IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v61y2016icp556-571.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Broadening the potential of biogas in Sub-Saharan Africa: An assessment of feasible technologies and feedstocks

Author

Listed:
  • Rupf, Gloria V.
  • Bahri, Parisa A.
  • de Boer, Karne
  • McHenry, Mark P.

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a broad review and assessment of the feedstocks and applicable biogas technologies that are feasible in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Biodigesters and feedstocks available in SSA were identified according to scale and application – household, community, institutional, and commercial. Aside from livestock manure, suitable feedstocks for household, community, and institutional biodigesters include crop residues, night soil/domestic sewage, and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Significant untapped feedstocks exist from SSA agro-processing and food production industries. Biodigesters available in SSA for household, community, and institutional installations include variations of fixed dome, plug flow, and floating cover digesters. Commercial digester designs applicable to the region include continuously stirred tank reactors and fixed film digesters. The key factors that need to be considered in selecting suitable biodigester designs for specific applications include: feedstock availability, water supply, energy demand, local materials and labour, and the level of commitment to operate and maintain the biodigester effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Rupf, Gloria V. & Bahri, Parisa A. & de Boer, Karne & McHenry, Mark P., 2016. "Broadening the potential of biogas in Sub-Saharan Africa: An assessment of feasible technologies and feedstocks," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 556-571.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:61:y:2016:i:c:p:556-571
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.04.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116300405
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2016.04.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Taleghani, Giti & Shabani Kia, Akbar, 2005. "Technical–economical analysis of the Saveh biogas power plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 441-446.
    2. Chen, Ling & Zhao, Lixin & Ren, Changshan & Wang, Fei, 2012. "The progress and prospects of rural biogas production in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 58-63.
    3. Jingura, Raphael M. & Matengaifa, Rutendo, 2009. "Optimization of biogas production by anaerobic digestion for sustainable energy development in Zimbabwe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1116-1120, June.
    4. World Bank, 2016. "World Development Indicators 2016," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 23969.
    5. Karthik Rajendran & Solmaz Aslanzadeh & Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, 2012. "Household Biogas Digesters—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-32, August.
    6. Cheng, Shikun & Li, Zifu & Mang, Heinz-Peter & Huba, Elisabeth-Maria & Gao, Ruiling & Wang, Xuemei, 2014. "Development and application of prefabricated biogas digesters in developing countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 387-400.
    7. Singh, S.P. & Prerna, Pandey, 2009. "Review of recent advances in anaerobic packed-bed biogas reactors," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1569-1575, August.
    8. Martí-Herrero, Jaime & Chipana, Maria & Cuevas, Carlos & Paco, Gabriel & Serrano, Victor & Zymla, Bernhard & Heising, Klas & Sologuren, Jaime & Gamarra, Alba, 2014. "Low cost tubular digesters as appropriate technology for widespread application: Results and lessons learned from Bolivia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 156-165.
    9. World Bank, 2014. "World Development Indicators 2014," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 18237.
    10. Nzila, Charles & Dewulf, Jo & Spanjers, Henri & Tuigong, David & Kiriamiti, Henry & van Langenhove, Herman, 2012. "Multi criteria sustainability assessment of biogas production in Kenya," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 496-506.
    11. Akinbami, J. -F. K. & Ilori, M. O. & Oyebisi, T. O. & Akinwumi, I. O. & Adeoti, O., 2001. "Biogas energy use in Nigeria: current status, future prospects and policy implications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 97-112, March.
    12. B. Lutge & B. Standish, 2013. "Assessing the potential for electricity generation from animal waste biogas on South African farms," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 1-24, June.
    13. Mengistu, M.G. & Simane, B. & Eshete, G. & Workneh, T.S., 2015. "A review on biogas technology and its contributions to sustainable rural livelihood in Ethiopia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 306-316.
    14. Mohammed, Y.S. & Mustafa, M.W. & Bashir, N. & Mokhtar, A.S., 2013. "Renewable energy resources for distributed power generation in Nigeria: A review of the potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 257-268.
    15. Hilkiah Igoni, A. & Ayotamuno, M.J. & Eze, C.L. & Ogaji, S.O.T. & Probert, S.D., 2008. "Designs of anaerobic digesters for producing biogas from municipal solid-waste," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(6), pages 430-438, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rupf, Gloria V. & Bahri, Parisa A. & de Boer, Karne & McHenry, Mark P., 2017. "Development of an optimal biogas system design model for Sub-Saharan Africa with case studies from Kenya and Cameroon," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 586-601.
