WREC 1996

THE POTENTIAL OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL RESIDUES FOR PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS AND ELECTR.ICTTY IN TANZANIA Amelia K. iijvaisi and M.S.T. hbindamayugi Applied Microbiology Unit, Botany Department P.O. Box 35060, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

AESTRf4CT

This paper gives an overview of the energy demands in Tanzania, and highlights the current serious shortage of electricity. Government strategy to alleviate the problem include exploitation of the country s big natural gas reserves for power generation, and utilization of the renewable energies such as solar, wind and biogas. Important agro-industrial residues with a large potential for anaerobic conversion into biogas and electricity are identified, and their production and locations are described. Tanzania generates a total of 468,100 tonnes organic matter from coffee, sisal, sugar and cereal residues annually. Laboratory scale determinations of methane yields from the residues gave 400 m3 CH,/ton VS of sisal pulp; 400 m3 CHJton VS of sisal production wastewater; 650 m3 CHJton VS of Robusta coffee solid waste; 730 m3 CH,/ton of Arabia coffee solid waste; 230 m3 CH.,/ton VS of sugar filter mat and 450 m3 CH,/ton VS maize bran. Based on these results the estimated total annual potential electricity production from these residues is 1,135 million kWh. The total oil substitution from these residues has been estimated at 0.32 million tonnes crude diesel oil per annum equivalent to 2 % of the total energy consumption in Tanzania. Case studies on the coffee and sisal processing factories indicate that exploitation of the residues for the production of electricity on site these factories is feasible. Utilization of agro-industrial residues for biogas production has a big potential for reduction of environmental pollution. The potential substitution of fossil fuel with biogas represents an annual reduction in the net CO, emission to the atmosphere of approximately 1.05 million tonnes. By treating the residues in controlled anaerobic systems it is possible to reduce the methane emission by about 189 million m, and at the same time reduce contamination of surface and ground waters.

KEYWORDS

Tanzania, agro-industrial residues, bioenergy potential, green house gases reduction.

INTRODUCTION

Energy is an essential input into all sectors of the economy of any country. With the rapidly growing population (growth rate is 2.8 % per year; 1988 Population census) , Tanzania can hardly cope with the increasing demand for energy. The total amount of energy used annually is equivalent to about 15 million tonnes of oil. Woodfuel is the primary source for over 90 % of this energy. Petroleum imports account for 8 %, and h&o-electricity for 2 %. The country is totally dependent on imported petroleum which 917

