EVALUATION OF THE ENERGY POTENTIAL OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE IN WEST AFRICA FROM THREE BIOMASSES OF INTEREST IN BENIN

The present report deals with the evaluation of abundant Agricultural residues in West Africa based on criteria. These criteria are essentially: the availability of the resource based on a statistical study extended over a period of ten (10) years, the rate of competitive uses of the resource, the critical rate of actual availability and the potential actually available.This study extends the field of knowledge on the physicochemical characteristics of agricultural biomass in countries where the economy is strongly dominated by agriculture. Maize residues come first, followed by cotton, sorghum, rice residues and lastly millet residues.Corn stalks and cobs followed by cotton and millet stems proved to be abundant in the balance of agricultural residues in Benin. This study shows that the biomass resource is more concentrated in the North (Alibori, Atacora, Borgou and Donga), a little less in the center and the South. Similarly, the energy potential of maize residues (stalks and cobs) is very important in the energy balance of the valorization of agricultural biomass and has its source in North Benin where the potential is very remarkable. Added to this is the energy potential of cotton stems. Thus, it is possible to mobilize 458 MW from maize stalks, 205 MW from maize stalks, 6 MW from millet stalks and 62 MW from cotton stalks.