Vegetable and Fruit waste as a source of biogas: Case of Ipokia, Nigeria

B.Sc. Opeyemi Oshundaro

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Biogas production is a clean and sustainable energy source that is good for households and uses organic waste products for the purpose of generating biogas. In our society, the perception of biogas is low and yet to fully gain its full capacity, thereby undermining the importance of the technology. Generally, this study examined vegetable and fruit waste as a source of biogas for energy generation. case of Ipokia, Nigeria. Specifically, the study evaluated the waste disposal and management methods available in the study area, understood the perception of the resident of the use and awareness of biogas from vegetable and fruit waste. The study also looked at the level of adoption of biogas, the level of vegetable and fruit waste generated, the willingness to use waste generated from vegetable and fruit sources to generate biogas, the factors that influence the use of vegetable and fruit waste as a source of biogas and possible barriers to the use of vegetable and fruit waste for the generation of biogas. A comprehensive review of biogas production and vegetable and fruit waste was carried out, while an exploratory and quantitative research design was used in the study. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 150 respondents who participated in this study. Primary data was obtained using questionnaires, while frequency count, mean, percentage, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyse the data The results revealed that the majority (66.6%) of the respondents were between the ages of 19 and 22 years while 26.9% were between the ages of 31 and 50 years. The mean age of the respondents was found to be about 48 years implying that the respondents are within the active working age range and further results shows that the majority (68%) of the respondents were male and this implies that males are more involved in vegetable and fruit production. Furthermore, some waste disposal methods used include open burning, composting, government certified waste collectors, among others. Vegetable and fruit waste was found to be mainly disposed of by leaving them in the open to rot while open burning was the second most likely way of disposing of fruit and vegetable waste in the locality. The perception of the respondents on the use and awareness of biogas derived from vegetable and fruit waste showed that the perception of the respondents was on its energy use and the complication in its use. Furthermore, the sources of energy in the study area were evaluated and it was discovered that charcoal and wood were among the main primary energy sources in the vicinity, while it was observed that households have more than one energy source through which they meet their energy need. Biogas awareness was found to be low while there were scarcely any biogas facilities available in the vicinity of the study area. The level of adoption of the respondent showed that most of the respondent were still in the first and second stages of adoption while the rest were in the third and fourth stages of adoption. The willingness to use vegetable and fruit waste for biogas production was found to be influenced by the educational status of the respondents and their income from vegetable production, while their level of adoption was influenced by their income, educational level, age and sex. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the awareness about biogas utilisation in the vicinity is low and there might be a need for interventions such as subsidies, trainings and credit incentives in other countries to encourage people to adopt the use of technology in the management of their vegetable and fruit waste.

Keywords

Biogas, Vegetable, Waste, Energy

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 23. 4. 2023

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 30. 5. 2023
• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Hynek Roubík, Ph.D.
• Reader: Iryna Vaskina, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme:
Tropical Crop Management and Ecology