Biomass Resource as a Source of Sustainable Energy Production in ...

Ahmed M. Murtala, Bello A. Aliyu and Gutti Babagana, 2012. Biomass Resource as a Source of Sustainable ISSN 2088-6586 Energy Production in Developing Countries. Volume 1, Number 2: 103-112, February, 2012 © T2012 Department of Environmental Engineering Open Access http://www.trisanita.org/japes

Research Paper

BIOMASS RESOURCE AS A SOURCE OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AHMED M. MURTALA1,3*, BELLO A. ALIYU2,3 and GUTTI BABAGANA3 of Gas Engineering, Faculty of Petroleum and Renewable Energy Engineering, 2Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Skudai, Johor. 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069 Maiduguri, Borno.

1Department

*Corresponding Author: Phone: +60108214911; E-mail: [email protected] Received: 31st January 2012; Revised: 10th February 2011; Accepted: 10th February 2012

Abstract: Biomass resources and their utilization have generated a keen interest in the world’s energy sector and its importance will increase as the current discussion centers towards renewable energy sources and energy conservation. Resources such as agricultural crops and their waste, municipal solid waste, animal wastes and waste from food processing etc are considered as potential renewable and sustainable energy source with the highest potential to contribute to the energy needs of both the industrialized and developing countries worldwide. The outcome of several studies on getting a sustainable and environmental friendly energy from biomass to replace conventional fossil fuels shows that biomass can be used to meet a variety of energy needs, including generating electricity, heating homes, fuelling vehicles and providing process heat for industrial facilities which can be achieved using a number of different routes. The main objective of this article is to identify some of the major biomass resources and their potentials for a sustainable energy production and utilization in developing countries. It also highlighted some of conversion techniques and routes for the biomass resources as well as provision of some adequate measures for their proper utilization. The use of biomass as energy source will provide an excellent opportunity for mitigation of greenhouse gas emission and reducing global warming through the substitution of conventional fossil-based energy sources. Keywords: Biomass, fossil fuel, global warming, greenhouse gas, renewable energy

103 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.

Ahmed M. Murtala, Bello A. Aliyu and Gutti Babagana, 2012. Biomass Resource as a Source of Sustainable Energy Production in Developing Countries.

INTRODUCTION The role of energy in providing services to meet many basic human needs, particularly heat, motive power and light cannot be over emphasized. Activities such as business, industry, commerce and public services such as modern healthcare, education and communication are highly dependent on access to energy services. The absence or inadequate supply of this energy may lead to several social, economic, health and rapid developmental decline which are mostly observed in developing countries [1]. According to World Bank definition, developing countries are low and middle income countries include all of the countries of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, excluding Japan.[2] Though the countries can be further divided into lower middle and upper middle countries, about 1.6 billion people in developing countries lack access to adequate energy services. Eighty percent live in rural areas, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia [3,4]. The energy consumption pattern of the world indicates that the shares of oil and coal in the world’s total energy consumption are 33.1% and 27%, respectively [5]. The energy consumption pattern also shows that 10% of the total energy in the world is derived from biomass while 90% is provided by fossil and conventional energy, resulting in the overall natural calamities such as global warming etc and worldwide competition for the energy resources. Coal, oil, and natural gas are all fossil fuels. Their application as energy sources is highly unsustainable due to the depletion of the limited energy sources and also the emission of greenhouse gases into the environment. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and also have other impacts on the environment and human life. Recently, the potential threat of global climate change has increased, and fossil fuel usage has had the highest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions [5,6]. In this context, renewable sources of energy, such as biomass, seem to be a promising option to improve the environmental situation by taking advantage of other additional positive effects. Therefore, the increased use of renewable and sustainable sources of energy should be on the political agenda of developed countries since these countries posses’ enormous potentials of unused biomass resources. Biomass is a renewable energy source that is attracting more attention and playing an important role in the world economy in recent times. The use and modification of renewable resources today involved a series of important processes that has greatly influenced human lives. Their utilization contributes to the share of renewable energy sources for energy production, decreasing the fossil fuel imports and simultaneously decreasing the risk of forest fires. Furthermore, the use of biomass resource as an energy resource leads to important environmental benefits, particularly to the reduction of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and, thereby of the greenhouse effect [7]. Biomass can be used to meet a variety of energy needs, including generating electricity, heating homes, fuelling vehicles and providing process heat for industrial facilities. Biomass includes wood, animal and plant wastes [3,7]. Biomass is also an indigenous energy source available in most countries and its application may diversify the fuel-supply in many situations, which in turn may lead to a more secure energy supply. In addition, biomass production can create employment and if intensive agriculture is replaced by less intensively managed energy crops, there are likely to be environmental benefits, such as reduced leaching of fertilizers and reduced use of pesticides [8]. Substantial amount of biomass resources were largely abandoned in most developing nations due to lack of knowledge and technological capabilities of those nations. As such, 104 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


