Biomass Fuel in Kenya: Availability and the Potential for Gasification

Abstract

Biomass, in the form of wood, charcoal, and crop residues, is the most important source of energy in Kenya, providing about 75% of the total. A survey was conducted to assess the availability, use, ease of gathering, and the suitability of various biomass fuels for thermal gasification in Kenya. Kenya generates a large variety of by-products from the agricultural sector and related industries (eg coffee husks, coconut shells, bagasse, maize cobs, and cereal straw), and from the forest industry (eg sawdust, bark, off-cuts, and timber shots). Most of these are suitable for gasification; only a small fraction is used as domestic fuel or for animal feed. The quantities generated annually are sufficient to operate small to medium-scale gasifiers that might be used to power sawmills, water pumps, maize and cereal mills, or to generate electricity for remote rural communities. Finally, the paper considers the potential for application of gasification technology in Kenya. Suitable biomass materials are available, and a tentative economic analysis shows that small-scale gasifiers are attractive if the biomass price is low and if the gasifier can be repaired and serviced locally.