http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/755 2026-04-23T15:11:18Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/775 Upgrading a Waste Stabilization Pond and Estimation of Biogas Production: Case of University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Yelindo, Mahougnon Edwige Feryel Population growth affects land area availability as well as wastewater generation. In Africa, the treatment of wastewater relies mostly on the Waste Stabilization Pond system. These ponds are adapted to the warm climate of the continent. However, with time, they need to be renovated because they are subjected to overload causing therefore groundwater and water bodies pollution. WSPs also emit Biogas into the atmosphere. This study aims to upgrade a Waste Stabilization Pond constructed in 2011, on the University of Abomey-Calavi, in Benin and to evaluate the evolution of biogas producible over the years by the plant. To achieve this goal two scenarios vi were developed: The first one focuses on resizing the different ponds of the WSP with an estimation of the evolution of the biogas produced from 2011 to 2050. In the second scenario, a Sewage Treatment System is used instead of a Waste Stabilization Pond to reduce the amount of pond needed reducing the area required for the new system. The upgraded Waste Stabilization Pond requires a total surface area of 39939 m2 meanwhile for the same quantity of wastewater, a Sewage Treatment Plant requires only a total surface area of 3690.45 m2. The Sewage Treatment Plant suggested is not only advantageous in terms of space but also in the circular economy that can be developed to sustain the plant. The total amount methane produced or emitted from the WSP is estimated to increase from 5.7 Kg CH4/day in 2011 to 144.29 kg CH4/ day in 2050. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, the Université de Lomé, Togo, and the Universität Rostock in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the International Master Program in Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen (Bioenergy/Biofuels & Green Hydrogen Technology) 2023-09-27T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/774 H2 Production Potential by Dark Fermentation of MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) in Sao Vicente Island: Techno-Economic Analysis Sousa dos Reis Dias, Danielson Daniel In 2016, global solid waste reached 2.01 billion tons, with projections indicating a substantial increase in the absence of change. For island communities like Sao Vicente, the scarcity of land and sustainable waste management exacerbates the issue, leading to waste dumping and burning. This project proposes a waste-to-energy approach, utilizing dark fermentation to convert the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste into hydrogen. The project's initial steps involved waste composition analysis to determine the organic waste volume contributing to hydrogen production. Daily hydrogen and byproduct estimates were then calculated. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted, evaluating annual costs, benefits, and project feasibility using indicators like Net Present Value (NPV), Interest Rate of Return (IRR), Benefit Cost Ratio (B/C), and Payback Period (PP), and lastly a break-even analysis. Additionally, carbon dioxide emissions reduction was estimated using a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation Tool. The project processes approximately 2.1 tons of organic waste daily, yielding 201.47 m3 of hydrogen, 368.29 kg of CO2, 795.66 kg of acids, and 188.46 kg of slurry. The annual cost falls within the range of similar projects, around $194,266.62 USD. Revenue is generated through the sale of CO2, slurry, and H2, the last with a levelized cost of $2.64 USD, lower than the market price for biohydrogen production cost. The NPV is positive at $1,381,443.18 USD, IRR at 29%, B/C at 1.5, and PP at 8.19 years, indicating project viability. To break even, 351,773.71 units must be sold within 8 years, including 309,560.87 m3 of hydrogen, 35,177.37 kg of CO2, and 7,035.47 kg of slurry. This approach reduces monthly emissions by 17%, making it environmentally beneficial despite limited hydrogen data availability. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, the Université de Lomé, Togo, and the Universität Rostock in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the International Master Program in Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen (Bioenergy/Biofuels & Green Hydrogen Technology) 2023-09-26T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/773 A GIS-Based Assessment of Biohydrogen Production Potential from Agriculture Crip Residues in Liberia Teah, Teahtay As the globe is moving toward the use of renewable energy sources in place of fossil fuels, Liberia as a developing nation has huge agricultural crop residues that can be valorized. Over 70% of the population (mainly in rural areas) provides informal employment through agriculture activities. Therefore, a lot of crop residues are generated from these activities and most of them are not used for energy purposes. In this regard, it can promote the use of agricultural crop residues for energy generation. This study explores the energy potential of the crop residues generated by Rice, Cassava, Banana, Sugar cane, Cocoa, Oil palm, and