The Incinerator
Much happened in the brief eight days we were able to be in Haiti, I am thankful I was able to capture most of it with the camera because otherwise my brain would have imploded trying to retain so much information.
The overall trip was filled with mini adventures and one of the ones I am privileged to share with you today is the story of the incinerator.
On our third to last day in Mirebalais Dad asked to visit Yves Prophete on site at his ministry Global Vision Citadelle. Dad had heard through the grapevine that Pastor Prophete was in possession of an incinerator. Yves greeted us on our arrival, we happened to catch this busy man as he was headed to take bibles back to the prison ministry group. When Dad asked to get a tour of the compound Yves quickly grabbed a young man to lead the tour.
Dad clarified, 'What I really want to see is your incinerator.'
'Yes, yes, of course.' Yves responded, still motioning to the tour guide.
'My goal is to figure out a way to convert the heat to energy for power' Dad said.
Yves stopped, 'Wait, that can happen?'
His face lit up and you could see all of his plans for the afternoon slip away, 'I'll give you this tour myself!'
Dad and Yves were soon lost in discussion as we were led down to the cement building that housed the big, hot monster. The heat only intensified as we drew closer and Yves began to point out the way the trash had to be sorted before it could be burned, how much diesel was needed to run the burner, and how long each burn took.
When I returned home I contacted GVCM (Global Vision Citadelle Ministries) to ask a few questions about the incinerator, As God has had a habit of doing lately I received a far better answer than I had been expecting... "Hi Hannah," it read, "My name is Doug Donaldson ...Getting a hold of Pastor Yves while he is in Haiti can be quite the challenge so I thought I'd reach out to see if I could help. I made 3 trips to Haiti to get the incinerator installed and working so maybe I can answer your questions..."
Doug has sent me a plethora of information concerning the incinerator and the following is closely based (or directly copied and pasted) from our communications.
In 2014 a newsletter update was sent out to the GVCM supporters, the goal was to install an incinerator to deal with the harmful trash that could not be composted. When the number of individuals residing onsite was upwards of 150 (and growing; now closer to 300) it was a logical step. At the point the newsletter was sent out the incinerator (hereby referred to as the Beast) had arrived and needed a home. "
"Nothing is easy and obtaining ... the incinerator is no exception to the rule. We developed a plan over a year ago to purchase this. A model and plan was pursued. Over $16,000 was given at a fund raiser in Wichita Kansas. The cost has doubled by the time it was shipped, [went] through customs and transported to the campus. And now we still have an estimated cost of $6,000 or more for labor and cement. The good news is we are making progress and for Haiti just having the incinerator is progress. Using it will be a big step forward."
The process that lead up to the Beast landing on Haiti soil is a testament to the graciousness of God and how he provides.
The expenses included but were not limited to;
Invoice cost from England for incinerator = 29,236.61
Cost of Hauling and Customs (Incinerator) = 1,000.00
Gas and Transportation for incinerator = 1,500.00
Construction of building where unit resides = 12,000.00
Exchange 50Hz. Burners for 60Hz & Shipping = 2,027.70
Generator to backup incinerator & Shipping = 1,515.92
Inverter, batteries & other supplies for backup = 3,299.00
Other misc supplies & Haitian labor = 974.00
Total 51,553.23
When I say "not limited to" I mean that this write up does not include the personal funds workers spent to fly to Haiti to help install and test it, nor the time and resources donated by other ministries to get it running and to train staff members.
The second official update that was sent out was a thank you note Yves wrote and it gives just a brief look at all of the effort it took to get the Beast running.
"Thank you for your help that has resulted in getting us the incinerator. It is here with us and we are starting to build the shed that will protect it. It will help us to manage the influx of trash that usually pile up here, putting at risk the health of our kids and visitors...Partners in Health has an agricultural school and they are partnering with us to as a way for their children to practice and for us to get free expertise."
As it is with any large machine, trial and error has helped it get to point it is now. One of the learning curves was discovering that the fans in the burners which are powered by electricity must keep working for several hours following an incineration cycle in order to keep the burners cool. While this may not seem a big deal here, in an area where power outages are frequent it becomes a quite an issue. To resolve this problem an inverter, batteries, generator (and cage) were purchased and installed. The batteries are charged by the grid electricity when the power is on. In the event of a power outage, the batteries will keep the fans going for a couple hours. The inverter switches from grid power to battery power automatically during a power outage. If the power is out long enough for the batteries to die, the generator is started which will keep the fans going. GVCM still hopes to purchase and install four more batteries which will allow enough backup power to complete an incineration cycle
.
So where do we and our visit fit in?
Well, as of right now the incinerator at GVCM produces heat in the chimney at 800 Degrees. Currently that heat is being released into the air. Dad presented the concept of transferring power from the heat via high pressure steam. The incinerator would be wrapped with copper coils and water would be run through the coils, reaching a boiling point of around 212 degrees, this would produce high pressure steam which would in turn be run through a turbine which would power the generator. Thus the unavoidable accumulation of trash would be able to power onsite electricity. The trash is sorted into organic and non organic, the organic material is composted into gardens on the property but this too is in only the first stage. By creating a self-sustainable source of energy GVCM would be able to run greenhouse operations and utilize the water waste and energy from the organics that they produce.
For some it may not seem sensible to spend so much to send an incinerator overseas to Haiti. Yet it is important to understand that this is the most reasonable thing we can do. Everyone produces trash, here in America we have a fairly (albeit imperfect) organized system of disposing of our waste. However there is no effective waste management established in Haiti, the result is piles and piles of trash that line streets and back roads, No trashcans, no trash trucks, no official dump sites. When a pile gets too big it is simply set on fire. The first thing I noticed when we touched down in Port Au Prince was the smell, everything reeked of burning trash.
Pastor Prophete recognizes how dangerous it is to allow the trash to sit and just as dangerous to light it on fire without it being contained. So his incinerator and the composting are the first step in successfully dealing with this common aspect of living. Dad's goal to harness the otherwise wasted energy produced is simply the next logical step to helping the Haitians become self-sufficient.
I've enjoyed picking Dad and Doug's brains on this subject and am excited to see where this project leads. If you would like more information or would like to donate directly towards the incinerator the best starting point would be here; http://gvcm.org/ .