An investigation into some crop residues generation from farming activities and inherent energy potentials in Kwara State, Nigeria

E A Alhassan,T M A Olayanju,J O Olaoye,C E Okonkwo

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/640/1/012093

Abstract

In recent time, interest in energy generation from biological materials has been on the increase because of its environmental benefits. The use of these waste materials as feedstock in energy generation plants has been used in many industrial processes. The availability of these wastes is key to the sustainability of such a process. Resource assessment is an important step for planning and implementation of any energy workflow. This research studied the quantity of crop residues generated from farming of some crops in Kwara State and the potential energy contents inherent in them which when properly harnessed can help to alleviate the energy challenge in the state. The crops investigated were rice, maize, sorghum, soybean, and sugar cane. Relevant data were collected by visiting major farm establishments in the state and also the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR). Obtained production outputs for two farming seasons were analysed using the corresponding residue-to-crop ratios (RPR) to obtain the quantity of wastes generated and the corresponding unit conversion ratio for biomass energy content to obtain the inherent energy potentials. A total crop output of 2531.46 ton was obtained from the study with an estimated residue of 6047.02 tons, and inherent energy potential of 109201 GJ.

Highlights

The demands for energy over the years have been on the increase due to population growth, economic and technological advancement
The results show the estimated feedstock quantity, conversion process, obtainable bio-energy type, and energy potentials values in GJ
Kwara state biomass resources from crop residues were assessed in this study

Summary

Introduction

The demands for energy over the years have been on the increase due to population growth, economic and technological advancement. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd humanity is gradually losing popularity because of the associated carbon emissions from its combustion. In order to enhance environmental sustainability, there have been efforts at identifying alternative and renewable sources of energy capable of meeting increasing global demand. The continued existence of living organisms on this planet cannot be sustained indefinitely unless there is a change of attitude and behaviour to the current lifestyle as man constantly keep pushing the boundary of the planet resources to its limit and replacing it with wastes including various emissions [1]

Methods

Results

Conclusion