James Ogbonna

Department of Microbiology

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Current State and Prospects of Bio-energy Production in Nigeria: Lessons from the IRENA Project

Nigeria: The most populated country in Africa

36 States and

a Federal

Capital

territory

2

Population = 177,096,000（Growth rate 2.54%）Age range %of the population

0-4 16.095-9 14.2510-14 11.4915-19 10.6120-24 9.5725-29 8.7030-34 6.7435-39 5.2240-44 4.645-49 3.2750-54 3.0355-59 1.4760-69 1.7470-74 0.9575-79 0.4180-84 0.5485+ 0.51ＵＮ predicts that the population will increase to 404,000,000 in 2050

82.67%

3

Marginal savanna

Short grass savanna

Woodland and tall grass savanna

Rain forest

Fresh water swamp

Mangrove

4

Energy situation in Nigeria

a) Nigeria has a lot of fossil fuel reserve but lacks the capacity

to explore, drill and refine.

b) Less than 50% of petrol products consumed in Nigeria is

refined in the country (We import petrol products).

b) Many rural villages do not have access to electricity

and electricity is very unstable and unreliable.

c) Nigeria has high potentials for many renewable energy

sources but are not yet fully developed and commercialized.

5

Our current oil reserve will be exhausted in about 40

years

With the current estimated Nigeria’s proven oil reserve

of 28.2~37.2 billion barrels and average daily

production of 2.5 million barrels, it is estimated that the

Nigerian oil reserve will be exhausted in about 31~40

years. Even if more oil reserves are discovered, the fact

still remains that they are non renewable and will

definitely be exhausted one day.

6

Potentials for bio-energy production in Nigeria

a) Climatic conditions favour production of some energy

crops in all agro-ecological zones of Nigeria.

b) Less than half of the arable land is effectively utilized.

c) In comparison with other renewable energies, technology

for bio-energy production is simple and affordable.

d) On the whole, Nigeria and most other African countries

have comparative advantages in bio-energy production

(cheap land, and cheap labour) over other countries.

7

The most promising forms of Bio-energy

Fire wood

Charcoal

Biogas

Bio-hydrogen

Bio-diesel

Bio-ethanol

8

Firewood and charcoal.

These are the two major sources of energy in Nigeria,

especially in rural communities. Currently, bio-energy

makes up more than 50% of energy consumed in Nigeria.

The disadvantages of these forms of bio-energy are

1. The energy efficiency is low

2. Pollution is high

3. Respiratory problems are significant

4. Leads to deforestation9

Biogas

The potential of biogas production in Nigeria is very high.

A lot of wastes are generated. These include manure, sewage,

municipal waste, green waste, plant material, animal wastes,

and crops.

However, the major problem with biogas production from

these wastes is how to separate the wastes. There are a few in-

farm biogas production facilities using wastes (crops mixed

with animal wastes such as cow dung, poultry manure, and

piggery wastes).

Currently, there is no large scale biogas production in Nigeria10

Biogas from pit latrines

There are no municipal water supply in many rural communities.

Many secondary schools and families use pit toilets.

Pit latrines are very huge potential sources of raw material for biogas

production.

The composition depends on diet but they are very suitable for biogas

production.

The waste has very low water content so it can be appropriately diluted.

There is a need for specially designed underground digesters .

11

Schematic diagram of an underground digester for biogas

production from pit toilet. 12

Bio-hydrogen

There is yet no bio-hydrogen production in

Nigeria and not much research is going on.

The technology is more advanced, the potential is

low and the market is also very low in Nigeria.

13

Biodiesel

Production

14

There is a huge market for biodiesel in Nigeria

Nigeria is consuming about 2 million liters of

diesel per day, and thus requires 200,000 liters

of biodiesel per day to make B10 (A blend of

90% fossil diesel and 10% biodiesel).

Currently, all of these are imported since

biodiesel is currently not produced in Nigeria.

Diesel consumption is sure to rise with

increase in industrialization and demand for

diesel.15

Raw Materials

Edible vegetable oils

Non-edible vegetable oils

Animal fat

Waste oils

Microbial oils

16

Edible vegetable oils

In Nigeria, these include palm oil, peanut oil, and

soybean oil.

They are produced in large quantities for consumption.

However, they re currently too expensive to be used for

biodiesel production.

