The energy production potential from organic solid waste in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper presents a broad assessment of the energy production potential available from solid organic wastes when treated with anaerobic digestion in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Energy production potentials were estimated by calculating the methane (CH4) production potential based on data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), studies done in urban centres on the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), livestock manure, livestock food waste, crop residues normally burned, and crop primary equivalent waste. The total CH4 production potential of organic solid wastes in SSA was estimated to be 12.8 billion m3/yr, equivalent to 133 million GWh/yr of heat energy. Given that current domestic biogas programmes in SSA focus on cattle manure as the main feedstock, the large energy production potential from other organic waste streams highlights the opportunity to improve waste management practices through harnessing these abundant waste resources in biogas systems.