Every day, billions of tons of organic waste are produced around the world, most of which ends up in landfills, releasing harmful greenhouse gases. But what if this waste could be transformed into something valuable? That’s the promise of bioenergy—turning what we throw away into a source of clean, renewable energy.

The Journey from Waste to Energy

The process begins with collecting organic waste, such as food scraps, agricultural residues, and even wastewater. This waste is then processed through methods like anaerobic digestion, where microorganisms break down the organic matter to produce biogas. The biogas can be used to generate electricity, heat, or even upgraded to natural gas standards for use in vehicles.

Real-World Impact

Countries like Sweden and Germany have embraced bioenergy as part of their energy mix. In some cities, municipal waste is converted into energy that powers homes and public transportation systems. This not only reduces reliance on fossil fuels but also cuts down on landfill usage, creating a cleaner environment.

Challenges Ahead

To maximize the potential of bioenergy, investments in infrastructure and technology are essential. Policymakers must also ensure that the production of bioenergy doesn’t interfere with food supply or lead to deforestation. With balanced strategies, bioenergy can drive a zero-waste future.

TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO WEALTH:

The term waste in land law, means, any act or omission  which results in a Change in the land for better or for worse e.g. Conversion of arable Land into a timber Plantation

There are various ways to transform waste into wealth, such as recycling, upcycling, composting, and bioconversion.

Recycling involves processing waste materials into new products that can be used again. This not only reduces the amount of waste in landfills but also creates new economic opportunities in the recycling industry.

Upcycling involves taking waste materials and transforming them into higher-quality products with greater value. This can include turning old clothes into new garments or repurposing materials like glass and plastic into decorative items.

Composting involves decomposing organic waste like food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich compost that can be used to fertilize gardens and farms. This not only reduces methane emissions from landfills but also creates a valuable soil amendment for agriculture.

Bioconversion involves using microorganisms or enzymes to break down organic waste into useful products like biofuels, bioplastics, and organic fertilizers. This can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers while creating new sustainable sources of energy and materials.

Overall, transforming waste into wealth not only helps to protect the environment and conserve resources but also presents opportunities for economic growth and innovation in the emerging circular economy.

THE JOURNEY FROM WASTE TO ENERGY

Bio Energy (Biofuels)

Biomas is all of the living materials in an area often referred to as vegetation. The biomass resource base includes a wide range of materials such as grains, sugar crops, food wastes animal waste, crop residues, wood, and forest residues.[3]

Biomass technology is well developed in the United States and in Europe. In Nigeria, Biomass technology is at its infancy. In 2005, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) launched the fuel ethanol initiative in Nigeria. This is the first biomass project in Nigeria. The project, which is expected to utilize sugar cane and cassava for the production of ethanol fuel, has the potential of making available up to 10 percent of the fuel being consumed currently in 32 Nigerian.[4]” In today’s terms, where the nation consumes about 30 million litres of petrol per day, it means that at commencement, ethanol fuel will make up about 3 million litres of Nigeria’s daily fuel requirement.

The biomass ethanol programme will:

• Increased economic development, particularly in the
• rural areas;
• Free more crude oil for export.
• Diversify energy source
• Diver generates co-products (bagasse) that can be used as feedstock to power generation units.
• Fuel ethanol has been very well accepted in other countries e.g Brazil, Fudathailand, USA, Germany, etc. Today Brazil operates a fuelling system that provides 100% substitute to gasoline[5]. The United States consumes more than 15 billion gallons of cleaner ethanol blended petrol a year”.

REAL-WORLD IMPACT :

In Sweden and Germany, both countries have implemented a number of policies and initiatives to promote the use of renewable energy sources and reduce overall energy consumption. One of the key strategies that have been employed is the use of rewards and incentives to encourage individuals and businesses to switch to more sustainable energy practices.

Solar Energy

Solar energy involves the direct utilization of the sun’s radiant energy as it reaches the earth.[6] Solar energy can be used in a variety of forms. The most common use of solar energy is to generate electricity. Utilizing power from the sum involves high initial investment. Solar technology has a number of advantages over conventional energy technologies. It is unpolluting, safe and cheap to maintain.

In Nigeria, solar energy is an emerging area of scientific research and technological applications with exciting possibility. The use of solar energy in many countries has been progressing at a phenomenal rate. There is a bright future for solar energy application in Nigeria, because as a tropical country, there is abundant sunshine and the length of day varies very little during the year. In many major cities in Nigeria, solar energy is now used to generate electricity particular for street lights. Solar energy provides a viable source of energy for rural communities in Nigeria.

Presently, solar energy is underutilized in Nigeria. Solar Energy has the capacity to meet the energy needs to this country because it is available in tremendous amounts and is widely distributed. The use of solar energy will reduce the dependence on fossil fuel, thereby contributing to the economic development of Nigeria.

In Sweden, the government has introduced a number of financial incentives to promote the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. This includes offering tax breaks for individuals and businesses that invest in renewable energy technologies, as well as providing grants and subsidies for the installation of solar panels and other sustainable energy systems. These rewards have helped to drive significant growth in the renewable energy sector in Sweden, with the country now generating a large portion of its electricity from sustainable sources.

CHANLLENGES AHEAD AND IT’S SOLUTIONS:

Despite Nigeria’s potential for biogas production, with a significant poultry and cattle population, the practice remains rare due to challenges in securing a regular supply of organic waste. The Rije experience highlights the necessity of long-term partnerships with large-scale farms for sustainable biogas projects.[8]

Achieving an affordable clean energy in accordance to the sustainable development goal (SDG 7) is a challenge in Nigeria and other nations in Africa. Most of the currently used energy strategies are either not sustainable or poorly maintained.

 Nigeria is a major exporter of fossil fuel but currently faced with serious energy crisis, which necessitates the search for a sustainable renewable form of energy as alternative to fossil fuel in order to meet the SDG 7. Biofuel has been identified as a sustainable form of renewable energy in Nigeria with sugarcane, cassava, plant seed and waste materials being possible feedstocks for bioethanol and biodiesel production.

Furthermore, focus should be on developing the Nigerian waste management strategy, which has the potential of generating sufficient energy to drive the economy and serve as means of employment. It is also high time for Nigeria to develop its own technology to run biofuel production from its currently developed cassava and sugarcane industry. It might be necessary to create more awareness on the importance of biofuel as well as provide suitable business environment for local and international investors.

Challenge on climate change was noticed in Cameroon and Burkina faso. The climate change issue in these countries have shown negative effect on the agricultural cultivations compared to other countries examined. Apart from this, water scarcity is also a challenge in Cameroon. There is no doubt that access to clean drinking water is a challenge in most African countries, however, Cameroon suffers from sufficient water supply for agricultural practice, which has negative impact on agricultural resources as feedstock for biofuel production