Biogas Source of Energy and Solution to the Environment Problems in Rwanda

2014 ◽  
Vol 705 ◽  
pp. 268-272
Author(s):  
Anastase Rwigema
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Fuel Wood ◽  
Electricity Grid ◽  
Human Excreta ◽  
Biogas Technology

In Africa especially in Rwanda, the development of Biogas technology is imperative for development to occur in sustainable manner. Using large centralized power generation facilities to provide electricity to rural population and communities is very expensive and non-viable in Rwanda due to lack of a well dispersed electric grid. In Addition, use of non-renewable fossil fuels is resulting in increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and attendant increased drivers for climate change. Development of Biogas systems serves the purposes of solving sanitation, energy and environmental problems by improving good health conditions and providing a source of energy for cooking and lighting to the communities and households contributing also to the decrease of GHG emissions. In Rwanda, there are 14 prisons, after genocide of 1994, the inmates increased up to 60,000. Number of prisoners was from 2,000 up to 7,500 prisoners in one prison [6]. This high number of inmates caused serious sanitation and environmental problems. Indeed the septic tanks became full and human excreta started to overflow and pollute the environment. In addition, a very big quantity of fuel wood was used for cooking inmates’ food; the consequence was the degradation of the environment. Similar problems were observed in schools. Solution to the mentioned problems was construction of Biogas systems. In Rwanda only about 16% of the population have access to electricity. In order to reduce that deficit of energy, Rwanda Government is developing other sources of energy particularly Biogas for rural areas which so far do not have connection to the national electricity grid. Big size (100 m3) and small size (4, 6, 8 and 10 m3) bio-digesters are installed in several institutions and households and they provide enough Biogas for cooking and lighting in steady of using firewood which is becoming scarce in many areas of the country and their usage as source of energy causes pollution through production of Carbon dioxide (CO2) released in the atmosphere. A study made by SNV (Netherlands Cooperation Development Agency) shows that a domestic bio-digester reduces 4.6 tons of (CO2) per year. Hence, calculation made indicates that the 3,000 domestic bio-digesters currently operational in Rwanda allow to reduce 13,800 tons of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. As organic wastes particularly human excreta and other digestible biomass are available everywhere, biogas technology can be developed in all the countries worldwide.

scholarly journals National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory – Romania

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian PROOROCU ◽  
Sorin DEACONU ◽  
Mihaela SMARANDACHE
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Great Probability ◽  
Emissions Inventory ◽  
National Inventory ◽  
Commitment Period ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

As a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and its Kyoto Protocol, Romania is required to elaborate, regularly update and submit the national GHG Inventory. In compliance with the reporting requirements, Romania submitted in 2010 its ninth version of the National Inventory Report (NIR) covering the national inventories of GHG emissions/removals for the period 1989-2008. The inventories cover all sectors: Energy, Industrial Processes, Solvent and other product use, Agriculture, LULUCF and Waste. The direct GHGs included in the national inventory are: Carbon dioxide (CO2); Methane (CH4); Nitrous oxide (N2O); Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); Perfluorocarbons (PFCs); Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The emissions trend over the 1989-2008 period reflects the changes characterized by a process of transition to a market economy. With the entire economy in transition, some energy intensive industries reduced their activities and this is reflected in the GHG emissions reduction. Energy represents the most important sector in Romania, accounting for about 69% of the total national GHG emissions in 2008. The most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas is the carbon dioxide. The decrease of CO2 emissions is caused by the decline of the amount of fossil fuels burnt in the energy sector, as a consequence of activity decline. According to the figures, there is a great probability for Romania to meet the Kyoto Protocol commitments on the limitation of the GHG emissions in the 2008-2012 commitment period.

