Waste-to-Energy Project Proposal for Ebeye

Ebeye is a densely populated island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, with many residents employed at the nearby U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll. The U.S. Army Civil Affairs, whose mission involves promoting the well-being of citizens in countries where U.S. Army bases and operations are located, tasked the EAP team of Matthew Bialo, Jake Erickson, Yiwen Gu, and Jennifer Jones with developing a system that could increase the resilience of energy and other infrastructure on the island. With Ebeye facing unreliable diesel-based electricity, limited land, vulnerability to climate change, and severe waste management challenges, the team evaluated four different biodigester system designs that convert food and human waste into biogas for electricity or incinerator fuel. Their analysis identified a human and food waste-to-electricity system as the most impactful, with the potential to offset up to 121,000 gallons of diesel annually and generate up to $4.9 million in net present value over 10 years. The final report also emphasized the importance of community engagement and workforce development, proposing educational pathways through UW–Madison and the American Biogas Council to ensure long-term sustainability and local ownership of the system.