A review of the state of biomass energy technologies in Zimbabwe

Biomass supplies about 66% of total energy consumption in Zimbabwe. In recent times there has been an increasing interest in the country to increase the utilization of biomass resources for energy purposes. The major biomass materials found in Zimbabwe are fuelwood, crop and forestry residues, animal dung, energy crops, municipality and industrial wastes. Biomass energy conversion technologies include anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification, transesterification, fermentation and combustion. The premise of this paper is that as a component of a renewable energy mix, biomass should play an important role in sustainable energy systems in Zimbabwe. With an estimated total energy value of 409pJ, biomass is a huge energy resource for the country and must be optimally exploited. However, traditional utilization of solid biomass materials as a primary source of energy continues to be prevalent in Zimbabwe today. The trend should be to move from traditional biomass energy to improved and modern biomass energy technologies. This is evidenced by numerous projects that have been undertaken in pursuit of this endeavor. The aim of this paper is to review the state of biomass energy technologies in Zimbabwe with a view to provide aggregated information that will inform research, development and policies related to biomass energy.

[1]  J. Musango,et al.  Biofuels and sustainability in Africa , 2011 .

[2]  A. Demirbas,et al.  Bioethanol from Cellulosic Materials: A Renewable Motor Fuel from Biomass , 2005 .

[3]  R. Hosier,et al.  Zimbabwe: Energy planning for national development , 1986 .

[4]  Ken R. Smith.  Health, energy, and greenhouse-gas impacts of biomass combustion in household stoves , 1994 .

[5]  D. O. Hall,et al.  Biomass energy flows in Zimbabwe , 1995 .

[6]  E. A. Agbontalor.  Overview of various biomass energy conversion routes. , 2007 .

[7]  Y. Tekin,et al.  The Engine Tests of Biodiesel from Used Frying Oil , 2004 .

[8]  P. Shepherd,et al.  Biomass co-firing: A renewable alternative for utilities , 2000 .

[9]  Jerry D. Murphy,et al.  The optimal production of biogas for use as a transport fuel in Ireland , 2005 .

[10]  S. C. Bhattacharya,et al.  State of the Art of Biomass Combustion , 1998 .

[11]  J. Lelieveld,et al.  Spatial and temporal variation in domestic biofuel consumption rates and patterns in Zimbabwe: implications for atmospheric trace gas emission , 1999 .

[12]  S. Dasappa,et al.  Potential of biomass energy for electricity generation in sub-Saharan Africa , 2011 .

[13]  Raphael M. Jingura,et al.  Optimization of biogas production by anaerobic digestion for sustainable energy development in Zimbabwe , 2009 .

[14]  Anjan K. Kalia.  Biogas as a Source of Rural Energy , 2000 .

[15]  T. W. Berrie,et al.  Energy sector management assistance program: United Nations Development Program/World Bank Industry and Energy Department, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA, 1987, 9 pp, free , 1987 .

[16]  Raphael M. Jingura,et al.  The potential for energy production from crop residues in Zimbabwe. , 2008 .

[17]  J. Goldemberg.  World energy assessment : energy and the challenge of sustainability , 2000 .

[18]  Margaret S. Wooldridge,et al.  Co-firing of coal and biomass fuel blends , 2001 .

[19]  D. Hall,et al.  Biomass energy in industrialised countries—a view of the future , 1997 .

[20]  Anjan K. Kalia,et al.  Development of a Biogas Plant , 2004 .

[21]  David A. Tillman,et al.  Biomass cofiring : status and prospects 1996 , 1998 .

[22]  I. B. Fridleifsson,et al.  Renewable Energy Technologies , 2000 .

[23]  D. O. Hall,et al.  Energy analysis of ethanol production from sugarcane in Zimbabwe , 1991 .

[24]  S. Karekezi,et al.  Renewable energy strategies for rural Africa: is a PV-led renewable energy strategy the right approach for providing modern energy to the rural poor of sub-Saharan Africa? , 2002 .

[25]  D. O. Hall,et al.  Biomass, Energy, and Environment: A Developing Country Perspective from India , 1995 .

[26]  Göran Berndes,et al.  The contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply: a review of 17 studies , 2003 .

[27]  C. Mbohwa,et al.  Electricity from bagasse in Zimbabwe , 2003 .

[28]  M. Thring.  World Energy Outlook , 1977 .

[29]  J. M. Owens,et al.  Renewable methane from anaerobic digestion of biomass , 1997 .

[30]  Charles Mbohwa.  Bagasse energy cogeneration potential in the Zimbabwean sugar industry , 2003 .

[31]  Raphael Edinger,et al.  A concept for simultaneous wasteland reclamation, fuel production, and socio-economic development in degraded areas in India: need, potential and perspectives of Jatropha plantations. , 2005 .

[32]  Suani Teixeira Coelho,et al.  Traditional Biomass Energy: Improving Its Use and Moving to Modern Energy Use , 2012 .

[33]  Ayhan Demirbas,et al.  Briquetting Properties of Biomass Waste Materials , 2004 .

[34]  Stephen Karekezi,et al.  Renewable energy technologies in Africa , 1997 .