also examine the key challenges and opportunities influencing biogas adoption in Morocco and propose targeted interventions to accelerate its uptake and enhance the long-term viability of the technology.

Jalal Hsaine is a Ph.D. student affiliated with the IAV HASSAN II / ENA MEKNES consortium. He started his academic journey in environmental sciences and earned a master’s degree in biodiversity management and conservation. He’s deeply passionate about agroecology and agronomy, focusing on sustainable farming practices, protecting nature, and creating more sustainable agricultural systems. In addition to his academic pursuits, Jalal also serves as an assessor at the Atlas Center of Agroecology (C2A), where he contributes his expertise in promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

In the AMBER project, which aims to boost Morocco’s biogas sector, Jalal takes on the role of a researcher and fertilizer scientist. His research focuses on using digestate, a natural by-product of waste digestion, as an organic fertilizer for farming in the Saïs region of Morocco. Jalal is on a mission to understand how using digestate affects soil, crop growth, and yield. He conducts experiments in the field, thorough lab tests, and careful data analysis to find out how digestate can be used as a sustainable and eco-friendly fertilizer. His work not only improves our understanding of this organic fertilizer but also supports AMBER’s mission to make Morocco’s biogas sector more environmentally friendly and productive.

Joshua Ngetuny has a background in Chemical and Process Engineering (CPE). He studied Chemical and process engineering for his undergraduate degree and chemical and Petroleum engineering for his master’s degree. He is a registered graduate engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). He has experience both in industry and academia, having worked as a trainee process engineer and later as a university assistant lecturer from 2016 to date.

Joshua is currently pursuing his PhD in Engineering at the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI). His research interests are in process improvement, renewable energies, and value addition. Under the AMBER project as well as his PhD study, he will investigate how small-scale biogas plants can be operated using a mixture of animal manure and crop wastes to reduce over-reliance on livestock manure by farmers and biogas plant adopters. This would encourage more farmers to adopt biogas as a source of energy for their daily needs; from cooking and heating to water pumping. In addition, he will carry out a techno-economic analysis of the proposed biogas production pathways to determine their feasibility for farmers in Morocco and the rest of the developing world.

Abdelaalim Mabrouki is a PhD student working in the bioenergy lab of AL Akhawayn University (AUI). He graduated with a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy Management (SEM) from AUI. He was part of the Moroccan team within the Africa-Europe Bioclimatic Building for XXI Century (ABC 21), where he also participated as a member of the organizing committee in the International Conference on Bioclimatic Materials & Buildings (ICBMB). He was also a teacher and research assistant of a professor within the School of Business and Administration, where he applied and worked on forecasting using times series. Abdelaalim has already published 3 conference papers during his master’s studies.

His research within the AMBER project focuses on production optimization, process modeling, and experimenting with turning agricultural wastes into biogas. He will conduct testing at the bioenergy lab of Al Akhawayn University, utilizing lab- and pilot-scale biodigesters. The study will also cover the application of mechanistic, metaheuristic, and machine learning models, with particular emphasis on the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs).

Carina Mwatunga supported the project as the Project Coordinator during its first two years. Her expertise in intercultural and international collaboration was a great asset, especially in building strong partnerships and fostering mutual understanding.

With her new role as Team Leader for International Cooperation in Africa & Central Asia at THI, she handed over the coordination responsibilities to Elena Hofer.