**Author details**

*Biotechnological Applications of Biomass*

tems negatively.

**Acknowledgements**

**Conflict of interest**

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

of fossil fuel based energy is associated with climate change among other environmental problems. Biomass is sourced from fuel wood, energy crops, municipal solid wastes and plant residues. This book chapter analyzed the technical and economic potential of biomass for energy in Africa based on literature. The findings showed that Africa has adequate land, climatic conditions, and a variety of suitable energy crops for biomass production. Evenly, the costs of biomass production though varied based on the country and climatic condition (humid, arid and semi-arid) are not as high. Biomass is therefore a potential driver to socio-economic growth of the continent through its capacity to enhance energy security. The chapter also explored on the carbon neutrality of biomass energy sources and laid the conditions for this realization. Additionally, the error in computing GHG emissions due to biomass production and use is discussed. Conclusively, biomass energy sources are renewable but not carbon neutral. This chapter therefore makes the following recommen-

dations as efforts to realizing carbon neutrality through the use of biomass.

compromising ecosystems services of providing fiber and food.

wood and food crops that have other competing needs.

1.African countries and the rest of the world should formulate policies to encourage use of biomass for energy while reducing GHG emissions and not

2.Global expectations of bioenergy use potential and use should be modified to the earth's ability to produce more biomass without affecting natural ecosys-

3.Integrated biomass production that enhances food security should be encouraged through the preference to use biomass from residues, wastes and by-products unless needed in soil management for energy generation rather than fuel

4.Computation of GHGs resulting from biomass combustion should consider offsets from additional biomass cultivation, its reduced decomposition or oth-

erwise in relation to CO2 sequestration and release to the atmosphere.

The authors appreciate the support from Landmark University Center for Research, Innovation and Development (LUCRID) through the SDGs 9 Group-

**108**

Joan Nyika1 , Adeolu Adesoji Adediran<sup>2</sup> \*, Adeniyi Olayanju<sup>2</sup> , Olanrewaju Seun Adesina<sup>2</sup> and Francis Odikpo Edoziuno3

1 Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

2 Innovation, Industry and Infrastructure (SDGs 9) Group, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria

3 Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku (DSPG), Nigeria

\*Address all correspondence to: adediran.adeolu@lmu.edu.ng; dladesoji@gmail.com

© 2020 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