Sensitivity analysis of using solar cells in regional electricity power supply of off-grid power systems in Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1849-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Jahangiri ◽  
Ahmad Haghani ◽  
Shahram Heidarian ◽  
Ali Mostafaeipour ◽  
Heidar Ali Raiesi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fuel Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Electricity Grid ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Self Sufficiency

Purpose Rural areas are one of the effective regions in economy and self-sufficiency field especially in agricultural and livestock section. Planning in the rural section and the effort in solving the problems of farmers lead to increase their interest in farming and manufacturing in the villages and decrease their migration to the cities and metropolitans. Therefore, the present study aimed at feasibility of electricity to a rural household in Iran using off-grid solar-based hybrid system. Design/methodology/approach In renewable energy projects, a successful evaluation requires suitable criteria so that one can properly analyze the operational behavior of all feasible scenarios. In the present paper, HOMER software has been used for this purpose for a village with no access to electricity grid (Bar Aftab-e Jalaleh, Iran). Due to drastic fluctuation of fossil fuel prices and varied solar radiations in various years because of climate change, sensitivity analysis has been performed using HOMER. Findings In the optimum status economically, 70% of needed energy is provided by solar cells at the price 0.792 $/kWh. The comparison between the optimum condition economically and the condition that only use fossil fuels revealed that the return on investment will occur after less than 2 years and have remained profitable over 23 years. Social implications The authors hope that the results of this study can be used in planning of the authorities to realize the interests of people in this village. Originality/value According to the surveys, despite Iran being the first country in terms of providing solar power to the villages, so far no socio-economic-environmental assessment has been done for a solar cell-based micro-grid in an off-grid mode for a remote village that is deprived of electricity from a national electricity grid. In addition, for the first time in Iran, the effect of the fuel price and solar radiation parameters variability on the performance of system have been investigated.

scholarly journals Benefits of Rural Biogas Implementation to Economy and Environment: Boyolali Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakaria Tazi Hnyine ◽  
Saut Sagala ◽  
Wahyu Lubis ◽  
Dodon Yamin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environmental Preservation ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Direct And Indirect Benefits

Selo, a small agricultural-based village in Boyolali, Central-Java, Indonesia has initiated small-scale rural biogas adoption as it presumably reduces the consumption of LPG, firewood, chemical fertilizer and (women’s) overall workload, which especially suitable due to the relatively high use of cattle in that area As environmental problems such as global warming from fossil fuel consumption and land degradation from deforestation and overuse of chemical fertilizers, and socio-economic problems as gender empowerment and self-sufficiency are becoming more pressing, it is useful to analyse the benefits of biogas as an alternative renewable energy technology (RET) provision in rural areas. This paper aims to assess the benefits of rural biogas adoption from an economic perspective, through calculating the direct and indirect benefits obtained from biogas adoption in Selo. For this, a field survey was carried out in Selo to ask questions to biogas users (N=21) and non-users (N=5) on their energy and fertilizer consumption, as well as emissions reductions resulting from biogas adoption. Based on the analysis, oon average, a household with biogas saves 490 kWh month–1, 20,000 IDR month–1,185 kg CO2e month–1.Chemical fertilizer consumption remains remarkably high, which may due to a lack of awareness on the potential of digester slurry by the farmers, for indeed, reduction of chemical fertilizer use would help address some environmental problems. Biogas quality of one household has also been determined by comparing its heating value to that of methane; the methane percentage (MP) was approximately 31%. The quality is considerably lower than expected from the literature (i.e. around 60%), which may be due to the farmers neither mixing nor supplying water to the dung. Trainings providing methods for improving digester overall effectiveness to particularly the women-folk may enhance digester management and thus biogas production, as they form the main primary operatives. Despite the room for improvement, the existing results clearly show that biogas adoption significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, household energy costs, workload, improves environmental conditions and generates income through carbon credit exchange. Therefore, under the notions of sustainable development, environmental preservation and self-sufficiency, policy makers and NGOs should expedite their support in biogas development, e.g. by providing subsidies and awareness raising.

scholarly journals Evaluation of environmental impacts of harvest residue-based bioenergy using radiative forcing analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 90 (05) ◽  
pp. 577-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Pierobon ◽  
Indroneil Ganguly ◽  
Tommaso Anfodillo ◽  
Ivan L. Eastin
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Carbon Neutrality