WRJX 1996

currently accounts for 40 % of the value of the country export earnings (Mwandosya, 1991). Percentage s consumption of the total energy by the sub-sectors is household, 85 %; industry, 10 %; transport, 4 %; and agriculture and commerce, 1 %(Sawe, 1991). About 90 % of all woodfuel is consumed by households, and the remaining 10 % is used in agro-based industries, commercial and social institutions. Petroleum fuels and electricity are mainly used in urban areas and industries. Tanzania has a total national generation capacity of 480 MW of electricity, 69 % of which is hydro-based and 31% is thermal. The country has a very low per capita consumption of electricity and only 10 % of the entire population has access to electricity (Luhanga, i991). However, there appears to be an ever increasing demand. The extension of the national grid for electrification of rural areas and agro-based industries is expected to contribute to the increasing demand for eiectricity. In the recent years the demand has been growing at an average of 10 % per annum (Mosha, 1991). During the last four years, Tanzania has been experiencing a serious shortage of electricity due to inadequate rainfal! as a result of environmental degradation. The national power utility has been exercising power-rationing to industrial and domestic consumers for the last three years during the months of S,-ptaobsr to March. During this period, a sharp drop in the water levels at the five dams which feed the hydroelectric power generating stations is experienced. The overall drop in the water level results into a total decrease of about 50 % (from 430 MW to 213 MW) of the usable total power on the national grid. In order to alleviate this problem the Tanzania government is launching an Emergence Power Generation Project funded by the World Bank. Within this project is the Songosongo Gas project which will utilize natural gas from the Songosongo reservoir for power generation. Gas will be mined and transported to Dar es Salaam under pressure in a gas pipeline which will cost 200 million US dollars. Gas turbines with a capacity of between 75 and 100 MW will be installed. On long term baais the government has emphasized the need to improve and exploit other indigenous energy sources such as coal and renewable energies such as solar, wind and biogas in order to overcome the adverse effects of the woodfuel and oil crisis (Mwandosya and Luhanga, 1991). However, the adoption of renewable energy sources in Tanzania is still in its infancy. The introduction of biogas technology in Tanzania put emphasis on the use of animal manure as the sole feedstock for biogas digesters. On the contrary, Tanzania has an abundance of several other potential feedstocks for biogas digesters. These include municipal solid wastes and wastewaters and agro-industrial residues (solid wastes and wastewaters). On the basis of their organic matter content, these materials have an enormous potential for conversion into biogadand electricity which could be utilized on site agro-based industries which generate the residues. Current disposal methods of agro-based industrial residues include burning and dumping on site the surroundings without prior treatment. This results into bad odours of the surrounding atmosphere, breeding of disease vectors, and poiiution of ground water and surface water bodies through !eaching and run-offs, respectively. Anaerobic treatment of these materials could reduce pollution as well as alleviate the energy shortte probiem through biogaslelectricity production. In this paper, the quantities of agro-industrial residues which can be utilized for biogas and electricity production are given and their bioenergy potentids are described.

GENERATION

OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL

RESIDUES WITH HIGH BIOGAS POTENTIAL

Tanzania economy is primarily dependent on the agricultural sector. Cash crops include coffee, sisal, tobacco, sugar cane, tea, cloves, cotton, cashewnuts and cereals. Agro-industries which process moat oi these crops generate large amounts of residues which are suitable for anaerobic digestion (Table 1).

918

WREC 1996
METHANE AND BIOENERGY POTENTIALS OF SELECTED RESIDUES

Laboratory scale experiments have been done to determine the methane yields from sisal pulp, sisal production wastewater, coffee wastes, maize bran and sugar filter cake in batch cultures (Eliapenda, 1993; UNDP, 1993). The measured yields for the various residues were Robusta coffee solid waste, 650 ml CH., /g VS; Arabica co&s solidwaste, 730 ,ml CD, lg VS; sisa! production wastewater, 530 ml CH,/g VS; sisal production solid waste, 490 ml CH,/g VS; maize bran, 450 ml CH,/g VS; sugar filter cake 230 ml CH,/g VS. Most of these values were higher than the theoretical methane yields of 408 ml CH, /g VS from carbohydrate materials such as grasses and woody biomasses. Proteinaceous substances have about the same methane yield, but fatty or oily produce twice as much methane per gram VS.
Table 1. Major crops and residues production in Tanzania during 1992/93 period

Crops

I Annual production (metric tonnes)

3,733,700

_.l-_l-__._._. CerraIs
Coffee (clean coffee)

I AMU~ production of bran residues (tonnes volatile solids)

336,060

56,053

199,200 20,000 I 200,000 755,260 II II I

IIsugar
11Sisal (clean fibre) Total

I 123,620
1 36,000 3,949,373

These results indicated that the wastes contained fatty or other reduced substances in addition to carbohydrates. Based on the results of the laboratory scale experiments, estimation of the energy potential of the residues was done as shown in Table 2. The estimations are based on the fact that one cubic metre of methane is equivalent to 0.842 kg of diesel oil and can generate 3 kWh of electricity. This is possible if modem gas motor/generator systems with sn efficiency of 95 % are used.

CASE STUDIES

During a preinvestiment study for UIWP (1993j ho appraise projects which can utilize municipal solid wastes, industrial wastes and agroindusrrial residues for production of biogas and electricity in Tanzania, studies were carried out at specific co&e and sisal processing factories. Tables 3 and 4 show the energy budgets of the studied factories.

