A specially designed biogas reactor will transform trenches of human waste from Mt. Everest climbers into energy, and provide the host village with a source of methane for cooking and heating homes, reports IEEE Spectrum.

The proposed site for the biogas reactor. Source: mteverestbiogasproject.org Each year, porters haul down some 12,000 kilograms of human waste from base camps at Everest and the nearby Pumori, Lhotse and Nuptse mountains in the Himalayan Range near the Nepal-Tibet border.

The waste is currently delivered by foot to Gorak Shep—the nearest village to Everest. The raw excrement is dropped into unlined pits—to dehydrate and break down in the open air—which, at 5,164 meters (3.2 miles) above sea level, can take years. Moreover, the low temperature at the village prevents the needed waste-devouring bacteria from thriving. Given the remoteness of the site and the magnitude of the problem, solutions have remained elusive.

Volunteer engineers of the Mt. Everest Biogas Project say a specially designed biogas reactor can solve the problem.

The digester will be swaddled in R-50 insulation, and a 200-watt (W) resistor coil—similar to the one used in water heater—will deliver heat. The contents of the digester, which is buried in the ground, must remain at 30°C or higher.

Gorak Shep has no access to electricity, so 16 photovoltaic solar panels will produce the needed 200 W. A battery bank will keep the digester running at night and on overcast days. The reactor will also be covered with a shelter. Construction is slated for 2016.