In the heart of South Africa’s energy crisis, two innovators are turning everyday waste into clean energy and fresh food. Archaea Eco, a start-up co-founded by Iviwe Notununu and Mthembeni Dumisa in 2022, is tackling urgent challenges in clean energy, waste management, and sustainable food production with a compact, affordable solution.
The idea for Archaea Eco was born during South Africa’s peak load-shedding in 2022.
Notununu, a 30-year-old PhD candidate in microbiology at the University of the Witwatersrand, was searching for a viable alternative to expensive solar power.
“Solar was booming, but it was too costly for the average household,” he recalls.
“That’s when I started exploring biodigesters as an option.”
However, the available biodigesters were either too large or prohibitively expensive.
“Government projects existed, but they were labour-intensive and too costly,” Notununu said.
Recognizing an opportunity, he and Dumisa set out to create an affordable, user-friendly biodigester that could meet the cooking needs of the average household.
Archaea Eco’s solution is a modular biodigester system that transforms organic waste—such as food scraps, potato peels, or even cow dung—into biogas for cooking and nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser. The system is designed to be installed easily, making it a plug-and-play solution for homes. Unlike conventional biodigesters, which cost upwards of R20, 000, Archaea Eco’s system is priced at just R6, 000.
To maximize the value of the system, the duo also incorporated a vertical hydroponics garden that uses the fertiliser to grow up to 60 plants in just 2 square meters. This hydroponic setup uses 95% less water than traditional farming and eliminates the need for pesticides, making it a sustainable food production model suitable for urban environments.
With limited resources, Archaea Eco turned to the Technology Innovation Agency’s Grassroots Innovation Programme, securing R260, 000 in funding for the development of their prototype.
“We now have a working prototype, and we’re preparing for a pilot project,” Notununu said.
Further support came from the SAB Foundation, which provided additional business training and funding.
As Archaea Eco looks ahead, Notununu and Dumisa are focused on making their system accessible to communities across South Africa, empowering households with affordable clean energy and local food production solutions.
Editor’s note: This story is a powerful example of youth-led innovation responding directly to South Africa’s most pressing challenges: load-shedding, food insecurity, and waste management. With energy costs rising and urban households squeezed for space, Archaea Eco’s accessible, eco-friendly solution offers real hope for self-sufficiency. It’s a story of resilience, ingenuity, and the kind of local innovation that can inspire change nationwide.
Description: Archaea Eco, a start-up founded by Iviwe Notununu and Mthembeni Dumisa, is pioneering a low-cost, plug-and-play biodigester that turns kitchen waste into biogas and fertiliser—while growing fresh produce with minimal space and water. Their solution could transform how South Africans power and feed their homes.
Editor: Thato Mahlangu
Project manager: Do4SA
