IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v39y2014icp1035-1052.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The potential of cassava biomass and applicable technologies for sustainable biogas production in South Africa: A review

Author

Listed:
  • Okudoh, Vincent
  • Trois, Cristina
  • Workneh, Tilahun
  • Schmidt, Stefan

Abstract

Bioenergy production from agricultural crop biomass or residues is gaining interest due to the escalating cost of fossil fuels and the need to mitigate global warming caused by increasing GHG emissions. Of all the different feed stocks used for bioenergy production in Africa, cassava biomass potentially offers multiple benefits for producing biofuels such as biogas. This critical review on cassava intends to highlight the bioenergy (biogas) potential of the crop in Africa. Initially, the basic agricultural properties of cassava will be reviewed. Cassava contains large amounts of fermentable sugars. Its starch content ranges from 20 to 35% based on fresh and at about 80.6% based on dry weight with 38.6% total dry matter. It has the highest yield of carbohydrates per hectare with the exception of sugarcane and sugar beet. It thrives well in all ecological zones with one of the best water-footprints especially on relatively low fertility soils, in drought conditions and requires low agrochemical input. High yielding and disease resistant cassava varieties have been developed for both food and non-food applications with China adopting the crop to meet its 2020 biofuel target. Based on the available literature, various pretreatment techniques including mechanical, chemical, thermal, ultrasonic and wet explosion strategies were considered. The advantages and disadvantages of each technology as well as adoptable technologies for cassava biogas production and its optimization in Africa and especially South Africa will be critically discussed. This review highlights the highly politicized food vs energy debate as the most relevant bottleneck for using “potential” food (like cassava and other energy crops) for energy production. It suggests a paradigm shift and a more holistic and complementary view of food and biomass energy production. In conclusion, it recommend considering cassava and its biomass as the next energy crop for biogas production in Africa and especially South Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Okudoh, Vincent & Trois, Cristina & Workneh, Tilahun & Schmidt, Stefan, 2014. "The potential of cassava biomass and applicable technologies for sustainable biogas production in South Africa: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1035-1052.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:1035-1052
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.142
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114005942
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.142?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jansson, Christer & Westerbergh, Anna & Zhang, Jiaming & Hu, Xinwen & Sun, Chuanxin, 2009. "Cassava, a potential biofuel crop in (the) People's Republic of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(Supplemen), pages 95-99, November.
    2. Karthik Rajendran & Solmaz Aslanzadeh & Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, 2012. "Household Biogas Digesters—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-32, August.
    3. Gautam, Rajeeb & Baral, Sumit & Herat, Sunil, 2009. "Biogas as a sustainable energy source in Nepal: Present status and future challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 248-252, January.
    4. Gallagher, Paul W. & Brubaker, Heather & Shapouri, Hosein, 2005. "Plant size: Capital cost relationships in the dry mill ethanol industry," ISU General Staff Papers 200506010700001442, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    5. Chandra, R. & Takeuchi, H. & Hasegawa, T. & Kumar, R., 2012. "Improving biodegradability and biogas production of wheat straw substrates using sodium hydroxide and hydrothermal pretreatments," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 273-282.
    6. Kgathi, Donald L. & Mfundisi, K.B. & Mmopelwa, G. & Mosepele, K., 2012. "Potential impacts of biofuel development on food security in Botswana: A contribution to energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 70-79.
    7. Daxiong, Qiu & Shuhua, Gu & Baofen, Liange & Gehua, Wang, 1990. "Diffusion and innovation in the Chinese biogas program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 555-563, April.
    8. Gallagher, Paul W. & Brubaker, Heather & Shapouri, Hosein, 2005. "Plant Size: Capital Cost Relationships in the Dry Mill Ethanol Industry," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12306, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    9. Madsen, Michael & Holm-Nielsen, Jens Bo & Esbensen, Kim H., 2011. "Monitoring of anaerobic digestion processes: A review perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3141-3155, August.
    10. Cappelletti, Bianca Martins & Reginatto, Valeria & Amante, Edna Regina & Antônio, Regina Vasconcellos, 2011. "Fermentative production of hydrogen from cassava processing wastewater by Clostridium acetobutylicum," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3367-3372.
    11. Amigun, B. & Sigamoney, R. & von Blottnitz, H., 2008. "Commercialisation of biofuel industry in Africa: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 690-711, April.
