Biomass resources assessment and bioenergy generation for a clean and sustainable development in Cameroon

Abstract

Cameroon is a central African country located at the bottom of the Gulf of Guinea. It has huge forest resources and over 70% of active population is employed in agriculture, fishery and livestock. Therefore, a lot of residues are generated from activities and most of them are not used for energy purpose. The goal of this paper is threefold: first, quantifying and assessing the energy potential of these residues; second, investigating the corresponding conversion systems; and third, analyzing the importance of biomass as a source of energy and its potential contribution to sustainable development of the country. Four biomass sources are considered in the study: forest residues, agricultural crop residues, animal manure and Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW). The potential of each source is estimated for the base year 2012. Our estimation shows that animal manure and organic fraction of MSW can produce almost 1 km3 of biogas annually. Also, the total potential of electricity generation from all the sources is estimated to be about 67.5 TWh.y−1, representing approximately twelve times the Cameroon's total electric production of 2010; implying that biomass sources could significantly contribute towards meeting the future energy requirement of the country. Depending on the type and quantity of biomass source, desired final energy, environmental impact and economic conditions, the conversion of biomass into energy can be achieved by thermo-chemical and biological conversion systems that are currently at different stages of research, development, demonstration and commercialization.