Topic: Bioethanol and Biogas production from biomass: a case study of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Introduction
Background
Due to the importance of energy across the world and myriads of negative issues associated with the current energy production and utilisation, there is now a growing awareness of the need to source for better alternatives to fossil fuels and also prepare for the greater challenge of post fossil fuel era. This realisation is borne out of two very important issues associated with current energy utilisation namely; energy security and environmental damages However, because of the enormous nature of the challenge to replace fossil fuels with renewable and sustainable energy sources, renewable energy is now being sourced from any available materials. Research has gone into various means of renewable energy production including solar, wind, hydro, tidal and biomass energy. However, high initial cost of solar power installation and the delicate nature of the materials being used has limited its wide scale utilisation in Nigeria. Hydropower, with the use of the present techniques is limited in availability and output, so also is geothermal energy. Wind energy on the other hand is becoming more plausible but still not exploited in the country. However, biomass has received great attention recently due to its availability and ease of utilisation. Different types of biomass are being utilised for energy production with different associated issues. However, a large scale biofuel industry based on current technology (the use of food materials) is likely to increase food prices and could damage food security in developing countries

Although Nigeria is a tropical country with a lot of biomass potential, obtaining a sustainable feed stock supply for bioenergy production in the country may lead to the utilisation of the available arable land for biomass (feed stock) cultivation. This may further worsen the already high level of food shortages and hunger in the country. Since feed stock represents the bulk of the cost of bioenergy production, availability of raw materials at little or no cost would considerably reduce the cost of production, thereby making the process more economically viable. Moreover, to obtain the best from the processes involved in biofuels production, optimization of the operational conditions and pretreatment requirements for effective production of ethanol and biogas (from the biomass) would be necessary.

Water hyacinth in Nigeria

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes Mart.) is a free-floating aquatic plant believed to have originated from Brazil. In Nigeria, water hyacinth infestation of the countrys coastline (fig. 1), which became a serious problem since 1984 has continued to cause lots of economic losses to the Nigerian economy to the tune of over $500million a year. Water hyacinth is a noxious weed that has attracted attention worldwide due to its fast spread and congested growth and has led to serious problems in river transportation, fish farming, and access to portable water for riverine settlers, irrigation and recreational activities. Water hyacinth is known for its ability to grow quickly (doubling every 2 weeks) with density of over 60 kg/m2 (fig.2) and has been reported to paralyse the fishing industry in the country.

Fig. 1. Nigeria coast line; the areas of water hyacinth infestation Some of the devastating effects of water hyacinth infestation include; reduction of oxygen in water bodies, leading to fish deaths, loss of local biodiversity, disruption of water transportation, habitat for human parasites and disease vectors and, loss of recreational and aesthetic values of water bodies.

Fig. 2. Water hyacinth in Nigeria coastal waters

Several efforts have been made by the government in the past to control the spread of water hyacinth in the country. Some of the control measures being used include: mechanical removal, chemical application and biological controls. These have not been successful as each of the approach posses one kind of challenge or another. While mechanical removal is very laborious and expensive, application of chemicals pose other environmental dangers with a more far reaching upstream effects apart from the cost of the chemicals being utilized, whereas biological control may lead to the release of potential more dangerous organisms into the environment.

Water hyacinth as an energy plant in Nigeria

Water hyacinth is an invasive, floating aquatic plant which is now abundant along the coastline of Nigerian waters. In place of terrestrial plants, aquatic plants are more promising resource for renewable energy production. Aquatic plants such as water hyacinths have the advantage of no competition with arable land for agricultural purposes. It is a fast growing plant with a doubling time of only two weeks and a growth rate of over 110 t/ ha/yr. This could be a huge resource for bioenergy production in Nigeria at little or no cost, leading to a drastic reduction in the cost of biofuel production. Utilisation of water hyacinth biomass as feed stock for biofuels production in the country would be of immense benefit as the cost of removal would be compensated for by the cost of feed stock. Furthermore, the chemical composition of water hyacinth (table 1), would make it an ideal substrate for microbial degradation

Table 1: Chemical composition of water hyacinth Components % dry matter Crude protein Ether extract Ash Crude fibre Dada, 2002 g/100g dry mass 80.6 10.8 2.3 14.06 18.05

Research methodology
This study involves the optimisation studies of the production of energy fuels (bioethanol and biogas) from water hyacinth, other aquatic plants and biodegradable wastes. It would be carried out in two parts. In the first part of the study, water hyacinth (and other materials) would be subjected to ethanol production using two fermentation modes, SHF (separated saccharification and fermentation) and SSF (simultaneous saccharification and fermentation), with different fermenting microorganisms, S. cerevisiae, Pichia stipitis, Kleyvromyces marxianus and a recombinant Escherichia coli. After appropriate pre-treatment techniques have been applied. Samples would be collected during the experiment at regular intervals for: sugar analysis (for reducing sugar concentration), HPLC; (for specific sugar analysis and ethanol analysis). The second part of the experiment involved anaerobic digestion of the water hyacinth (both wet and dried) for methane and VFA production in a batch and/or reactor system under two different temperature regimes (mesophilic, 28-30oC (normal temperature in Nigeria) and thermophilic, 55oC). The experimental set up will include the use different samples namely; acid treated, acid/enzyme treated, untreated and any other kind of treatments available,

including mixture of varying fraction of different feed stocks. The pH will be monitored from the beginning till the end of the experiment, which should last for between 25-35 days. The following analysis would be performed at regular intervals; pH, VFA, biogas composition, total solids, volatile solids. Ammonia analysis would also be performed at the beginning and the end of the experiment. Attempts would be made to further optimise the best set of conditions obtained from the experiments.

Relevance of the research

The development and production of biogas from the abundant biomass resource available in Nigeria, for electricity generation and domestic utilisation has the potential to boost the current governments efforts at generating more power for the country and lead to improved livelihood of households leading to reduction in demand and price of kerosene and less pollution. Furthermore, production of large quantity of ethanol from biomass/ waste materials would encourage its blend with petroleum which could be used directly in vehicles without any engine modification. This will save a fraction of petroleum being used locally and contribute to cleaner burning of fuels, thereby reducing air pollution in Nigeria Also, removal of these recalcitrant weeds for the purpose of energy production would lead to the restoration of the economic values of the waters and coastal areas previously infested. More importantly, the huge cost of water hyacinth removal (over $500million) spent annually by the government, would be saved and spent on other important sectors of the economy.

References
Akinyemiju, O.A. 1987. Invasion of Nigerian waters by water hyacinth. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 25:24-26. Dada, S.A. 2002. The Utilization of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) by West African Dwarf (Wad) Growing Goats. Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 4: 147 149. Malik, A. 2007. Environmental challenge vis a vis opportunity: The case of water hyacinth. Environment International 33:122138 Olaleye, V.F and Akinyemiju, O.A. 1996. Effect of a Glyphosate (N-(Phosphonomethyl) glycine) Application To Control Eichhornia crassipes Mart. on Fish Composition and Abundance in Abiala Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental

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