17

An oil palm tree with some unripe and ripe fruits18

Oil palm fruit bunches19

Rank Country Production (1000 MT)

1 Indonesia 31,0002 Malaysia 19,0003 Thailand 2,1004 Colombia 1,0005 Nigeria 9306 Papua New Guinea 6307 Ecuador 5508 Honduras 4309 Cote D’ivoire 40010 Brazil 34011 Costa Rica 27012 Cameroon 27013 Guatemala 26514 Congo (Dem. Rep) 21515 Ghana 13516 Philippines 12017 Angola 5818 Guinea 5019 India 5020 Venezuela 50

Top 20 Palm oil producing countries in the world

Source: United States Department of Agriculture20

Rank Country Production (1000 MT)

1. China 16,800.002. India 5,000.003. United States 1,832.004. Nigeria 1,550.005. Myanmar 1,450.006. Argentina 1,200.007. Indonesia 1,125.008. Senegal 1,000.009. Sudan 850.0010. Viet Nam 550.0011. Chad 468.0012. Ghana 440.0013. Congo (Demo Rep) 370.0014. Burkina Faso 350.0015. Brazil 300.0016. Mali 275.0017. Malawi 265.0018. Guinea 260.0019. Cameroon 240.0020. Egypt 190.00

Top 20 Peanut seed producing countries in the world

Source: United States Department of Agriculture21

Top 20 Soybean oilseed producing countries in the world

Rank Country Production (1000MT)

1. United States 93,077.002. Brazil 85,000.003. Argentina 53,500.004. China 12,500.005. India 12,000.006. Paraguay 8,400.007. Canada 5,300.008. Uruguay 3,120.009. Ukraine 2,800.0010. Bolivia 2,310.0011. Russian Federation 1,900.0012. EU-27 1,150.0013. South Africa 990.0014. Indonesia 620.0015. Nigeria 450.0016. Serbia 400.0017. Viet Nam 300.0018. Mexico 280.0019. Myanmar 260.0020. Japan 210.00

Source: United States Department of Agriculture22

Non-edible oils

A typical example of non-edible oil plant is jatropha which

grows widely in many parts of Nigeria.

They yield very well even in poor soils.

They are drought resistant.

There is enough land for large scale production.

However, there is only one known jatropha pilot farm in Nigeria.

23

Jatropha plants 24

Jatropha seeds25

Animal fat: This is not a good source of oil for biodiesel

production in Nigeria. They are not easily available in large

quantities.

Waste oils: This is also not easily available in large

quantities. It is not cost effective to collect from households.

Furthermore, industries that generate large amounts of

waste oil are very few.

26

Microalgae

Nannochlorosis sp, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Isochrysis

galbana, Monalanthus alina, Dunaliella bardawil, Dunaliella

primolecta, Botrycoccus braunii, Oocystis polymorpha, Neochloris

oleabundans, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Chlorella pyrenoidosa,

and Chlorella vulgaris.

Advantages of using microalgae for bio-diesel oil production

1. Their growth rates are much higher than those of higher crops

and animals. They have higher productivity.

2. Many of them have very high oil contents (up to 80%

depending on culture conditions).

3. The quality of the oil can be controlled by controlling the

culture conditions.

4. There is no competition with edible oils.

5. Much smaller area of land is required to produce a unit

amount of oil.27

Algae pond 28

Greenhouse algae cultures 29

Table Mean solar intensity in different parts of Nigeria (μmol/m2.s1)

Enugu Benin Jos Kaduna Owerri Ijeja

Year1993 2820 2265 2234 3178 2191 16031994 2720 2338 926 3051 1942 17191995 2550 1996 1067 2825 1812 19411996 2354 2155 1436 2384 2362 10751997 2305 2054 1716 2451 2597 14291998 2204 1987 1041 2108 2463 15001999 2435 2355 1438 3107 1875 17492000 2912 2598 1361 3432 1731 18182001 2764 2802 1251 3101 2666 29262002 2346 1299 1723 3051 1468 17602003 2583 2518 1648 3178 1218 2097

Mean 2541 2368 1440 2837 2039 1783

30

Table Average temperature in different parts of Nigeria (oC)

