Tag: bioenergy
Resource recovery for briquettes and empowerment of women in humanitarian conditions in Kenya
Northern Kenya’s arid climate makes implementing conventional rain-fed agriculture difficult. This area is therefore mainly inhabited by pastoralists. At the same time, the area hosts refugees who have migrated from their homes due to conflicts and famine. The arrival of refugees exerts pressure on the already fragile natural resources in the host communities. Often the donor agencies provide food aid through the provision of grain and cooking oil to refugees. Where fuel is provided, it meets about 10 % of the cooking energy need (Njenga et al., 2015). Thus, a huge deficit of cooking energy exists, which is another aspect of food insecurity and a humanitarian challenge in refugee camps.
Firewood from on-farm tree pruning and biochar-producing cooking systems
To manage the challenges associated with the heavy reliance on fuelwood for cooking among rural farmers in Kenya, a systematic package of innovations addressing both sustainable tree supply and efficient/healthy consumption is required. On farms, cuttings taken from the pruning of multiuse woody plants, such as fruit trees, can provide households with an affordable and convenient source of firewood. Agroforestry or agriculture with trees for small farms may be carried out in different ways, where trees are planted along boundaries, as live fences, intercropped with crops or pasture or in woodlots. A study carried out in Kibugu village in Embu County showed that 40 % of the farmers depended exclusively on agroforestry for firewood supply (Njenga et al., 2017).
Retrospective on the hype: bottlenecks for Jatropha curcas bioenergy value chain development in Africa – a Kenyan case
Jatropha curcas (Jatropha), a shrubby tree native to Central America, thrives in many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Asia. Though an essentially undomesticated shrub, Jatropha suddenly emerged as a promising biodiesel feedstock during the period 2003-2009, when rising petrol prices fuelled global interests in bioenergy crops. Jatropha was claimed to produce high-quality oil, and had a wide adaptability to diverse climatic zones and soil types, minimum input requirements, short gestation period, easy multiplication, drought tolerance, pest and disease resistance and an ability to grow under marginal conditions without competition for resources for food production. It was considered a ‘silver bullet’ to solve energy insecurity in low-income countries and to support economic development. Similarly, investors from developed nations were eager to grow it in large commercial plantations in SSA and elsewhere for export. However, many claims made regarding Jatropha have proven highly exaggerated (GTZ, 2009). After some years of plantation, the Jatropha boom halted. By 2009, many media reports revealed disillusioning episodes across the developing world. Academics also began to question its commercial viability as a bioenergy feedstock, with low yields (if no inputs) being a significant concern (GTZ, 2009; Ariza-Montobbio and Lele, 2010; Iiyama et al., 2013; NL Agency, 2013). In SSA, the Jatropha hype left many affected smallholder farmers confused and disillusioned. Yet few assessments (NL Agency, 2013) have critically examined the crop’s rather disorganised promotion and analysed failures on the ground from the value chain (VC) perspective. Considering a Kenyan case, we examine the following hypothesis: the recent Jatropha boom failed to deliver the claimed benefits for energy security and economic development, because (i) the bioenergy VC remained under-developed in SSA, and/or (ii) lacked the enabling environment present in other bioenergy VCs, e.g. India.