    12. Chang, Shiyan & Zhao, Lili & Timilsina, Govinda R. & Zhang, Xiliang, 2012. "Biofuels development in China: Technology options and policies needed to meet the 2020 target," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 64-79.
    13. Santerre, Michael T. & Smith, Kirk R., 1982. "Measures of appropriateness: the resource requirements of anaerobic digestion (biogas) systems," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 239-261, March.
    14. A. Hoekstra & A. Chapagain, 2007. "Water footprints of nations: Water use by people as a function of their consumption pattern," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(1), pages 35-48, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Divya, D. & Gopinath, L.R. & Merlin Christy, P., 2015. "A review on current aspects and diverse prospects for enhancing biogas production in sustainable means," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 690-699.
    2. Zhen, Guangyin & Lu, Xueqin & Kato, Hiroyuki & Zhao, Youcai & Li, Yu-You, 2017. "Overview of pretreatment strategies for enhancing sewage sludge disintegration and subsequent anaerobic digestion: Current advances, full-scale application and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 559-577.
    3. Bundhoo, Zumar M.A. & Surroop, Dinesh, 2019. "Evaluation of the potential of bio-methane production from field-based crop residues in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    4. Padi, Richard Kingsley & Chimphango, Annie, 2021. "Assessing the potential of integrating cassava residues-based bioenergy into national energy mix using long-range Energy Alternatives Planning systems approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    5. Obianuju P. Ilo & Mulala D. Simatele & S’phumelele L. Nkomo & Ntandoyenkosi M. Mkhize & Nagendra G. Prabhu, 2020. "The Benefits of Water Hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) for Southern Africa: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-20, November.
    6. Anyanwu, C.N. & Ibeto, C.N. & Ezeoha, S.L. & Ogbuagu, N.J., 2015. "Sustainability of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) as industrial feedstock, energy and food crop in Nigeria," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 745-752.
    7. Bernard Manganyi & Moses Herbert Lubinga & Bhekani Zondo & Ndiadivha Tempia, 2023. "Factors Influencing Cassava Sales and Income Generation among Cassava Producers in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-14, September.
    8. Zhang, Tingting & Xie, Xiaomin & Huang, Zhen, 2017. "The policy recommendations on cassava ethanol in China: Analyzed from the perspective of life cycle “2E&W”," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 12-24.
    9. Baruah, Debendra Chandra & Enweremadu, Christopher Chintua, 2019. "Prospects of decentralized renewable energy to improve energy access: A resource-inventory-based analysis of South Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 328-341.
    10. Sánchez, Antonio Santos & Silva, Yuri Lopes & Kalid, Ricardo Araújo & Cohim, Eduardo & Torres, Ednildo Andrade, 2017. "Waste bio-refineries for the cassava starch industry: New trends and review of alternatives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1265-1275.
    11. Ko, Ja Kyong & Lee, Jae Hoon & Jung, Je Hyeong & Lee, Sun-Mi, 2020. "Recent advances and future directions in plant and yeast engineering to improve lignocellulosic biofuel production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    12. Arielle Muniz Kubota & João Guilherme Dal Belo Leite & Marcos Watanabe & Otávio Cavalett & Manoel Regis Lima Verde Leal & Luis Cortez, 2017. "The Role of Small-Scale Biofuel Production in Brazil: Lessons for Developing Countries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-12, July.
    13. Ozoegwu, C.G. & Eze, C. & Onwosi, C.O. & Mgbemene, C.A. & Ozor, P.A., 2017. "Biomass and bioenergy potential of cassava waste in Nigeria: Estimations based partly on rural-level garri processing case studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 625-638.
    14. Giwa, Adewale & Alabi, Adetunji & Yusuf, Ahmed & Olukan, Tuza, 2017. "A comprehensive review on biomass and solar energy for sustainable energy generation in Nigeria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 620-641.
    15. Roopnarain, Ashira & Adeleke, Rasheed, 2017. "Current status, hurdles and future prospects of biogas digestion technology in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1162-1179.
    16. Ribó-Pérez, David & Herraiz-Cañete, Ángela & Alfonso-Solar, David & Vargas-Salgado, Carlos & Gómez-Navarro, Tomás, 2021. "Modelling biomass gasifiers in hybrid renewable energy microgrids; a complete procedure for enabling gasifiers simulation in HOMER," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 501-512.