Enugu Benin Jos Kaduna Owerri Ijeja

Year1993 27.5 27.1 22.4 30.9 28.3 27.91994 27.2 27.3 21.1 26.3 27.4 27.51995 27.9 26.7 22.3 28.1 27.5 27.71996 27.7 26.9 21.7 28.4 27.8 27.21997 27.3 28.1 21.7 26.7 28.3 27.21998 27.9 27.6 22.2 32.2 28.2 27.81999 26.7 27.0 21.6 29.4 27.5 27.22000 27.0 27.6 21.8 26.8 27.5 27.62001 27.2 27.3 21.6 27.0 27.6 27.42002 26.5 28.1 21.6 30.2 25.7 27.42003 27.4 27.9 21.9 34.6 28.0 27.6

Mean 27.3 27.4 21.8 29.1 27.6 27.5

31

Table Average hours of sunshine different parts of Nigeria (h)

Location Enugu Benin Jos Kaduna Owerri Ijeja

Year1993 4.1 4.6 6.4 9.6 8.3 6.11994 7.6 5.1 5.1 6.7 8.7 3.51995 6.2 4.9 6.6 8.4 5.1 4.51996 5.7 5.2 3.3 7.6 5.2 5.71997 8.5 6.5 3.9 9.4 6.3 6.11998 4.5 5.9 8.1 6.8 6.3 4.51999 6.8 5.5 4.1 7.0 6.1 5.62000 8.7 6.3 7.5 7.7 6.6 7.02001 9.1 5.9 3.4 7.1 6.2 4.62002 10.1 4.5 4.6 4.6 7.6 7.42003 7.1 5.3 4.3 7.8 7.1 6.3

Mean 7.1 5.4 5.2 7.5 6.7 5.6

32

Table Average temperature, light intensity and hours of sunshine in Enugu, Enugu State (OC)

Temperature Insolation Hours of sunshine

MonthJan 26.3 2119 7.6Feb 32.5 3125 10.1Mar 27.1 4127 6.3Apr 25.8 3121 7.9May 25.7 2124 8.8Jun 28.1 2111 10.3Jul 27.1 2110 7.8Aug 29.3 2107 8.9Sep 25.1 2112 10.1Oct 26.5 2139 7.9Nov 27.3 2149 8.3Dec 28.6 2110 9.8

Mean 27.1 2454.5 8.7

33

Four strains of biodiesel oil-producing microalgae

were isolated from some lakes in Nigeria.

The strains were identified as

Oocystis IA1

Chlorella IA7

Chlorococcum KA9

Botyrococcus YA5

Their growth and oil production were optimized.

34

Summary of the optima conditions for the growth and lipid accumulation by the isolatesCulture condition Oocystis Chlorella Chlorococcum Botyrococcus

IA1 IA7 KA9 YA5

Temperature (oC) 30 30 30 30(20) (20) (20) (25)

Light intensity (lux) 1000 5000 3500 3500(2000) (3500) (3500) (1000)

Light: dark 14:10 18:06 18:06 18:06 cycle (h) (16:08) (18:06) (16:08) (16:08)

Carbon dioxide 10.0 1.0 1.0 1.0concentration (%) (1.0) (5.0) (1.0) 5.0

pH 7.0 7.0 7.0 8.0(6.0) (8.0) (6.0) (7.0)

Figures in parenthesis represent optimal conditions for lipid accumulation

35

Table GCMS Analysis showing Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of the fourmicroalgae expressed as % by weight of different peaks of fatty acids presentin samples

Lauric Myristic Palmitic Stearic Oleic Linolenic Elaidic ErucicIsolates acid acid acid acid acid acid acid acid

C12:0 C14:0 C16:0 C18:0 C18:1 C18:3 traC18:1 C22:1

Oocystis IA1 0.80 5.12 - 9.34 76.90 1.21 - 2.12

Chlorella IA7 - 4.40 - 8.26 84.31 1.15 - 0.96

ChlorococcumKA9 5.4 0.6 - 9.69 73.15 1.58 - 3.64

BotyrococcusYA5 - 3.66 7.48 - 85.64 - 1.25 1.91

36

Table: Properties of the oils from the four microalgae

Results are mean of triplicate tests.