Rotational grass/clover for biogas integrated with grain production – A life cycle perspective
Rotational perennial grass/clover has multiple effects in cropping systems dominated by cereals. This study evaluated the environmental impact of rotational grass/clover ley for anaerobic digestion in a cer- eal-dominated grain production system in Sweden. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used to compare two scenarios: (i) a cropping system including only spring barley and winter wheat; and (ii) a cropping system including 2-year grass/clover ley in combination with spring barley and winter wheat. The functional unit was one tonne of grain. The two main functions of the grass/clover crop were to pro- vide feedstock for biogas production and to act as an organic fertiliser for allocation among the cereal crops in the rotation. Special consideration was given to nitrogen (N) management and the rotational effects of the grass/clover ley. In total, 73% of the N requirement of cereals in the ley scenario was met through symbiotic N fixation. Replacing diesel with biogas and mineral fertiliser with digested grass/clo- ver biomass (digestate) reduced the use of fossil fuels substantially, from 1480 MJ per tonne in the ref- erence scenario to 2900 MJ per tonne in the ley scenario. Potential eutrophication per tonne grain increased in the ley scenario, mainly owing to significantly higher ammonia emissions from spreading digestate and the larger area required for producing the same amount of grain. Potential acidification also increased when N mineral fertiliser was replaced by digestate. Crops relying on symbiotic N fixation are a promising feedstock for reducing the use of non-renewable energy in the production chain of farm-based bioenergy, but careful handling of the N-rich digestate is required. Replacing cereals intended for feed or food with bioenergy crops leads to indirect land use changes (iLUC) when the displaced crops must be produced elsewhere and the benefits obtained when biofuels replace fossil fuels may thereby be out- weighed. In this study, the iLUC factor assumed had a critical effect on global warming potential in the ley scenario. However, carbon sequestration and the higher yield potential of subsequent cereal crops can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from iLUC to a varying extent. We recommend that crop sequences rather than single crops be considered when evaluating the environmental impact of production systems that include perennial legumes for food, feed and bioenergy.
Brazil-Africa Cooperation: emerging opportunities in Agriculture, Forestry and Bioenergy
Abstract not found.
Jatropha bio-diesel production and use
The interest in using Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) as a feedstock for the production of bio-diesel is rapidly growing. The properties of the crop and its oil have persuaded investors, policy makers and clean development mechanism (CDM) project developers to consider JCL as a substitute for fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, JCL is still a wild plant of which basic agronomic properties are not thoroughly understood and the environmental effects have not been investigated yet. Gray literature reports are very optimistic on simultaneous wasteland reclamation capability and oil yields, further fueling the Jatropha bio-diesel hype. In this paper, we give an overview of the currently available information on the different process steps of the production process of bio-diesel from JCL, being cultivation and production of seeds, extraction of the oil, conversion to and the use of the bio-diesel and the by-products. Based on this collection of data and information the best available practice, the shortcomings and the potential environmental risks and benefits are discussed for each production step. The review concludes with a call for general precaution and for science to be applied.
Cooking energy emancipation for women, children and mother nature: People-centered woodfuel and cleaner cooking innovations
This factsheet illustrates how we are changing lives and improving drylands through capacity development on sustainable household woodfuel systems. Our ideas and concepts merit catching on as a movement. Our systems thinking and theory of change address how to correct the lack of sustainability and inefficiencies along the entire supply and consumption chain while even recovering resources in the form of energy and biochar.
Forest Plantations in Central Africa
Demand for wood is growing worldwide and this trend is set to accelerate through the remainder of the 21st century. This is the case not just for traditional markets, but for other sectors like construction (responsible for 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions), bioenergy and green chemistry seeking to de-carbonize and go biobased in an effort to move into the emerging sustainable, green economy in which companies are located closer to their raw materials and local markets.
Bioenergy sustainability in the global South: Constraints and opportunities
Many countries have recently adopted bioenergy as part of a critical strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. Because of increased efficiency and lower production costs, along with legislative support and investment incentives, bioenergy use is swiftly becoming a renewable energy substitute for fossil fuels. The study provides a better understanding of bioenergy issues, potential and sustainability to inform countries in the global South and provide guidance on integrating bioenergy into their national energy plans by proposing a simplified sustainability framework for wood-based bioenergy.
Arguments are reviewed against biomass energy expansion, mainly developed in the context of the global north. The benefits of biomass energy expansion are also reviewed with a focus on conditions common to the global south. A sustainability framework is presented to illustrate better use of low-value land resources, produce bioenergy, restore ecosystem services, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. The study recommends guidance to establish sustainable, wood-based bioenergy supply in developing countries in the global South, which help ensure that biomass supply chains adhere to the principles and criteria of bioenergy sustainability.