    17. Sarocha Pradyawong & Ankita Juneja & Muhammad Bilal Sadiq & Athapol Noomhorm & Vijay Singh, 2018. "Comparison of Cassava Starch with Corn as a Feedstock for Bioethanol Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-11, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karthik Rajendran & Solmaz Aslanzadeh & Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, 2012. "Household Biogas Digesters—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-32, August.
    2. Jha, Priyanka & Schmidt, Stefan, 2021. "State of biofuel development in sub-Saharan Africa: How far sustainable?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Stephen P. Holland & Jonathan E. Hughes & Christopher R. Knittel & Nathan C. Parker, 2013. "Unintended Consequences of Transportation Carbon Policies: Land-Use, Emissions, and Innovation," NBER Working Papers 19636, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Deverell, Rory & McDonnell, Kevin & Ward, Shane & Devlin, Ger, 2009. "An economic assessment of potential ethanol production pathways in Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 3993-4002, October.
    5. Ozoegwu, C.G. & Eze, C. & Onwosi, C.O. & Mgbemene, C.A. & Ozor, P.A., 2017. "Biomass and bioenergy potential of cassava waste in Nigeria: Estimations based partly on rural-level garri processing case studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 625-638.
    6. Paul W. Gallagher, 2009. "Roles for evolving markets, policies, and technology improvements in U.S. corn ethanol industry development," Regional Economic Development, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Apr, pages 12-33.
    7. Amigun, B. & Sigamoney, R. & von Blottnitz, H., 2008. "Commercialisation of biofuel industry in Africa: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 690-711, April.
    8. Sanchez, Daniel L. & Callaway, Duncan S., 2016. "Optimal scale of carbon-negative energy facilities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 437-444.
    9. Szulczyk, Kenneth R. & McCarl, Bruce A. & Cornforth, Gerald, 2010. "Market penetration of ethanol," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 394-403, January.
    10. Budzianowski, Wojciech M., 2016. "A review of potential innovations for production, conditioning and utilization of biogas with multiple-criteria assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1148-1171.
    11. Kocoloski, Matt & Michael Griffin, W. & Scott Matthews, H., 2011. "Impacts of facility size and location decisions on ethanol production cost," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 47-56, January.
    12. Berhanu, Mesfin & Jabasingh, S. Anuradha & Kifile, Zebene, 2017. "Expanding sustenance in Ethiopia based on renewable energy resources – A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1035-1045.
    13. Juan M. Castano & Jay F. Martin & Richard Ciotola, 2014. "Performance of a Small-Scale, Variable Temperature Fixed Dome Digester in a Temperate Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-16, September.
    14. Paul Gallagher & Guenter Schamel & Hosein Shapouri & Heather Brubaker, 2006. "The international competitiveness of the U.S. corn-ethanol industry: A comparison with sugar-ethanol processing in Brazil," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 109-134.
    15. Shapouri, Hosein & Salassi, Michael, 2006. "The Economic Feasibility of Ethanol Production from Sugar in the United States," Miscellaneous Publications 322769, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    16. Gallagher, Paul & Shapouri, Hosein & Brubaker, Heather, 2007. "Scale, Organization, and Profitability of Ethanol Processing," ISU General Staff Papers 200703010800001439, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    17. Lin, Jiefeng & Gaustad, Gabrielle & Trabold, Thomas A., 2013. "Profit and policy implications of producing biodiesel–ethanol–diesel fuel blends to specification," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 936-944.
    18. Marloes Caduff & Mark A.J. Huijbregts & Annette Koehler & Hans-Jörg Althaus & Stefanie Hellweg, 2014. "Scaling Relationships in Life Cycle Assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(3), pages 393-406, May.
    19. Roopnarain, Ashira & Adeleke, Rasheed, 2017. "Current status, hurdles and future prospects of biogas digestion technology in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1162-1179.
    20. Yi, Fujin & Lin, C.-Y. Cynthia & Thome, Karen, 2013. "An Analysis of the Effects of Government Subsidies and the Renewable Fuels Standard on the Fuel Ethanol Industry: A Structural Econometric Model," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150224, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:1035-1052. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.