    2. Bundhoo, Zumar M.A. & Surroop, Dinesh, 2019. "Evaluation of the potential of bio-methane production from field-based crop residues in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Roopnarain, Ashira & Rama, Haripriya & Ndaba, Busiswa & Bello-Akinosho, Maryam & Bamuza-Pemu, Emomotimi & Adeleke, Rasheed, 2021. "Unravelling the anaerobic digestion ‘black box’: Biotechnological approaches for process optimization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    4. Francis Kemausuor & Muyiwa S. Adaramola & John Morken, 2018. "A Review of Commercial Biogas Systems and Lessons for Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Zahida Aslam & Hu Li & James Hammerton & Gordon Andrews & Andrew Ross & Jon C. Lovett, 2021. "Increasing Access to Electricity: An Assessment of the Energy and Power Generation Potential from Biomass Waste Residues in Tanzania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Mukeshimana, Marie Claire & Zhao, Zhen-Yu & Ahmad, Munir & Irfan, Muhammad, 2021. "Analysis on barriers to biogas dissemination in Rwanda: AHP approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 1127-1137.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Garfí, Marianna & Martí-Herrero, Jaime & Garwood, Anna & Ferrer, Ivet, 2016. "Household anaerobic digesters for biogas production in Latin America: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 599-614.
    2. Ferrer-Martí, Laia & Ferrer, Ivet & Sánchez, Elena & Garfí, Marianna, 2018. "A multi-criteria decision support tool for the assessment of household biogas digester programmes in rural areas. A case study in Peru," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 74-83.
    3. Wakeel, Muhammad & Hayat, Tasawer & Shah, Noor Samad & Iqbal, Jibran & Haq Khan, Zia Ul & Shah, Ghulam Mustafa & Rasool, Atta, 2023. "Biogas Energy Resources in Pakistan Status, Potential, and Barriers," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    4. Rupf, Gloria V. & Bahri, Parisa A. & de Boer, Karne & McHenry, Mark P., 2015. "Barriers and opportunities of biogas dissemination in Sub-Saharan Africa and lessons learned from Rwanda, Tanzania, China, India, and Nepal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 468-476.
    5. Alberto Regattieri & Marco Bortolini & Emilio Ferrari & Mauro Gamberi & Francesco Piana, 2018. "Biogas Micro-Production from Human Organic Waste—A Research Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Giwa, Adewale & Alabi, Adetunji & Yusuf, Ahmed & Olukan, Tuza, 2017. "A comprehensive review on biomass and solar energy for sustainable energy generation in Nigeria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 620-641.
    7. Jun Hou & Weifeng Zhang & Pei Wang & Zhengxia Dou & Liwei Gao & David Styles, 2017. "Greenhouse Gas Mitigation of Rural Household Biogas Systems in China: A Life Cycle Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, February.
    8. Francis Kemausuor & Muyiwa S. Adaramola & John Morken, 2018. "A Review of Commercial Biogas Systems and Lessons for Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-21, November.
    9. Karellas, Sotirios & Boukis, Ioannis & Kontopoulos, Georgios, 2010. "Development of an investment decision tool for biogas production from agricultural waste," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 1273-1282, May.
    10. Suberu, Mohammed Yekini & Bashir, Nouruddeen & Mustafa, Mohd. Wazir, 2013. "Biogenic waste methane emissions and methane optimization for bioelectricity in Nigeria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 643-654.
    11. Coimbra-Araújo, Carlos H. & Mariane, Leidiane & Júnior, Cicero Bley & Frigo, Elisandro Pires & Frigo, Michelle Sato & Araújo, Izabela Regina Costa & Alves, Helton José, 2014. "Brazilian case study for biogas energy: Production of electric power, heat and automotive energy in condominiums of agroenergy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 826-839.
    12. Cheng, Shikun & Li, Zifu & Mang, Heinz-Peter & Huba, Elisabeth-Maria & Gao, Ruiling & Wang, Xuemei, 2014. "Development and application of prefabricated biogas digesters in developing countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 387-400.
    13. 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.
    14. Neshat, Soheil A. & Mohammadi, Maedeh & Najafpour, Ghasem D. & Lahijani, Pooya, 2017. "Anaerobic co-digestion of animal manures and lignocellulosic residues as a potent approach for sustainable biogas production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 308-322.
    15. Gudina Terefe Tucho & Sanderine Nonhebel, 2015. "Bio-Wastes as an Alternative Household Cooking Energy Source in Ethiopia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-19, September.
    16. Dreher, Axel & Fuchs, Andreas & Langlotz, Sarah, 2019. "The effects of foreign aid on refugee flows," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 127-147.
    17. Mohammed, Y.S. & Mustafa, M.W. & Bashir, N., 2013. "Status of renewable energy consumption and developmental challenges in Sub-Sahara Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 453-463.
    18. Magombeyi, Mercy Tsitsi & Odhiambo, Nicholas Mbaya, 2017. "Dynamic impact of FDI inflows on poverty reduction:Empirical evidence from South Africa," Working Papers 22006, University of South Africa, Department of Economics.
    19. Bacenetti, Jacopo & Sala, Cesare & Fusi, Alessandra & Fiala, Marco, 2016. "Agricultural anaerobic digestion plants: What LCA studies pointed out and what can be done to make them more environmentally sustainable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 669-686.
    20. N'dede Hourizene, Bley Cynthia & Wilson, Norbert L.W., 2017. "Contributing to Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa through Value-Added Agriculture," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258333, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:61:y:2016:i:c:p:556-571. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.