Utilization of Organic Wastes as a Bio-Resource: A Case Study of Corn Cobs in Nigeria

In Nigeria, about 42 million tonnes of solid waste is generated annually. Among them, organic waste accounts for 52% of the total. These organic wastes, when properly utilized, would significantly reduce the total waste generation in Nigeria. It would also reduce the potential environmental impacts such as air pollution and groundwater pollution. However, most of these organic wastes generated are disposed of improperly in poorly managed dumps. Open burning of organics has been widely practiced in most communities in Nigeria. However, the uncontrolled burning process generates air pollutants and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The lack of technical know-how combined with the lack of compliance by the public contributes to the poor utilization of organic wastes as bio-resources in Nigeria. Proper monitoring and management mechanisms of organic wastes by the regulatory agencies are also required. Corns are popular crops in Nigeria and in 2019 Nigerians produced about 11 million tonnes of corn. Ultimate analysis of corn cobs suggests that the cobs contain 46.6% carbon, 45.5% oxygen, 5.9% hydrogen 0.5% nitrogen, and 1.4% ash on a dry mass basis. Compared to other agricultural wastes, corn cobs have a significantly lower ash content (<1.5%) which makes them suitable for residential heating applications. It also has an energy density of 365 kcal/100 g making it viable as feedstock for energy generation. The main objectives of this paper are to (i) identify the various means of proper utilization of corn cobs as a bio-resource in Nigeria, and (ii) discuss its benefits as well as the challenges with respect to the Nigerian bio-resource industry.