enormous potentials capable of improving lives and environments are lost for quite decades. The main objective of this article is to identify some of the major biomass resources and their potentials for a sustainable energy production and utilization. It also highlighted some of conversion techniques and routes for the biomass resources as well as provision of some adequate measures for their utilization. ENERGY SURVEY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Nearly half of all people in developing countries are dependent for fuel on wood, dung and crop residue, collectively known as ‘traditional biomass’. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that use of traditional biomass will decrease in many countries, but is likely to increase in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa alongside population growth. Overall, the IEA forecasts that by 2030, the total number of people reliant on biomass will not have changed significantly. While the use of traditional energy sources is not necessarily undesirable in itself, concerns have been raised over how they are currently being used [3, 9]. Modern energy sources, such as electricity and petroleum-based fuels, generally provide only a small part of the energy use of poor rural people. This is mainly because they are too expensive and because it can prove difficult to achieve regular supplies to isolated rural communities [10-16]. World’s electricity production as at 2008 is presented in the Figure 1:

Fig. 1: World’s Electricity Production as at 2008 Distribution is also a problem, particularly in Africa and South Asia, where the majority of the world’s energy-poor live. Infrastructure and supply chains are poor or non-existent, particularly in rural areas. Recruiting and training a sales force, and educating consumers of the benefits of switching away from wood or kerosene, must be paid for somehow [17]. Figure 2 shows the forecast in World electricity demand between 2002 and 2030. Furthermore, high import duties on clean-energy products in many developing countries, notably in Africa, hamper their adoption by the poor. Ethiopia, for example, imposes a 100% duty 105 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


on imports of solar products, while Malawi charges a 47.5% tax on LED lighting systems. Such taxes are sometimes defended on the basis that only the rich can afford fancy technology [17]. Biomass resources and availability in developing countries Biomass is a renewable resource derived from agricultural or forestry sector which has been estimated to provide about 25% of global energy requirements [18,19]. In addition, biomass can also be the starting raw materials for a lot of valuable chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food additives.

Fig. 2: Forecast in World electricity demand between 2002 and 2030. Source: OECD/IEA World Energy Outlook 2004

The applications of new and advanced technologies in chemical processing provide new opportunities for the conversion of these enormous natural resources. Biomass resources can be group into the following as presented in the Figure 3:

Fig. 3: Sources of biomass 106 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


Animal waste The potential biomass from animal waste includes primarily waste from intensive livestock operations, from poultry farms, pig farms, cattle farms and slaughterhouses. Agricultural biomass Agricultural biomass which could be used for energy production is defined as biomass residues from field agricultural crops (stalks, branches, leaves, straw, waste from pruning, etc.) and biomass from the by-products of the processing of agricultural products (residue from cotton ginning, olive pits, fruit pits, etc.) Forest biomass Forest biomass which is used or can be used for energy purposes consists of firewood, forestry residues (from thinning and logging), material cleared from forests to protect them from forest fires, as well as byproducts from wood industries. Municipal Waste Municipal waste, commonly known as trash or garbage, is a combination of all of a city's solid and semisolid waste. It includes mainly household or domestic waste, but it can also contain commercial and industrial waste with the exception of industrial hazardous wastes which are typically dealt with separately based on environmental regulations.[20] Biodegradable fractions of municipal wastes mostly consider include food and kitchen waste such as meat trimmings or vegetable peelings, yard or green waste and paper. BIOMASS CONVERSION ROUTES AND TECHNOLOGIES One way of minimizing the negative effects of wastes and maximizing the value of biomass is to convert biomass into a variety of chemicals, biomaterials and energy. The following are some of the major conversion routes frequently adopted [19]. Thermo-chemical Chemical conversions refer to processes which directly convert biomass to chemicals at high temperature and pressure and in the presence of a catalyst. Some bulk chemicals, including levulinic acid and furfural, can be produced by treating biomass at high temperature for specific times in the presence of conventional mineral acid catalysts, such as hydrosulfuric, hydrochloric, and phosphoric acids [19, 21, 22]. However, low yield and significant volumes of side products, together with the use of corrosive chemicals, are challenging commercialization of the process coupled with environmental issues. A thermo-chemical process, generally referred to as gasification, partially oxidizes biomass into syngas, a fuel gas mixture consisting of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and carbon monoxide [23, 24]. The syngas can be converted into important chemical intermediates, including methanol, ammonia and oxy-alcohols [24]. However, this route is relatively slow and typically requires large, complicated and expensive equipment [25]. Many efforts have been made to design innovative alternative pathways to effectively convert biomass to chemicals. The main area of focus is the catalysts efficiency through the improvement of size and shape of the catalysts. Advancement of efficient conversion processes have been reported as well [19]. Hydrothermal processing was the most promising for the conversion of biomass into acetic acid using supercritical water as a reaction medium. In addition, 107 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


