Abstract
Electricity generation from biomass is not only affordable and clean but also a crucial alternative to improve per capita electricity generation and consumption in developing countries. Exploiting waste-to-energy (WtE) potential of biomass requires accurate data on daily, weekly, or monthly biomass residual generation across different points within a region or country. This is lacking in most developing countries including Nigeria. To assess the feasibility of a sustainable electricity generation regime from rice husks (RH) in Nigeria, this study employed two important sampling techniques to overcome the lack of comprehensive national data on millers and dearth of data on RH generation, and to increase generalization. A stratified purposive sampling of rice milling centers that included demographic settings (rural, semi-urban, and urban) and size (small, medium, and large scale), and a purposive random sampling of 540 rice millers from 14 states known for heavy rice milling activities were drawn and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results show that approximately 68 mills and/or clusters of mills spread across rural, semi-urban and urban areas currently provide sufficient RH for a net power output of between 2 MW and 12 MW of electricity and can effectively solve both in-plant and several surrounding household energy needs. The results also show that such WtE utilization decreases open burning and improper disposal of RH, saving more than 80,000 kgCO2-eq daily with significant environmental benefits. This assessment demonstrates that taking proper stocks of biomass waste generation is not only crucial for energy generation mix but also for potential emission reduction strategies.