The “carbon neutrality” assumption plays an important role in the evaluation of the global warming potential (GWP) of bioenergy relative to fossil fuels. In the case of woody bioenergy, this assumption implies that the carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of the biomass is equal to the carbon dioxide sequestered from the atmosphere within that biomass. However, the collection and conversion of woody biomass requires energy inputs in various forms that produce emissions to the air or water. To be able to estimate the overall environmental burdens associated with converting woody biomass to bioenergy, and the net reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere by avoiding the use of fossil fuel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is the internationally recognized method of choice. However, the carbon neutrality of woody biomass and the environmental impacts associated with wood-based bioenergy are hotly debated in national and international arenas. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impacts of woody biomass-based bioenergy and proposes a GWP impact assessment methodology using radiative forcing for incorporating the dynamics of carbon sequestration, decomposition of residues and biomass processing in the life cycle assessment of bioenergy.

scholarly journals Analysis of environmental impacts of renewable energy on the Moroccan electricity sector: A System Dynamics approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 03002
Author(s):  
M. Chentouf ◽  
M. Allouch
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Renewable Energies ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Energy Efficiency Measures ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Mitigation

Producing electricity at an affordable price while taking into account environmental concerns has become a major challenge in Morocco. Moreover, the technical and financial issues related to renewable electricity plants are still hindering their efficient integration in the country. In fact, the energy sector (both electricity and heat) accounted for more than half of all Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions in the kingdom due to the major reliance on fossil fuels for answering the growing local demand. The key strategies to alleviate this critical situation include the integration of more renewable energies in the total energy mix and the enhancement of energy efficiency measures in different sectors. This paper strives to (1) evaluate the potential of carbon dioxide mitigation in Moroccan electricity sector following the actual and projected strategies and (2) highlight the policy schemes to be taken in order to achieve the ambitious carbon dioxide mitigation targets in the mid-term. A system dynamics model was built in order to simulate different scenarios of carbon dioxide mitigation policies up to 2030. The results shows that the achievement of renewable energies projects by 2030 could save 228.143 MtCO2 between 2020 and 2030 and an additional 18.127 MtCO2 could be avoided in the same period by enhancing energy efficiency measures.

Catalysts for hydrogenation of CO2 into components of motor fuels

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Yu.V. Bilokopytov ◽  
◽  
S.L. Melnykova ◽  
N.Yu. Khimach ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Heterogeneous Catalysts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Catalyst Stability ◽  
Co2 Conversion ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Synthesis Conditions ◽  
Hydrogenation Of Co2 ◽  
Mesoporous Zeolites ◽  
Motor Fuels

CO2 is a harmful greenhouse gas, a product of chemical emissions, the combustion of fossil fuels and car exhausts, and it is a widely available source of carbon. The review considers various ways of hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into components of motor fuels - methanol, dimethyl ether, ethanol, hydrocarbons - in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts. At each route of conversion of CO2 (into oxygenates or hydrocarbons) the first stage is the formation of CO by the reverse water gas shift (rWGS) reaction, which must be taken into account when catalysts of process are choosing. The influence of chemical nature, specific surface area, particle size and interaction between catalyst components, as well as the method of its production on the CO2 conversion processes is analyzed. It is noted that the main active components of CO2 conversion into methanol are copper atoms and ions which interact with the oxide components of the catalyst. There is a positive effect of other metals oxides additives with strong basic centers on the surface on the activity of the traditional copper-zinc-aluminum oxide catalyst for the synthesis of methanol from the synthesis gas. The most active catalysts for the synthesis of DME from CO2 and H2 are bifunctional. These catalysts contain both a methanol synthesis catalyst and a dehydrating component, such as mesoporous zeolites with acid centers of weak and medium strength, evenly distributed on the surface. The synthesis of gasoline hydrocarbons (≥ C5) is carried out through the formation of CO or CH3OH and DME as intermediates on multifunctional catalysts, which also contain zeolites. Hydrogenation of CO2 into ethanol can be considered as an alternative to the synthesis of ethanol through the hydration of ethylene. High activation energy of carbon dioxide, harsh synthesis conditions as well as high selectivity for hydrocarbons, in particular methane remains the main problems. Further increase of selectivity and efficiency of carbon dioxide hydrogenation processes involves the use of nanocatalysts taking into account the mechanism of CO2 conversion reactions, development of methods for removing excess water as a by-product from the reaction zone and increasing catalyst stability over time.