chemical conversions have been used to convert the chemical intermediates, which were produced from biological conversion, to final chemical products, including tetrahydrofuran and gamma-butyrolactone from 1, 4-diacids (succinic, fumaric, and malic), and 1,3-propanediolfrom 3hydroxypropionic acid [19]. Biological conversions Biological conversions involve the utilization of biological enzymes or living organisms to catalyze the conversion of biomass into specialty and commodity chemicals. Overall, it is considered to be the most flexible method for conversion of biomass into industrial products [19]. Biological conversions are not a new topic, but rather some commercial bulk chemicals, such as ethanol, lactic acid, citric acid and acetone-butanol, have been produced via yeast and bacterial fermentation processes [22]. Recently, there has been growing interest in utilization of biocatalysts to convert renewable resources into chemicals, due to high yield and selectivity, and fewer byproducts. However, because of the metabolic restriction in microorganisms, only a few bulk products currently are produced through fermentation [22]. Therefore, development of new technologies to broaden the product spectrum is necessary. Genetic engineering has emerged as a powerful tool for genetic manipulation of multistep catalytic systems involved in cell metabolism [19,22]. Recombinant DNA technology is used to clone and manipulate gene encoding enzymes in organisms. Recombinant microorganisms, with altered sugar metabolism, are able to ferment sugar to some specialty chemicals, which cannot be produced by the corresponding original stain. Currently, efforts are continuing to identify, characterize, and even modify enzymes and living organisms and processes so they can better utilize renewable resources to produce structurally diverse and complex chemicals. High yield and selectivity, as wells as minimum waste streams, favor biological conversions as pathways to transform biomass to higher-value chemicals. However, there are still problems with current biological conversions technologies. Sterilization, fermentation stirring, and separation of target products from aqueous systems with low production concentration entail high energy requirements [25]. As such, considerable investment is required to make processes highly efficient and continuous [19]. This therefore, creates research opportunities in the development of new low cost biological conversions technologies to effectively transform biomass into chemicals. In contrast, biological processing is usually very selective and produces a small number of discrete products in high yield using biological catalysts while thermo-chemical conversion often gives multiple and often complex products, in very short reaction times with inorganic catalysts often used to improve the product quality [24,26]. Today, the role played by pyrolysis in any thermo-chemical conversion of biomass into energy and variety of chemicals is very vital in the sense that manipulation of any of the operating parameters such as, heating rate, temperature, residence time, etc will definitely altered the product distribution. SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOMASS RESOURCES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Biomass has the largest potential that could ensure the future supply of fuel for energy. Most of the biomass resource is located outside Europe and this worldwide resource is relatively unexploited, except for Asia and Africa, which use more biomass than the actual annual regional potential [26,27]. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report in 2005 estimated total global forest to be just less than 4 billion hectares (ha) or 30% of total land area which corresponds to an average of 0.62 ha of forest per capita [1,27 ]. The report indicates that the five 108 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


