Abstract
In Nigeria, about 42 million tonnes of solid waste is generated annually. Among them, organic waste accounts for 52% of the total. These organic wastes, when properly utilized, would significantly reduce the total waste generation in Nigeria. It would also reduce the potential environmental impacts such as air pollution and groundwater pollution. However, most of these organic wastes generated are disposed of improperly in poorly managed dumps. Open burning of organics has been widely practiced in most communities in Nigeria. However, the uncontrolled burning process generates air pollutants and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The lack of technical know-how combined with the lack of compliance by the public contributes to the poor utilization of organic wastes as bio-resources in Nigeria. Proper monitoring and management mechanisms of organic wastes by the regulatory agencies are also required. Corns are popular crops in Nigeria and in 2019 Nigerians produced about 11 million tonnes of corn. Ultimate analysis of corn cobs suggests that the cobs contain 46.6% carbon, 45.5% oxygen, 5.9% hydrogen 0.5% nitrogen, and 1.4% ash on a dry mass basis. Compared to other agricultural wastes, corn cobs have a significantly lower ash content (<1.5%) which makes them suitable for residential heating applications. It also has an energy density of 365 kcal/100 g making it viable as feedstock for energy generation. The main objectives of this paper are to (i) identify the various means of proper utilization of corn cobs as a bio-resource in Nigeria, and (ii) discuss its benefits as well as the challenges with respect to the Nigerian bio-resource industry.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adesanya D, Raheem A (2009) A study of the workability and compressive strength characteristics of corn cob ash blended cement concrete. Constr Build Mater 23(1):311–317
Akpeimeh GF, Fletcher LA, Evans BE (2019) Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: a case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria. Waste Manage 89:37–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.03.058
Awoyale A, Lokhat D (2018) Harnessing the potential of bio-ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass in Nigeria—a review. Biofuels Bioprod Biorefin 13(1):192–207
Biagini E, Barontini F, Tognotti L (2014) Gasification of agricultural residues in a demonstrative plant: corn cobs. Biores Technol 173:110–116
Faustino J, Pereira L, Soares S, Cruz D, Paiva A, Varum H, Ferreira J, Pinto J (2012) Impact sound insulation technique using corn cob particleboard. Constr Build Mater 37:153–159
Google Map (2020) Map data 2020. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nigeria/@8.9826439,4.6310689,6.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x104e0baf7da48d0d:0x99a8fe4168c50bc8!8m2!3d9.081999!4d8.675277. Accessed on 26 Feb 2020
Hammed TB, Wandiga SO, Mulugetta Y, Sridhar MKC (2018) Improving knowledge and practices of mitigating green house gas emission through waste recycling in a community, Ibadan, Nigeria. Waste Manage 81:22–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.09.044
Hiloidhari M, Baruah DC (2011) Rice straw residue biomass potential for decentralized electricity generation: a GIS based study in Lakhimpur district of Assam, India. Energy Sustain Dev 15:214–222
Jekayinfa SO, Scholz V (2009) Potential availability of energetically usable crop residues in Nigeria. Energy Sources Part A Recovery Utilization Environ Effects 31:687–697
Kanengoni A, Chimonyo M, Ndimba B, Dzama K (2015) Potential of using maize cobs in pig diets—a review. Asian Australas J Anim Sci 28(12):1669–1679
Kofoworola OF (2007) Recovery and recycling practices in municipal solid waste management in Lagos, Nigeria. Waste Manage 27(9):1139–1143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2006.05.006
Mahmoud M (2016) Kinetics studies of uranium sorption by powdered corn cob in batch and fixed bed system. J Adv Res 7(1):79–87
Manoharan Y, Hosseini SE, Butler B, Alzhahrani H, Fou Senior BT, Ashuri T, Krohn J (2019) Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles; current status and future prospect. Appl Sci 9(11):2296. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112296
Millet S, Raes K, De Smet S, Janssens G (2005) Evaluation of corn cob mix in organic finishing pig nutrition. J Sci Food Agric 85(9):1543–1549. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.2148
Mohlala L, Bodunrin M, Awosusi A, Daramola M, Cele N, Olubambi P (2016) Beneficiation of corncob and sugarcane bagasse for energy generation and materials development in Nigeria and South Africa: a short overview. Alex Eng J 55(3):3025–3036
Ndou SP, Gous RM, Chimonyo M (2013) Prediction of scaled feed intake in weaner pigs using physico-chemical properties of fibrous feeds. Br J Nutr 110:774–780
Ndubuisi EC, Iheukwumere FC, Onyekwere MU (2008) The effect of varying dietary levels of maize cob meal on the growth and nutrient digestibility of grower pigs. Res J Anim Sci 2:100–102
Ogunjobi JK, Lajide L (2013) Characterization of bio-oil and biochar from slow-pyrolysed Nigerian yellow and white corn cobs. J Sustain Energy Environ 4:77–84
Paiva A, Pereira S, Sá A, Cruz D, Varum H, Pinto J (2012) A contribution to the thermal insulation performance characterization of corn cob particle boards. Energy Buildings 45:274–279
Shim J, Lim J, Shea P, Oh B (2014) Simultaneous removal of phenol, Cu and Cd from water with corn cob silica-alginate beads. J Hazard Mater 272:129–136
Simonyan KJ, Fasina O (2013) Biomass resources and bioenergy potentials in Nigeria. Afr J Agric Res 8(40):4975–4989
Singh J, Panesar BS, Sharma SK (2008) Energy potential through crop biomass using geographical information system—a case study of Punjab. Biomass Bioenergy 32:301–307
Solomon UU (2009) The state of solid waste management in Nigeria. Waste Manage 29(10):2787–2799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2009.06.030
Sulaiman M, Adetifa B, Adekomaya S, Lawal N, Adama O (2019) Experimental characterization of maize cob and stalk based pellets for energy use. Eng J 23(6):117–128
Tang X, Ren N, Xu J (2013) Evaluation of hydrogen production from corn cob with the mesophilic bacterium clostridium hydrogeniproducens HR-1. Int J Hydrogen Energy 38(22):9104–9110
Velmurugan P, Shim J, Lee K, Cho M, Lim S, Seo S, Cho K, Bang K, Oh B (2015) Extraction, characterization, and catalytic potential of amorphous silica from corn cobs by sol-gel method. J Ind Eng Chem 29:298–303
Yu J, Zhao Y, Li Y (2014) Utilization of corn cob biochar in a direct carbon fuel cell. J Power Sources 270:312–317
Zabaniotou A, Ioannidou O, Antonakou E, Lappas A (2008) Experimental study of pyrolysis for potential energy, hydrogen, and carbon material production from lignocellulosic biomass. Int J Hydrogen Energy 33:2433–2444
Acknowledgements
The research reported in this paper was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2019-06154) to the third author (K. T. W. Ng), using computing equipment funded by FEROF at the University of Regina. The authors are grateful for their support. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and not necessarily those of our research and funding partners.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
About this paper
Cite this paper
Anuge, O.S., Ghosh, A., Ng, K.T.W. (2023). Utilization of Organic Wastes as a Bio-Resource: A Case Study of Corn Cobs in Nigeria. In: Walbridge, S., et al. Proceedings of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Annual Conference 2021 . CSCE 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 249. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1061-6_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1061-6_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-19-1060-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-19-1061-6
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)