agricultural residue as source of energy a case study of southern borno

Description

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the nature of crop residues and factors militating against its management in the three local government area of Borno State. A sample of 380 farmers was surveyed by means of a questionnaire which was administered using convenient sampling techniques based on population size. The study revealed that in Askira LGA  has the highest amount of crop residue generated. It was also observed that cereals contributed the highest source of crop residue with maize, millet and guinea corn as the major constituents. The study also shows that most of the farming households still engage in inefficient management practices such as open dumping and burning of their agricultural waste. However, there still exist some efficient agricultural waste management in the study area as some farmers reuse their crop remnants. Nearly one-third of the farmers reported that lack of awareness or ignorance of the benefits and strategies of crop residue management is one of the reasons for poor utilization of crop residues in the study area. The current management option is not perfect and the existing framework to ensure adequate management system and the collection facilities is not available. Crop waste is still collected without separation at the source, treatment facilities are limited and the collected waste is mostly dumped haphazardly in open areas or in most cases burnt before the next farming season. It is suggested that intensive mass literacy programmes on the economics of crop residue management be undertaken in the study area. Also, by involving the farmers and other stakeholders, the government should come up with appropriate policies and legislative measures  to discourage dumping and burning of crop residue by educating them to understand that creop residue can be used as source of energy.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1                                           BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Bioenergy resources are considered clean and are an integral part of efforts to address the menace of climatic, economic, environmental, and social security challenges consequential from the utilization of fossil fuel, which is currently the main energy source. Bioenergy and biofuel utilizing biomass such as biorefinery, plant materials and manure, and waste resources for application as renewable fuels for transportation and for power generation can ensure a sustainable, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. Bioenergy is among the major plan to strategically phase out electricity generation from coal as well a comprehensive climate plan through carbon capture and other measures. Biomass selection sustainably has been advocated over time and reaction pathways are the other area of intensified effort for an economical and environmentally synthesized process. Besides, the use of agricultural residues to produce bioenergy offers a significant opportunity for local and regional economies. In this study, various agricultural biomass residues which are an important energy resource are presented and the several studies where they have been explored in various locations of the world considering different approaches had been presented. Of importance is the renewable energy resources meant for locomotion and generation of electric power to curb the menace of climatic, economic, environmental and political concerns associated with the combustion of fossil fuel. Bioenergy, which is the utilization of bio-based materials, including plant materials and manure, to produce renewable fuels for transportation and to generate electricity sustainably. This fuel is characterized with low-carbon emission compare to fossil fuels while communities also stand to benefit immensely from the sale of this local resource [4]. Bioenergy is among the various policies put in place to reduce the dependence on the use of fossil fuel and it has been propose to cut US. oil use in half by 2030, and consequently, this practice will ensure the propensity of phasing out coal as electricity producing feedstock. An important key to exploring biomass resources sustainably is to focus on the right ones, and to develop them in holistic ways and at appropriate measures [5].

Cellulosic biomass may be derived from agricultural sources, such as crop residues and perennial energy grasses, as well as forest sources, such as forest residues and woody biomass. Crop residues mainly include corn stover, wheat straw, and rice straw. Because these resource is by-products of crop production, their collection and utilization ensures sustainable practice and does not result in food energy feud and land competition. Therefore, the negative effects of cellulosic biomass production from crop residues on food prices can be expected to be negligible. Although cellulosic feedstocks differ significantly in their environmental performance [5], they can provide commensurate advantage and prospect for various environmental benefits when compared with the coal they will substitute [6]. China is a major producer of corn, wheat, and rice. It produced about 20% of the world’s corn and wheat, and 26% of the world’s rice, in 2010 [7]. Therefore, China is among the nation that can ensure universal practice of potential production of a large amount of crop residues, which can reduce the nation’s reliance on coal as a major energy source.

The union of concerned Scientists evaluated the magnitude of biomass resource potentially feasible from the united states production capacity in a bid to possibly comprehend the main biomass feedstock as well as the operational scales in order that the synthesized biofuel carefully balances the energy and environmental trade-offs. It was discovered that the nation could harness nearly 680 million tons of biomass resources annually up to 2030 [8]. This resource was sufficiently observed to be suitable to generate well above 10 billion gallons of ethanol, or 166 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is equivalent to about 4% of total US. power consumption in 2010. Agricultural biomass has been earmarked to be an important energy resource in this wise [9]. Among the feedstocks available in abundance to the US are the crop residues and the choice of selecting the appropriate agricultural biomass and manure for bioenergy production is a measure of some factors, which may include the type and scale of resources in each location. The use of agricultural residues and manure to produce bioenergy offers a significant edge for local and regional economies.

Currently, 17% of the global population remains without electricity an amount, which is estimated to be about 1.2 billion people [10]. The climatic and geographical hindrances prevent easy accessibility to rural or remote areas where mainstream of this estimates reside; this constraint hampers the extension of power grids to these locations. An alternative to this problem is the exploration of renewable energy sources, which are increasingly the source of electricity for isolated systems in rural areas [10]. The physicochemical characteristics of biomass make it an attractive source to be harnessed for energy generation [11].

1.2      PROBLEM STATEMENT

Nigeria is facing severe electricity crisis due to lack of investment in power sector, depleting gas resources and dependency on imported oil. Utilization of indigenous and renewable energy resources is the best way to compensate energy need and reduce fossil consumption. Being an agrarian country, agricultural residue (AR) is used for various purposes but still large amount of residue is left unused and burnt openly in the fields. This huge amount of agricultural residue is generated each year, which can be used as a cheap input to generate electricity. This study assesses the total potential of electricity that can be generated from Agricultural Residue (AR) in Nigeria.

1.3      AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this study is to access potential of using Agricultural Residue (AR) as a source of electricity generation in southern Borno. The objectives of the study are:

1. To access the availability of agricultural residue in the three LGA of the state that can be used as bioenergy (or source of energy)
2. To determine the factors militating against efficient use of crop residue.

• To determine the agricultural residue management of the state

1.4      SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study covers studying how agricultural crop residues represent a significant part of the biomass potentially available for renewable energy systems. This research shows how potential of agricultural crop residues is available in Southern Borno to generate electricity form biomass which can be generated from agricultural residues of 3 main crops (maize, sorghum and millet).

1.5      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study shall serve as an avenue of studying how agricultural crop residues represent a significant part of the biomass potentially available for renewable energy systems. The study will also help the reader of this thesis to study that agricultural crop residues can be as source of energy. This study will serve as means of addressing the right method of recycling agricultural crop residues and management system.