Parameter Oocystis Chlorella Chlorococcum BotyrococcusIA1 oil IA7oil KA9 oil YA5 oil

Density at15oC (g/mL) 0.881±0.01 0.878±0.02 0.882±0.04 0.877±0.02

Viscosity at15oC (Pa.s) 3.85±0.05 4.60±0.09 4.50±0.15 4.70±0.04

Flash point(oC) 148±0.22 155±0.02 157±0.11 165±1.22

Iodine value(g-I/g-oil) 120.0±1.09 109.9±1.01 118.5±0.05 116.1±0.92

Acid value(mgKOH/g) 0.490±0.05 0.388±0.01 0.510±0.06 0.533±0.04

Saponificationvalue (mgKOH/g) 161±1.02 154±1.01 160.0±0.92 161.5±0.85

37

Table: Properties of the fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel) from the fourmicroalgae in comparison with diesel fuel and standard biodiesel properties

Results are mean of triplicate tests

FAME FAME FAME FAME StandardBiodiesel Oocystis Chlorella Chlorococcum Botyrococcus Diesel biodiesel Test Properties IA1 IA7 KA9 YA5 fuel values Methods

Density at 0.867± 0.861± 0.872± 0.867 ± 0.838 0.860~ ENISO15oC (g/mL) 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.02 0.900 3675

Viscosity at 3.15± 4.10± 4.20± 4.15 ± 4.1 2.0~5.0 ENISO 310440oC (Pa.s) 0.12 0.09 0.15 0.04 ASTMD 445

Flash point 126± 125± 127± 125 ± 75 Min. 100 ISO 3679(oC) 1.20 0.77 0.18 1.05 ASTM D93

Iodine value 110.0± 113.5± 112.4± 111.2 ± Max. 130 EN 14111(g-I/g-oil) 1.22 0.55 0.36 1.08

Acid value 0.210± 0.226± 0.190± 0.214 ± Max 0.5 ASTM D664,(mgKOH/g) 0.01 0.03 0.02 0.01 ASTM D974

Saponification 182.2± 178.5± 180.0± 181.5±Value 0.11 0.98 1.02 1.11

(mgKOH/g)

38

Bio-ethanol

Production

39

There is market for bio-ethanol

Large amounts of anhydrous ethanol are

imported into Nigeria for various industrial

applications, including blending with fossil fuels.

The transport sector alone requires

approximately 3 to 4 million liters of ethanol to

produce E10 blends (90% gasoline: 10% ethanol)

to meet national daily needs for gasoline.

40

Energy Crops

Sugar cane

Maize

Cassava

Sweet potatoes

Sorghum

Millet

Sweet sorghum

Potatoes

Feed stocks for bio-ethanol production in Nigeria

Waste Materials

Molasses

Lignocellulose materials

Cassava processing wastes

41

42

43

Table Top ten cassava-producing countries in the world

Production (million tons) Share toCountries 2006 2007 2008 2009 Average total(%)

Nigeria 45.72 34.41 42.77 45.00 41.96 18.29Brazil 26.64 26.54 26.60 26.00 26.45 11.53Thailand 22.58 26.41 25.16 30.08 26.06 11.36Indonesia 19.99 19.99 20.27 20.50 20.19 8.80Congo(Dem) 14.99 15.00 15.02 15.04 15.01 6.56Ghana 9.64 9.65 9.70 10.00 9.75 4.25Angola 8.81 8.80 8.90 9.00 8.88 3.87India 7.62 8.43 8.96 9.20 8.55 3.73Viet Nam 7.78 7.99 8.30 8.60 8.17 3.56China 7.50 7.88 8.30 8.70 8.10 3.53World 224.48 217.54 233.39 242.07 229.37

Source: Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (2012)

44

Major cassava producing states in Nigeria45

Rank Country Production (1000 MT)

1. United States 10,033.002. Mexico 6,800.003. Nigeria 6,500.004. India 5,800.005. Argentina 5,400.006. Sudan 3,800.007. Ethiopia 3,700.008. Australia 2,100.009. Brazil 2,100.0010. China 2,000.0011. Burkina Faso 1,800.0012. Mali 1,100.0013. Niger 1,000.0014. Chad 900.0015. Egypt 900.0016. Tanzania (United Rep) 760.0017. Cameroon 600.0018. EU-27 577.0019. Uganda 500.0020. Mozambique 410.00

