**2.4. Coal**

Coal reserves in Tanzania are estimated at about 1,200 million tonnes of which 304 million tonnes are proven [12]. Coal sites include Kiwira, Mchuchuma/Katewaka on the south east of Lake Nyasa, and Ngaka in Ruvuma region. Coal has been used in limited quantities for electricity generation as well as in some industries such as cement factories. Low coal con‐ sumption in the country is due to part to huge investment costs and quality of the coal itself. However, there is a plan to generate 600 MW from Mchuchuma coal mine in the near future.

their economic viability as potential geothermal energy resource. It is anticipated that the country in order to move from surface assessments to further detailed investigation, public

Biomass Conversion to Energy in Tanzania: A Critique

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/ 52956

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Other energy sources are petroleum, which makes up 8 percent of total primary energy con‐ sumption, natural gas 2.4 percent, and hydropower 1.2 percent. About 6.6 percent of pri‐ mary energy needs to be imported, primarily from Uganda (8 MW) and Zambia (5 MW) [15]

Tanzania's energy supply depends mainly on biomass. Since 85-88 percent of the population are not connected to the electricity grid, the overwhelming majority of households use fire wood and charcoal for cooking. As a total, biomass makes up to 88 percent [4] of the total primary energy consumption in Tanzania. Unfortunately, this leads to the deforestation of 100,000 ha per year, of which is very serious since only about a quarter of the Tanzanian

About 50% of the population lives in poverty, out of which 35% is unable to access all of the basic needs including energy services. The poor spend about 35% of their household income on energy while the well-off spends only 14%. Lack of access to modern energy services cre‐ ates a vicious cycle of poverty for rural communities due to continued limited production opportunities and social facilities. This situation creates a very big challenge to the country. There is a need; to look for an alternative means for assisting the rural poor to have opportu‐ nities of accessing to modern energy for reason of alleviating poverty. This chapter is pro‐ posing biomass to be one of the alternatives of energy resource which can be employed in

Biomass is a term used to define all organic matter that is derived from plants as well as ani‐ mals. Biomass resources include wood and wood waste, agricultural crops and their waste products, municipal and city solid waste, and wastes from food processing, aquatic plants

Biomass is mainly composed of cellulose suitability of a particular biomass as a potential for energy generation depends on such characteristic; moisture content, calorific value, fixed carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen volatiles, as contents, and cellulose/lignin ratio. Gener‐ ally, cellulose is the largest fraction and constitutes about 38-50% of the biomass by weight. These characteristics are important to determine efficient biomass utilization and are provid‐

Biomass is considered to be one of the key renewable energy resources of the future at both small- and large-scale levels. It already supplies 14 per cent of the world's energy, and if many future projects being assessed, could be implemented, increase the role of biomass in the overall energy system. On average, biomass produces 38 per cent of the primary energy

and donor fund will be required.

land is re-forested

**2.9. Wood fuel and other biomass fuels**

modern form to change the situation.

**3. Literature review**

and algae.

ed in the paper.
