Life Cycle Analysis Of Alternative Biomass Energy For Cooking: A Case Of Kitui, Kenya And Moshi, Tanzania
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Date
2018Author
Okoko, Abigael Akoth
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Wood-based biomass energy remains vital in meeting local energy needs for cooking in
various parts of emerging countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This is largely
because wood-based biomass energy can be obtained locally and is also affordable to the
underprivileged population. Currently, concerns have been raised about the undesirable
effects of reliance on wood-based energy. Continued use of wood-based energy sources
has created pressure on natural resources leading to degradation of land, water and forests
and emission of greenhouse gases. Additionally, there has been devastating effects on
human health as a result of indoor air pollution. This has provided a platform from which
the continued dependence of wood-based energy sources has been argued against. This
calls for development of alternative biomass energy solutions that benefit local people
without damaging the environment. It is imperative that their development is grounded
on identification of suitable combinations of raw material and their conversion and
consumption technologies. However, the effects of sustainable development of bioenergy
processing are typically focused on industrialised countries. Nevertheless, improving
awareness of impacts of bioenergy processing in emerging countries is imperative.
Evaluating the sustainability of biomass energy supply chains is, however, often met with
challenges, one of which is lack of data. In addition, the data is often fragmented or focus
on only part of the whole life cycle. The objective of the study was to evaluate the
performance of selected value chains for biomass energy used for cooking in Kitui,
Kenya and Moshi, Tanzania. Their performance was based on their carbon footprints, life
cycle costs and eco-efficiency. This study included firewood, charcoal, biogas, jatropha
oil from hedges and crop residue briquettes for cooking at the household level while
focussing on particular processing and consumption technologies of biomass energy in
Kitui, Kenya and Moshi, Tanzania. Life cycle analysis as a methodological tool has been
applied to offer useful evidence for the process of decision making process in these data
scarce contexts. This study evaluated the carbon footprints of biomass of biomass energy
by applying the Life Cycle Assessment. Their economic viability was evaluated using the
Life Cycle Costing methodology. The study further determined the eco-efficiency of
biomass energy pathways by integrating their carbon footprints and the life cycle costs.
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The study used field data, databases (Eco-invent) and data from scientific literature to
model the carbon footprint, life cycle costs and the eco-efficiency of these selected
biomass value chains. The results indicate that the jatropha oil value chain holds the
highest potential for carbon footprint reduction, as long as the jatropha plant is grown as
hedges around the plots. Conversely, the jatropha oil value chain has the highest life
cycle cost amongst the selected biomass energy value chains. Integration of the carbon
footprints and the life cycle cost (eco-efficiency) of the biomass energy pathways indicate
that viable options for biomass energy exist for households in Kitui and Moshi. The
results presented can help stakeholders in decision making about substitute biomass
energy value chains. Development and improvement of technologies used for biomass
energy conversion and consumption provide significant opportunities for enhancing
access to biomass energy for cooking. Additionally, they contribute to carbon footprint
reduction strategies and provide a source of income especially for the rural and urban
poor households.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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