Growing concerns about the impacts of climate change and dependence on fossil fuels have intensified interest in bioenergy from sugar cane and other crops, highlighting important links between energy, environment and development goals. Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by severe poverty; the possibility to exploit a renewable energy resource offers valuable avenues for sustainable development and could support a more dynamic and competitive economy. This book describes how the bioenergy expansion will improve rural livelihoods, reduce costly energy imports, reduce GHG emissions, and offer new development paths. Drawing on international experience, it is shown that harnessing this potential will require significant increases in investment, technology transfer, and international cooperation. Because of its high efficiency, the authors argue that sugar cane should be viewed as a global resource for sustainable development and should command much greater focus and concerted policy action. Through an analysis of the agronomy, land suitability and industrial processing of sugar cane and its co-products, along with an assessment of the energy, economic and environmental implications, this volume demonstrates that sugar cane offers a competitive and environmentally beneficial resource for Africa's economic development and energy security. With forty-four authors representing thirty organisations in sixteen countries, the book offers a truly international and interdisciplinary perspective by combining technical and economic principles with social, political and environmental assessment and policy analysis.

Growing concerns about the impacts of climate change and dependence on fossil fuels have intensified interest in bioenergy from sugar cane and other crops, highlighting important links between energy, environment and development goals. Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by severe poverty; the possibility to exploit a renewable energy resource offers valuable avenues for sustainable development and could support a more dynamic and competitive economy. This book describes how the bioenergy expansion will improve rural livelihoods, reduce costly energy imports, reduce GHG emissions, and offer new development paths. Drawing on international experience, it is shown that harnessing this potential will require significant increases in investment, technology transfer, and international cooperation. Because of its high efficiency, the authors argue that sugar cane should be viewed as a global resource for sustainable development and should command much greater focus and concerted policy action. Through an analysis of the agronomy, land suitability and industrial processing of sugar cane and its co-products, along with an assessment of the energy, economic and environmental implications, this volume demonstrates that sugar cane offers a competitive and environmentally beneficial resource for Africa's economic development and energy security. With forty-four authors representing thirty organisations in sixteen countries, the book offers a truly international and interdisciplinary perspective by combining technical and economic principles with social, political and environmental assessment and policy analysis.

The work builds on the results of the COMPETE Bioenergy Competence Platform for Africa, which was supported by the European Commission and coordinated by WIP Renewable Energies, Germany. The five sections cover biomass production and use, biomass technologies and markets in Africa, biomass policies, sustainability, and financial and socio-economic issues. This valuable work is, in effect, a single-source treatment of a key energy sector in a part of the world which still has a lot of unrealised potential for development.

The work builds on the results of the COMPETE Bioenergy Competence Platform for Africa, which was supported by the European Commission and coordinated by WIP Renewable Energies, Germany. The five sections cover biomass production and use, biomass technologies and markets in Africa, biomass policies, sustainability, and financial and socio-economic issues. This valuable work is, in effect, a single-source treatment of a key energy sector in a part of the world which still has a lot of unrealised potential for development.

The potential future fluctuations in energy security and potential climate change impacts require an emphasis on clean and renewable energies to safeguard the environment as well as economic livelihoods. The current recalcitrant nature of biomass processing has led researchers to find the most suitable technique for its depolymerization, as well as various strategies to pretreat the biomass which include physical, thermochemical, and biochemical methods and a combination of these. Biomass Energy for Sustainable Development examines how optimal biomass utilization can reduce forest management costs, help mitigate climate change, reduce risks to life and property, and help provide a secure, competitive energy source into the future. Features: Provides a comprehensive review of biomass energy and focuses on in-depth understanding of various strategies to pretreat biomass including physical, chemical, and biological Explores multidisciplinary, novel approaches including AI for furthering the understanding and generation of models, theories, and processes in the field of bioenergy Covers the sustainable development goals for bioenergy, including the related concepts of bioeconomy and the potential environmental impact from reliance on bioenergy

In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of the growing of crops for use in bioenergy production rather than for food. This has been particularly the case for sugarcane in Latin America and Africa. This book examines the further potential in the context of the food versus fuel debate, and as a strategy for sustainable development. Detailed case studies of two countries, Colombia and Mozambique, are presented. These address the key issues such as the balance between food security and energy security, rural and land development policies, and feasibility and production models for expanding bioenergy. The authors then assess these issues in the context of broader sustainable development strategies, including implications for economics, employment generation, and the environment. The book will be of great interest to researchers and professionals in energy and agricultural development.