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The potential of cassava biomass and applicable technologies for sustainable biogas production in South Africa: A review

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  • Okudoh, Vincent
  • Trois, Cristina
  • Workneh, Tilahun
  • Schmidt, Stefan

Abstract

Bioenergy production from agricultural crop biomass or residues is gaining interest due to the escalating cost of fossil fuels and the need to mitigate global warming caused by increasing GHG emissions. Of all the different feed stocks used for bioenergy production in Africa, cassava biomass potentially offers multiple benefits for producing biofuels such as biogas. This critical review on cassava intends to highlight the bioenergy (biogas) potential of the crop in Africa. Initially, the basic agricultural properties of cassava will be reviewed. Cassava contains large amounts of fermentable sugars. Its starch content ranges from 20 to 35% based on fresh and at about 80.6% based on dry weight with 38.6% total dry matter. It has the highest yield of carbohydrates per hectare with the exception of sugarcane and sugar beet. It thrives well in all ecological zones with one of the best water-footprints especially on relatively low fertility soils, in drought conditions and requires low agrochemical input. High yielding and disease resistant cassava varieties have been developed for both food and non-food applications with China adopting the crop to meet its 2020 biofuel target. Based on the available literature, various pretreatment techniques including mechanical, chemical, thermal, ultrasonic and wet explosion strategies were considered. The advantages and disadvantages of each technology as well as adoptable technologies for cassava biogas production and its optimization in Africa and especially South Africa will be critically discussed. This review highlights the highly politicized food vs energy debate as the most relevant bottleneck for using “potential” food (like cassava and other energy crops) for energy production. It suggests a paradigm shift and a more holistic and complementary view of food and biomass energy production. In conclusion, it recommend considering cassava and its biomass as the next energy crop for biogas production in Africa and especially South Africa.

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  • Okudoh, Vincent & Trois, Cristina & Workneh, Tilahun & Schmidt, Stefan, 2014. "The potential of cassava biomass and applicable technologies for sustainable biogas production in South Africa: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1035-1052.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:1035-1052
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.142
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    8. Anyanwu, C.N. & Ibeto, C.N. & Ezeoha, S.L. & Ogbuagu, N.J., 2015. "Sustainability of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) as industrial feedstock, energy and food crop in Nigeria," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 745-752.
    9. Roopnarain, Ashira & Adeleke, Rasheed, 2017. "Current status, hurdles and future prospects of biogas digestion technology in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1162-1179.
    10. Bernard Manganyi & Moses Herbert Lubinga & Bhekani Zondo & Ndiadivha Tempia, 2023. "Factors Influencing Cassava Sales and Income Generation among Cassava Producers in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-14, September.
    11. Zhang, Tingting & Xie, Xiaomin & Huang, Zhen, 2017. "The policy recommendations on cassava ethanol in China: Analyzed from the perspective of life cycle “2E&W”," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 12-24.
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    13. Sánchez, Antonio Santos & Silva, Yuri Lopes & Kalid, Ricardo Araújo & Cohim, Eduardo & Torres, Ednildo Andrade, 2017. "Waste bio-refineries for the cassava starch industry: New trends and review of alternatives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1265-1275.
    14. Ko, Ja Kyong & Lee, Jae Hoon & Jung, Je Hyeong & Lee, Sun-Mi, 2020. "Recent advances and future directions in plant and yeast engineering to improve lignocellulosic biofuel production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    15. Ribó-Pérez, David & Herraiz-Cañete, Ángela & Alfonso-Solar, David & Vargas-Salgado, Carlos & Gómez-Navarro, Tomás, 2021. "Modelling biomass gasifiers in hybrid renewable energy microgrids; a complete procedure for enabling gasifiers simulation in HOMER," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 501-512.
    16. Arielle Muniz Kubota & João Guilherme Dal Belo Leite & Marcos Watanabe & Otávio Cavalett & Manoel Regis Lima Verde Leal & Luis Cortez, 2017. "The Role of Small-Scale Biofuel Production in Brazil: Lessons for Developing Countries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-12, July.
    17. Sarocha Pradyawong & Ankita Juneja & Muhammad Bilal Sadiq & Athapol Noomhorm & Vijay Singh, 2018. "Comparison of Cassava Starch with Corn as a Feedstock for Bioethanol Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-11, December.

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