Top 20 Sorghum producing countries in the world

Source: United States Department of Agriculture46

Rank Country Production (1000MT)

1. India 11,500.002. Nigeria 7,700.003. Niger 3,400.004. China 1,600.005. Mali 1,450.006. Burkina Faso 1,100.007. Uganda 820.008. Ethiopia 680.009. Senegal 650.0010. Chad 650.0011. Sudan 625.0012. Russian Federation 600.0013. Tanzania (United Rep) 350.0014. Guinea 325.0015. Nepal 250.0016. Pakistan 230.0017. Myanmar 185.0018. Ghana 150.0019. Gambia 150.0020. Ukraine 150.00

Top 20 Millet producing countries in the world

Source: United States Department of Agriculture47

Top 20 Corn producing countries in the world

Rank Country Production (1000 MT)

1. United States 354,346.002. China 211,000.003. Brazil 72,000.004. EU-27 65,625.005. Argentina 27,000.006. Ukraine 26,000.007. Mexico 23,000.008. India 21,500.009. Canada 13,800.0010. South Africa 13,000.0011. Russian Federation 9,500.0012. Indonesia 9,200.0013. Nigeria 7,700.0014. Philippines 7,400.0015. Serbia 7,000.0016. Egypt 5,600.0017. Ethiopia 5,590.0018. Viet Nam 4,900.0019. Thailand 4,800.0020. Turkey 4,500.00

Source: United States Department of Agriculture48

Energy Crops Cassava: The cheapest and most available all year roundSugar cane: Too expensive. Most of the sugar cane produced

in Nigeria are eaten as snacksMaizeSweet potatoesSorghumMilletSweet sorghumPotatoes

Waste Materials

Molasses: Not easily available because sugar refineries arevery few in Nigeria. The little that are producedare used in feed manufacturing.

Lignocellulose materials: Technology for hydrolysis is a great challenge.Cassava processing wastes: High potential in Nigeria

Feed stocks for bio-ethanol production in Nigeria

Too expensive

49

Table Potential ethanol production costs from various crops in Nigeria

Production Starch Theoretical Unit cost Co-product FinalCrop cost (N/ton)a (%) b yield (L/ton)c (N/L)d (N/L)e cost (N/L)

Yam 47,848 30 193.18 247 30 217Cassava 23,848 27 173.86 137 30 107Cocoyam 31,848 24 154.55 206 30 176Sweet potatoes 37,848 35 225.38 167 30 137Maize 97,006 71.5 457.2 212 30 182Rice 167,006 80 515.15 324 30 294Sorghum 87,006 73.8 475.23 183 30 153Millet 67,006 64.2 413.41 162 30 132

a: These are the sums of the estimated average prices of the feed stock (which vary depending on the season and place) and the conversion costs

b: These are values for local varieties obtained in our laboratoryc: These were calculated using a yield coefficient of 0.51 and density of 99.5% alcohol

of 0.792kg/Ld: These were calculated by dividing the total cost by the theoretical ethanol yield.

No co-product was taken into consideration.e: Estimated based on ethanol production from cassava.

50

Large scale Re-distillation,

Rectification and

Dehydration Company

Petroleum Refinery Industry

Gasohol

Gasoline Retailers

99.5% Ethanol

40~60% Ethanol

Small scale

ethanol production

Companies

Yeast seed

culture

Companies

Crude

enzyme

companies

Crude

amylase

Yeast paste

or broth

Tubers/grains

Farmers

Industrial cluster model for commercial fuel ethanol production51

Evaluation of cassava processing wastes as

raw materials for bio-ethanol production

52

Cassava processing wastes

Cassava processing industries generate a lot of wastes

which if not properly treated and disposed cause a lot

of environmental problems. These wastes contain

mainly carbohydrates that can be efficiently converted

to ethanol along with excess cassava produce that

would otherwise rot in the farms without being

harvested.

53

Major Cassava flour companies in Nigeria

Thai farms InternationalLocation: Ogun StateCapacity: 60 t /day)Source of cassava : Purchase from farmersOperating capacity: 20 to 30%

DATCO LtdLocation: Ogun, Taraba, Rivers and Benue StatesCapacity: 40,000 t/yearSource of cassava : Purchase from farmers

Godoligo farmsLocation: Obudu, Cross River StateCapacity is 5 t/ daySource of cassava: 400 ha of personal farm, and from farmer

Many other small companies with capacities of 1-2 tons/day.Eighty five of these SMEs are registered with the NigerianCassava Processors and Marketers but only 14 are currently inoperation.