most forest-rich countries namely Russian, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and China account for more than half of total forest area. Various studies on global bio-energy potential use a margin spanning from a few hundred to more than 1000 EJ – depending on the assumptions they make on agriculture, yields, population, etc.[ 26,27,28]. The bulk of this potential is found in most developing countries of South America and Caribbean (47–221 EJ/year), sub-Saharan Africa (31–317 EJ/year) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Baltic States (45–199 EJ/year).[28]. The bio-energy potential from logging and processing residues and waste was estimated to be equivalent to 28 EJ/year wood, based on a medium demand scenario [28]. There is an enormous biomass potential that can be tapped by improving the utilization of existing resources and by increasing plant productivity. Bioenergy can be modernized through the application of advanced technology to convert raw biomass into modern, easy-to-use carriers (such as electricity, liquid or gaseous fuels, or processed solid fuels). Therefore, much more useful energy could be extracted from biomass than at present. This could bring very significant social and economic benefits to both rural and urban areas. The present lack of access to convenient sources limits the quality of life of millions of people throughout the world, particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Growing biomass is a rural, labour-intensive activity, and can, therefore, create jobs in rural areas and help stem rural-to-urban migration, whilst, at the same time, providing convenient carriers to help promote other rural industries. Socio-economic implications Economic importance of environmental issue is increasing, and new technologies are expected to reduce pollution derived both from productive processes and products, with costs that are still unknown. The degradation of the global environment is one of the most serious energy issues. Various options are proposed and investigated to mitigate climate change, acid rain or other environmental problems [1,9]. In this context, renewable and sustainable sources of energy, such as biomass, seem to be a promising option to improve the environmental situation by taking advantage of other additional positive effects. Therefore, the increased use of renewable and sustainable sources of energy is on the political agenda of most developed countries. Cleaner and leaner production processes will accelerate improvements and savings in waste minimisation, energy and water consumption, transport and distribution, as well as reduced emissions. This will in turn provide job opportunities to a great percentage of people especially in the rural areas. Regulations concerning introduction of zero emission products can create market demand and business development for new technologies [11,28,29,30]. E IN PR Environmental impact Environmental pollution is a major problem facing all nations of the world. People have caused air pollution since they learned how to use fire, but man-made air pollution, anthropogenic air pollution has rapidly increased since industrialization began. Many volatile organic compounds and trace metals are emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. The pollutants emitted into the atmosphere do not remain confined to the area near the source of emission or to the local environment, and can be transported over long distances, and create regional and global environmental problems. As a results of these, availability and adequate energy supplies 109 Journal of Applied Phytotechnology in Environmental Sanitation, 1 (2): 103-112.


measures from an environmentally friendly sources to the major productive sector is highly needed [26,27,28]. Various opportunities exist for substantial reduction in industrial emissions through more efficient production and use of energy: fuel substitutions, through the use of alternative energy technologies, process modification, and by revising materials strategies to make use of less energy and greenhouse gas intensive materials. The result is that, the present situation of energy supplies should be greatly change towards the use of biomass which will ensure substantial reduction in air pollution, waste mountains and other environmental degradation [29,30]. Sustainable low-carbon energy scenarios for the new century emphasize the untapped potential of renewable resources. Rural areas can benefit from this transition. The increased availability of reliable and efficient energy services stimulates new development alternatives. The global climate change agenda is a promising new platform whereby renewable technologies can receive support to gain new markets. In this context, biomass resources are attractive alternative to help reduce fossil-based use. The need for renewable energy alternatives to mitigate climate change, the possibility to produce biomass resources on a sustainable basis, the opportunity to address rural socio-economic problems are some of the factors that make these technological options particularly interesting in many countries. Besides being renewable, the continued utilization of biomass for energy production can bring about other environmental benefits including the recovery of degraded land, reduction of soil erosion, and protection of watersheds. CONCLUSIONS It can be concluded that sustainable energy production whether in the form of modern energy carriers such as transport fuels or electricity, or in traditional energy forms such as wood and their more efficient use can reduce energy poverty, contribute to rural development and avoid the negative impacts discussed above. This is the step in a long journey to encourage a progressive economy, which continues to provide people with high living standards, but at the same time helps reduce pollution, waste mountains, other environmental degradation, and environmental rationale for future policy-making and intervention to improve market mechanisms. In addition, sustainable energy production can generate employment and additional income and, thereby, reduce poverty. Other important benefits of sustainable bioenergy production include the diversification of agricultural markets, increasing local production of energy and reducing dependence on costly, imported fuels while also decreasing green house gas emissions. References 1. United Nation’s World Economic and Social Survey, 2011. The Great Green Technological Transformation, E/2011/50/Rev. 1, ST/ESA/333. 2. Tatyana P.S., 2004. Beyond Economic Growth: An Introduction to Sustainable Development Second Edition. The World Bank Washington, DC. 3. Access To Energy In Developing Countries. Postnote December 2002, Number 191. 4. Ahuja, D. and M. Tatsutani, 2009. Sustainable Energy for Developing Countries, S.A.P.I.EN.S 2.1 , Vol.2 / n°1. 5. Moses, H. D., G. Sai and B.H. Essel, 2011. A Comprehensive Review of Biomass Resources and Biofuels Potential in Ghana, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15: 404–415.



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