scholarly journals Recent Advancements in Technical Design and Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Greenhouse Dryers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7025
Author(s):  
Shiva Gorjian ◽  
Behnam Hosseingholilou ◽  
Laxmikant D. Jathar ◽  
Haniyeh Samadi ◽  
Samiran Samanta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Hybrid Configuration ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits

The food industry is responsible for supplying the food demand of the ever-increasing global population. The food chain is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global food waste accounts for one-third of produced food. A solution to this problem is preserving crops, vegetables, and fruits with the help of an ancient method of sun drying. For drying agricultural and marine products, several types of dryers are also being developed. However, they require a large amount of energy supplied conventionally from pollutant energy sources. The environmental concerns and depletion risks of fossil fuels persuade researchers and developers to seek alternative solutions. To perform drying applications, sustainable solar power may be effective because it is highly accessible in most regions of the world. Greenhouse dryers (GHDs) are simple facilities that can provide large capacities for drying agricultural products. This study reviews the integration of GHDs with different solar technologies, including photovoltaic (PV), photovoltaic-thermal (PVT), and solar thermal collectors. Additionally, the integration of solar-assisted greenhouse dryers (SGHDs) with heat pumps and thermal energy storage (TES) units, as well as their hybrid configuration considering integration with other renewable energy sources, is investigated to improve their thermal performance. In this regard, this review presents and discusses the most recent advances in this field. Additionally, the economic analysis of SGHDs is presented as a key factor to make these sustainable facilities commercially available.

Atomic-level engineering of two-dimensional electrocatalysts for CO2 Reduction

Nanoscale ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Shao ◽  
Xiaodong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Co2 Reduction ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Excessive Consumption

Carbon dioxide (CO2) from the excessive consumption of fossil fuels has exhibited a huge threat to the planet’s ecosystem. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction into value-added chemicals have been regarded as a...

Insights into the Development of Cu-based Photocathodes for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Conversion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenzhang Li ◽  
Keke Wang ◽  
yanfang Ma ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Weixin Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Energy Crisis ◽  
Co2 Conversion ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
Reduction Of Co2

The ever-growing factitious over-consumption of fossil fuels and the accompanying massive emissions of CO2 have caused severe energy crisis and environmental issues. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of CO2 that can combine...

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions from the water–air interface of a grassland river: a case study of the Xilin River

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Hao ◽  
Yu Ruihong ◽  
Zhang Zhuangzhuang ◽  
Qi Zhen ◽  
Lu Xixi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Sand Land ◽  
Very High

AbstractGreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rivers and lakes have been shown to significantly contribute to global carbon and nitrogen cycling. In spatiotemporal-variable and human-impacted rivers in the grassland region, simultaneous carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions and their relationships under the different land use types are poorly documented. This research estimated greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) emissions in the Xilin River of Inner Mongolia of China using direct measurements from 18 field campaigns under seven land use type (such as swamp, sand land, grassland, pond, reservoir, lake, waste water) conducted in 2018. The results showed that CO2 emissions were higher in June and August, mainly affected by pH and DO. Emissions of CH4 and N2O were higher in October, which were influenced by TN and TP. According to global warming potential, CO2 emissions accounted for 63.35% of the three GHG emissions, and CH4 and N2O emissions accounted for 35.98% and 0.66% in the Xilin river, respectively. Under the influence of different degrees of human-impact, the amount of CO2 emissions in the sand land type was very high, however, CH4 emissions and N2O emissions were very high in the artificial pond and the wastewater, respectively. For natural river, the greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir and sand land were both low. The Xilin river was observed to be a source of carbon dioxide and methane, and the lake was a sink for nitrous oxide.

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