About me

I am Jose Alfredo Lopez (28) from Peru. I am currently studying at The University of Melbourne, the Waste Management stream of the Master of Environment. At first, I studied Animal Science at the Agrarian University (Lima) and specialised myself in rabbit production. After releasing my book “Breeding, Commercialisation and Production of Rabbits” I decided to start looking at new things besides rabbits, mainly because of the lack of job opportunities in this field. While studying at the University, I noticed that few of my professors and colleagues knew what to do with manure besides selling it for a low price, giving it for free or even paying for getting rid of it which is ridiculous! So I decided to venture into the waste treatment field to give new alternatives to farmers.

My passion for small-scale organic waste treatment started in early 2014 when my first biodigester lighted up. I had been working with composting before that date, but this treatment was always very boring for me because almost everything is already known about composting, what I always wanted to learn was how to build biodigesters. I was lucky that when I started working at the Agrarian University Waste Treatment Centre, a couple of European guys showed up around and were willing to teach me under the condition that what they taught me should be then spread to others. So I started running a 1 m3 biodigester fed with rabbit manure and the day it lighted up changed the whole figure for me and defined what I want to work with the rest of my life. I never took a proper class on biogas production and everything I learned was through my research and the basics taught by my European friends. I guess I already fulfilled my part of the deal after giving lectures and organising biogas workshops at my home university, but I have realised that when you teach, it is when you also learn the most, and that is why this blog is on the run!