54

Major cassava starch Companies

Nigeria Starch Mill Ltd

Location: Ihiala, Anambra State

Capacity: 15,000 t/year (operates at 50% capacity)

Sourcing of cassava: 20% from 500 h personal farm, and the rest

from Zimbabwean farm

MATNA Starch Mill

Location: Akure, Ondo state

Capacity: 5,000ton/year (operates at 40 to 60% capacity)

Sourcing of cassava: from small farmers

Many small mills in Warri (Delta State) for food, textile mills,

plywood, cardboard, and paint industries.

55

Major Sweetener company

Ekha Agro Farms Nigeria Limited

Location: Lagos

Produces sweeteners, and liquid glucose, from

cassava for Guinness PLC.

56

Manual processing

57

Cassava root tubers58

Outer skin Inner skin (cortex)

Peeling of cassava root tuber59

Cassava root tuber peels 60

Industrial processing

61

Discharge of cassava62

Trimming of cassava 63

Production of cassava flour

1.0 ton of cassava tubers

Peeling 250-300 kg of peels

Slicing

Retting

Drying

Grinding

250~300 kg flour

1.0 m3 of water

Sieving

30 kg of dust

20~40kg of fiber waste

Cutting

~370 kg of carbohydrate waste64

10m3 of water

Production of Cassava starch

1.0 ton of cassava tubers

Peeling 250-300 kg of peels

Washing

Mashing

Sieving

Sedimentation

180~200 kg of starch

1.0 m3 of water

Drying

400 kg of pulp

8 m3 of water20 kg of solid wastes

~720 kg of carbohydrate waste65

Major wastes from cassava processing

Peels

Fibers

Pulp

Waste water

Low concentration of starch and high

concentration of lignocellulosic materials

Low concentration of carbohydrates,

organic acids and other solubles

High concentration of starch and high

concentration of lignocellulosic materials

66

Table Composition of one ton of fresh cassava tuber

Part Weight (kg) Percentage

(wet basis) (dry basis)

Water 594.2 59.42

Outer skin 10.4 1.04 2.56

Inner skin 32.5 3.25 8.01

Pulp (starch) 337.6 33.76 83.19 (60)

Chaff 25.3 2.53 6.23

67

Wastes from other carbohydrate crops

Cocoa pulp (high sugar content)

Cashew juice (high sugar content)

Lignocellulose materials from

sorghum, millet, corn, etc

Spent grains from breweries

68

Table: Cassava Commodity Balance for Nigeria (2000-2007)

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Production 32010 32068 34120 36304 38845 41565 45721 43410 (1000 MT)

Export Quantity 0 0 11500 10975 375 6235 3970 8365(unstable)(MT)

Feed 10755 10775 16924 18007 19267 20616 22678 21531 (1000 MT)

Waste 3928 3935 3914 4165 4456 4768 5245 4980 (1000 MT)

Food 17326 17358 13271 14122 15121 16174 17794 16890 (1000 MT)

Source: FAOSTAT 2012

69

Energy security verses Food

security in Africa70

Attributes of Food security

Availability Production and distribution

Affordability Income and Price

Safety Processing and handling

Nutritional value Processing

12

3 4

☹ Interest☹ Energy☹ knowledge ☹ Energy

☹ Employment ☹ Demand☹ Regulation

☹ Knowledge

☹ Knowledge

5

6

71

Reasons for Food Insecurity in Nigeria

Poverty

High rate of unemployment

Farmers are poor because farming is not lucrative

without Government support.

Government incentives are difficult to implement

because of lack of reliable statistics and corruption.

Farmers are largely illiterates.

