Hyst technology is a very effective tool for making the best use of the different agricultural resources in the various countries of the world, in total synergy with agriculture, industry and farming.

Indeed, several pilot projects developed by Scienza per Amore for Senegal and the countries of the Horn of Africa stem precisely from the livestock breeding sector. These projects, are aimed at helping to strengthen the sector, all the while respecting local customs and habits as well as the characteristics of the domestic market and any possible exports.

In particular, the project described here is based on the use of 20,000 tons of cereal straws found within an area of a radius of 20 km around the integrated site.

The figure shows a Hyst unit (no. 1) which is configured to obtain 2 fractions with different characteristics from cereal straw:

• the first, containing the greater part of the nutrients, to be used as feed in the farm (about 12,000
  t/year);
• the second, not usable as feed, to be fed into the biogas plant (about 8,000 t/year).

Around the Hyst unit we have a series of collateral structures:

• farms designed to accommodate 200 breeding cows, 800 calves for meat and 280 camels for milk (nos. 5, 6
  and 7);
• installations for the production of biogas (no. 3)
• tanks for collecting water (no. 4).

Through the Hyst treatment of cereal straw, top quality food is obtained with which to feed the animals.
But that is not all. A site like this can produce more food than is required by the farms inside the project site. What is not consumed on the site can then be distributed in the local market thus promoting the development of this sector. The resulting advantage will not only be economic and social but also environmental since increased productivity would reduce pressure on vegetable resources for animal feed.

Animal manure can be put into the biogas installation together with Hyst matrices, so as to increase the available material for the digester. The biogas produced will be used to generate electricity which can be used to power the entire complex.

The energy produced will be sufficient to:

• cover the needs of consumption of the site;
• supply domestic activities and existing production activities in the surrounding areas, or start new ones;
• extract water from underground to supply the plant, the population and to irrigate crops.

Having self-produced electricity means being able to take into consideration small installations distributed throughout the country regardless of the presence of electrical grids, generally not extensive in Africa. The availability of energy will also support the development of small business activities such as local craftwork or processing the products of the land.

The digestate, the residue of processing done in the biogas installation, is an excellent fertilizer.
Fundamental for restoring organic matter lost because of the intensive exploitation of cultivated land: a serious problem in some agricultural areas in Africa (such as the peanut basin of Senegal).

From start to finish, a virtuous circle that initiates stable processes towards self-sufficiency in food and energy.