Plantain. The obtained data were integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) to provide spatial distribution results. Nevertheless, several crop residues have competing uses such as livestock feeding and soil rejuvenation. It was gathered that the surplus residue potential revealed about 1,204, 033 t/yr (55.4% of gross) could be generated from gross crop residue. The estimated annual bioenergy of 20, 276 TJ/yr or 81,430 Tons of biohydrogen potential from surplus crop residue with Nimba (23,143 Tons) producing the highest amongst the 15 counties. Biohydrogen happens to be the most efficient and cleanest form of energy which is produced through the process of dark fermentation. Also, the total potential of electricity generation from all the sources is estimated to be about 5,632 GWh, representing approximately twenty times Liberia’s total electricity production of 2021; implying that biomass sources could significantly contribute towards meeting the future energy requirement of the country. Therefore, the information generated in this study is expected to aid a decentralized crop residue-based energy planning and policy by the counties, which would positively influence the overall renewable energy growth in Liberia. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, the Université de Lomé, Togo, and the Universität Rostock in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the International Master Program in Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen (Bioenergy/Biofuels & Green Hydrogen Technology) 2023-10-02T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/772 Simulation of Hydrogen Production through the Gasification of Peanut Shells under Supercritical Water conditions: Investigating effects of Ca(OH)2 Catalyst, Temperature, Pressure, Residence Time and Economic Variability Mbaye, Souleymane Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a plant from the Fabaceae family (legumes). Peanut is one of the most important food products grown in countries with tropical climates like Senegal and is a valuable crop for the agro-industrial sector. Peanuts are edible, but their shells are generally discarded as waste after the harvesting and processing stages. However, the management of waste generated by the harvesting and processing of peanuts represents a major challenge worldwide. This study proposes a conceptual design for the catalytic supercritical water gasification of peanut shells. A detailed Power Law kinetic simulation model was developed using ASPEN Plus V14 software to analyse, optimise, and evaluate the efficiency of the peanut shell supercritical water gasification process. The developed model comprises three process units for pretreatment, gasification, separation and purification. The economic analysis of the optimised process was evaluated using hydrogen obtained from the gasification of peanut shells, under supercritical conditions, based on a comprehensive discounted cash flow analysis (DCF). The simulation results were validated by comparing them with experimental data found in the existing literature. The comparison showed that the results predicted by the model agreed well with those reported in the literature. The main effects, as well as interaction effects of four process parameters, including temperature, pressure, catalyst loading, and residence time, on the yield of syngas, were investigated using a sensitivity analysis. According to these results, increasing the temperature from subcritical (300 0C) to supercritical (1000 0C) increased the production of H2 and CO while reducing the production of CH4 and CO2. Furthermore, H2 and CO2 yields improved when the pressure was increased from 220 to 350 bar, reducing the production of CH4 and CO at the same time. However, the change in pressure did not show a significant effect on hydrogen yield. More importantly, the effect of Ca(OH)2 catalyst was investigated, and the findings demonstrated that it has a positive influence on H2 yield. The Ca(OH)2 catalyst amplifies the yield of hydrogen by 16.308 %. Moreover, to optimise the hydrogen production of the process, the simultaneous effect of different process parameters on the hydrogen yield was studied using a sensitivity analysis. According to the model’s best prediction, the hydrogen yield can reach 193.993 kg/h when the reaction conditions are temperature = 750 0C, pressure = 220 bar, biomass to water of 1:4, and residence time of one hour. Based on the economic analysis, the Levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is estimated at $ 1.30/kg, which is relatively low compared to hydrogen produced from other biomass conversion processes due to the ready viii availability of the feedstock. In addition, an internal rate of return of 12%, a payback period of 4.6 years, and a return on investment of 113.30% were obtained with a net present value of $ 11,839,892.99. The results from the profitability analysis indicate that the SCWG project for hydrogen production is viable from an economic standpoint. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, the Université de Lomé, Togo, and the Universität Rostock in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the International Master Program in Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen (Bioenergy/Biofuels & Green Hydrogen Technology) 2023-09-27T00:00:00Z