72

In Nigeria, poverty is concentrated in rural areas where majorityare employed in agricultural sector. In other words, starvationand malnutrition are more prevalent among the farmers thatproduce most of the food consumed in most Nigeria. In order toachieve food security in such rural communities, their incomemust be substantially increased by creating employment for them,and by creating stable and guaranteed market and prices for theirfarm products. Presently, post and on-farm losses and seasonalglut reduce farmers’ earnings. In some cases, very highpercentages of some crops are not even harvested because of lackof market and storage facilities. Appropriate food processingtechnology will reduce food loss, create demand and facilitatevalue addition

73

Food scarcity in Africa

Low Crop yield Lack of interest in farming

Using Bioenergy industries to achieve

food security in Africa

Create demand

Lucrative farming

Increased investment

Increased acreage and yield

Bioenergy

Create employment

Food affordabilityFood availability

Hunger reduction

Hunger in Africa

Increase purchasing power

74

The benefits of bioenergy production in Nigeria out

weighs the possible adverse effect on food security

a) It will attract investment in Agricultural sector, and thus improve agricultural productivity (yield).

b) It will create employment opportunities.

c) It will lead to development of community based energy system which is more reliable and cost effective than connecting to the national electricity grid.

d) It will facilitate industrialization in other sectors of economy through provision of affordable, renewable and clean energy.

75

Lessons from our collaborative project

1. Development of technology for bio-ethanol production

Bio-ethanol production technology is simple and

affordable.

It can even be operated in rural communities.

There is a need for collaboration between academia and

industries.

Lack of industrial base is a major problem in developing

and adapting new technologies in developing countries76

2. Bio-ethanol production from cassava processing wastes

Cassava processing generates huge amounts of carbohydrate-rich

wastes.

Most of the cassava processing is done at family levels so the

wastes are scattered.

The wastes are either thrown away in the farms to act as organic

fertilizer or used to feed animals.

Collecting the wastes is not cost-effective.

Large scale bio-ethanol production from the wastes must rely on

wastes from large scale cassava processing industries.

Such industries are few and there is a need to establish more.

77

3. Biogas production from cassava processing wastes

Cassava processing wastes are not good substrates for bio-gas

production.

However, mixing the wastes with animal wastes such as

poultry droppings and cow dung improves biogas yields.

There are huge amounts of other wastes for biogas production

but there is yet no waste separation culture in Nigeria.

There is a need for aggressive sensitization of the populace on

the need to separate the wastes and develop/adapt technologies

for valorization of the wastes (waste – to – wealth technologies).

78

3. Preference for bio-energy options in Nigeria

The stakeholders showed preference to low-tech bio-energies over

the high-tech one mainly because of the very low weight for bio-

ethanol. If the results on bio-ethanol is excluded, the stakeholders

showed preference to high-tech bio-energies over the low-tech one.

Thus, there is a need to for more sensitization. There is fear by

policy makers on the possible adverse effect of bio-ethanol production

from cassava on food security. The potentials of bio-ethanol

production is very huge and the benefits of large-scale ethanol

production on socio-economic development of Nigeria is enormous.

The technology is affordable, the raw materials are available and the

process is economical.

79

3. Preference for bio-energy options in Nigeria…..continued

Comparison with policymakers (local and national) and production sites

(cassava processors, farmers, ethanol producers, and feedstock

processors) showed that production sites value high-tech (bioethanol,

biogas, and CHP) higher than policymakers.

However, commercialization of high-tech bio-energies requires the

support of the policy makers. The unfortunate thing in Nigeria, and in

deed most of the African countries is that the policy makers are often not

knowledgeable in the issues they make policy on. Thus, there is an urgent

need for closer collaboration between the academia and the policy

makers. The triple helix model of innovation involving the academia, the

private sector and the government (policy makers) must be emphasized.

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Technology transfer is necessary for economic development of the South.

However,

The Governments in the South must prepare to receive new

technologies by developing the basic technology, human resources and

infrastructure necessary to adapt new technologies.

The technologies in the North are with private sectors and they spend a

lot of money to develop them. Thus, most of them are not willing to just

transfer their technologies freely.

The South is a huge market for the North as they import a lot of goods

and services from the North. To transfer technologies to the South is to

reduce market for the North.

Technology transfer from the North to the South requires intervention

by Governments and International bodies.

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Conclusion

Bio-energy is very promising and, the most viable and

sustainable option for energy security in Nigeria.

Rather than being a treat to food security, bio-energy

production can be used to boast food production and thus

achieve food security in Nigeria and many other African

countries.

Many African countries can have comparative advantage

in production of some bio-energies because of the huge area

of under-utilized arable land, young population and cheap

labour.

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Thank you83