ADDITIONAL

BENEFITS

FROM ANAEROBIC

TREATMENT

OF RESIDUES

Most of the crops processed by agro-industries are produced on large plantations which use alot of chemical fertilizers. These are very expensive and have a residual effect on the soil and the environment in general. On the other hand anaerobically composted residues are stable and have concentrated nutrients required by plants. Returning of these residues to the land for maintaining soil fertility will reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, and at the same time protecting the environment.

919

WREC 1996

Table 2. Energy potential of selected agro-industrial

residues in Tanzania.

Sisal

TOTAL

Table 3. Daily energy budget for biogas from coffee processing factories

I
1 Biogas potential BUKOP TANKA Electricity Electricity Gas oil Fuel oil Total energy demand Excess energy

Energy (kWh or litre 73,l SO kWh ___----_ 6,300 kWii 4,300 kw?I 400 1 3,000 1 20,799 kWh 52351 kWh

I !
-l--

Methane equivalent cm3 CHJ 24,383 -----2,100 1,433 400 3,000. 6,933 17,450

920

WFtEC 1996 Table 4. Annual potential energy production and demand for Ubena-Somozi sisal farm

Residue

Annual quantity

Methane yield (million m)

Electricity equivalent (million kWh) 2.40 6.75

Sisal pulp (tons VS) Sisal wastewater (tons COD) TOTAL POTENTIAL PRODUCTION ENXRGY

1,995 5,600

0.798

I I I
I

2.24

? 038 o.coxi
2.4304

9.15

ENERGY DEMAND (20 % OF TOTAL; EXCESS ENERGY

i
I

I
I

1.83 7.32

Reduction in emission of greenhouse gases is another benefit from anaerobic treatment of waste. There is a relationship between energy consumption and contribution to the emissions of greenhouse gases. The developing world uses only 30 % of the global energy consumption. The annual CO, and CH, emissions per capita is about 1 ton and 11.5 kg(16 m in Africa, respectively, compared to IO-15 tonnes and 115) 175 kg in Europe and USA ( UNDP, 1993). Based on a total population of 25 million in Tanzania, the total annual emission of CO, and CH, can be estimated at 25 million tonnes of CO, and 288,00 tonnes of CH, (400 million m3). Utilization of the agro-industrial residues for biogas production represents a reduction in the CH, emission of approximately 189 million .m3 annually. The potential substitution of fossil fuel with biogas represents an annual reduction in the atmosphere of 1.05 million m3 of CO, . In conclusion, Tanzania,s major agro-industries can greatly reduce dependence on fossil fuel, woodfuel and hydroelectricity and at the same time curb environmental pollution by utilization of their agro-residues for biogas and electricity production.

REFERENCES Eliapenda, S. ( 1993). Ph.D.&sis. University of Dar es salaam. Tanzania. Luhanga, B.E. (1991). In :Mandosya, J. and M.L Luhanga (eds). National Energy Policy for Stockholm Environment Institute. pp 88-95 Mosha, A. (1991). In :Mwandosya, M.J. and M.L. Luhanga (eds). National Energy Policy for Stockholm Environment Institute. pp 71-82. Mwandosya, M.J. (1991). In :Mwandosya, M.J. and M.L. Luhanga (eds). National Energy Tanzania. Stockholm Environment instittite. pp 26-44. Mwandosya, M.J. and M.L. Luhanga (eds). (1991). National Enera Policy for Tanzania. Environment Institute. Sawe, E N.(l991). In :Mwandosya, M.J. and M.L. Luhanga (eds). National Energy Tanzania. Stockholm Environment Institute. pp 26-44. UNDP, (I 993). T&gas. Energy from waste in Tanzania.

Tanzania. Tanzania. Policy for Stockholm Policy for

921