Poverty sequestration using Sawdust biomass energy in Nigeria

Abstract

The commensurate increase in the price of kerosene and gas created fear in the minds of many Nigerians, which force them to think of the future and show much concern about the security of energy needed for survival and economic sustainability. The growing demand in energy coupled with the population increase places more demand on agricultural biomass such as sawdust to be used for heating processes. A large quantity of sawdust is produced on daily basis in most Nigerian cities and can be utilize for domestic heating. The potential of this biomass to serve as an alternative energy source is explored in this work. About 1500 gram of sieved sawdust mixed with 150 gram of starch binder were prepared into a moderate size briquette. Study on combustion performances was conducted using constructed sawdust stove. Analysis of the experimental data indicates that the sawdust stove performances in terms of combustion rate and efficiency are comparable to that of kerosene stove and surpass ordinary fire-wood stoves. The advantage of using sawdust for heating applications are its domestic origin and help in waste management.