Biomass to Biofuels: A sure Sustainable Energy Strategy in Nigeria

The utilization of biomass resources as feedstocks for biofuel production is gaining traction globally leading to increasing quantity of biofuel from 187 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2000 to 1.75 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2021. This increase is attributed to high demand, and favourable policy initaited by various government of the world including tax credit and subsidy in the quest to mitigate climate change. Nigeria government in 2007, gazetted the Nigerian Biofuels Policy aimed at promoting the utilization, importation and production of biofues in Nigeria. It encourages investment in biofuels through tax waiver including importation and exportation, waiver on import and customs duties, and insurance. The biomass resources of Nigeria include agricultural and residues, forest products and residues, and municipal solid wastes amounting to over 200 billion kg/yr with energy potential greater than 61 Mtoe. To realize this energy potential, there is a need for the Nigerian government to implement its biofuel policy completely, and to expand the current approved biomass (cassava, sugarcane, palm oil, jatroph, and cellulosic materials) for biofuel production to include the use of lignocellulosic biomass, non-edible oil other jatropha, and algae. The production and utilization of the biofuel will help to increase energy reserve, improve the quality of automotive fossil-based fuels, develop the agricultural sector, mitigate climate change, reduce importation of fuels and create jobs.