Techno-economic analysis of electricity generation from household sewage sludge in different regions of Nigeria

Waste management has been a chronic environmental challenge in Nigeria, coupled with declining economic performance due to energy crises. This study was designed to estimate electricity potential of sewage sludge to meet the 2030 Renewable Energy target. However, there was a need to fill the gap in data related to wastewater management in Nigeria. The wastewater and sludge generated from households were evaluated based on data on population, access to water, and coverage of sewer networks. Consequently, the technical and economic feasibility of electricity generation was assessed using Anaerobic Digestion (AD)1 and Incineration (INC)2 scenarios. The core results found that North Central had the highest potential for wastewater generation (142.8-403.6 billion litres/yr) and collection (8.3-37.5 billion litres/yr) over 20 years. However, the South East had the highest average sewer collection rate of 9.08 %. The AD technology was the most technically viable, with a maximum generation of 6.8 GWh/yr in the North Central. In comparison, the INC outperformed AD in most of the financial viability indicators considered viz-a-viz: Life Cycle Cost (LCC),3 Net Present Value (NPV),4 Pay Back Period (PBP),5 Internal Rate of Return (IRR),6 Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).7 The AD had a higher NPV of 16.3-69.58 million USD and a shorter PBP of about 4 years. The INC had a lower LCC of 0.1-0.34 million USD, LCOE of 0.046-0.094 USD/kWh, and a higher IRR of 19.3-25 %. Additionally, the sensitivity of NPV and INC to changes in economic factors would be noteworthy for investors and policymakers. Ultimately, the choice of technology should reflect the fiscal goal and priorities of a project.

COVID-19 crisis interlinkage with past pandemics and their effects on food security

BACKGROUND

Pandemics as health and humanitarian crises have exerted traceable impacts on food security. Almost all past and current pandemics have created a food crisis that affects a share of the global population and threaten global food security. With the more frequent outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases or pandemics, this paper looks at the various types of impacts from the current coronavirus crisis and past pandemics to identify their major impact on food security.

SCOPE

To this effect, key strategies that could be put in place to ensure the efficient resilience of food systems before, during, and after the pandemics to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemics on global food security are recommended. The most recent effects of the current coronavirus crisis have been disruptions in the flow of farm labourers and inefficient farm operations leading to postharvest food losses.

KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Modification of diets between social groups has also been observed. Future response orientations to prevent and mitigate the effects of pandemics on food security will consider pro-active and adapted policy, program, and institutional actions towards the systemic development of global food systems as an interconnected network.