The Potential of Energy from Sugar Cane Wastes in Tanzania

 By Dr. M. A. Kishimba

Executive Summary

This study reported herein shows that the three largest sugar factories in Tanzania, cultivate over 17,000 hectares of sugarcane farms and produce about 125,000 tons of sugar per annum, process over 1,300,000 tons of sugar cane per year.  In the process, the factories produce about 40,000 tons of molasses (a good percentage of which is exported) and about 455,000 tons of bagasse as waste. A significant portion of this extremely high organic content sugarcane waste is treated without optimal resource recovery, and without regard to the GHG emissions into the environment. The sugar mills currently purchase a total of 63,540 MWh/year which is 63.54 GWh/year. By just using co-generation, they stand to generate excess (above their needs) a minimum of 28 GWh (28,000 MWh) and a maximum of 546 GWh (546,000 MWh) electric power per annum, depending on the option chosen.

Environmentally, the savings on GHG emissions would be for as follows:

• option I would be 2.9 million cubic meters of methane

• option II would be 42.7 million cubic meters of methane

• option III would be 53.4 million cubic meters of methane

• option IV would be 56.3 million cubic meters of methane

There is a dire need to carry out an intensive and economic analysis with the final goal of implementing these resource recovery options.

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