A Nigerian engineer has devised a method of generating 200kw of energy daily - enough to provide basic electricity for over 2,000 households, from the waste parts of the cassava plant.

Cassava, also known as yucca or tapioca, is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the human diet. The root of the cassava is a staple food throughout Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, but most of the plant ends up as a waste product. The gases released during the refining process are a major problem in Nigeria, causing water pollution, and emitting noxious greenhouse gases.

Using innovative biogas technology, Dr Joseph Adelegan, has developed zero emission bioreactors at specially constructed plants to treat the cassava waste. This creates biogas, which is used to drive microturbines, these in turn produce low-cost, safe and reliable off-grid efficient lighting to thousands of rural homes, where the occupants currently rely on kerosene lamps for lighting. These lamps bring their own pollution problems, releasing large amounts of noxious gases and pollutants in the air.

Adelegan explained how four lighting points would be set up in these rural homes. The residents will be able to rely on this new method of energy generation for basic lighting. Televisions, cassette players and other similar devices will be powered in this way, but larger more energy hungry appliances, such as refrigerators, will still need to be powered from the main power grid.

While Adelegan acknowledges that projects like his ‘Power to the Poor: Off Grid-Lighting from Cassava Waste in Nigeria’, will never be enough to completely replace the huge demand for fossil fuels generated by humans, he hopes more projects like this will be able to significantly reduce greenhouse emissions.

The ‘Power to the Poor: Off Grid-Lighting from Cassava Waste in Nigeria’, was awarded a $250,000 grant from the World Bank earlier this year, after being named one of the best projects in Africa.