Managua Solar Sludge Drying Facility, Nicaragua

What is it?

A greenhouse-based solar sludge drying facility which will process the sewage sludge from a population equivalent of one million in Managua, Nicaragua.

Who is responsible?

Biwater International built the facility with WendeWolf sludge grooming equipment supplied by IST Anlagenbau GmbH. ENACAL is the client, with German development bank KfW supplying the finance.

What makes it special?

• For 80 years the population of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, has directed its untreated wastewater into Lake Managua, creating the world’s biggest sewage lake. A wastewater treatment plant has now been built, but without a low-cost solution to sludge management, the benefits would be much reduced. Biwater’s solar sludge drying facility is an effective and affordable solution.

• Sludge drying is a heavily energy-intensive activity, but one which is bound to become more important as urban wastewater treatment volumes rise. Low-cost, low-energy systems such as this are going to be an important part of the solution in developing countries.

• It is the largest solar sludge drying facility in the world.