RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR AFRICA: EFFECTIVE VALORIZATION OF AGRI-FOOD WASTES

Project Information

REFFECT AFRICA

Grant agreement ID: 101036900

DOI

10.3030/101036900

EC signature date 1 September 2021

Start date 1 November 2021

End date 31 October 2026

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 8 100 151,25

EU contribution

€ 6 962 820,78

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DE JAEN
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - REFFECT AFRICA (RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR AFRICA: EFFECTIVE VALORIZATION OF AGRI-FOOD WASTES)

Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The population in Africa lacking electricity access is set to rise in 2020 after a six-year dip, with Central and East Africa facing significant issues as only 23-25% of their inhabitants have electrical access. The REFFECT AFRICA project focuses on utilizing renewable energy sources and their integration into existing systems, for both grid-connected and isolated communities. The project will employ diverse biomass wastes, such as olive mill residues, almond shells, and sugarcane bagasse, among others.

Three full-scale demonstrators will be established in Morocco, Ghana, and South Africa, tailored to various urban and rural scenarios. The initiative also aims to produce biofuel and valuable fertilizer for local farming from the gasifier. Each demonstrator will feature a reliable water laboratory to offer crucial testing services.

The current phase of the project has focused on the system's design, defining demonstrators, preparing detailed construction plans, and designing water production/treatment systems.

REFFECT AFRICA has substantial potential for climate change adaptation and mitigation, with projected reductions of 10-12% CO2 emissions in the whole value chain and more than 50% at the mill. Additionally, it foresees a decrease of at least 40% in methane emissions from agricultural waste storage and a drop of over 20% in air pollutants.

This initiative is crucial as it aims to provide electricity to several African regions, promoting economic growth and the potential for digital transformation. However, providing access is just the beginning, as power interruptions and brownouts must also be addressed to enable efficient use of electricity.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project commenced with a kick-off meeting to discuss the five-year plan and evaluate consortium competencies. A project cloud was established for efficient management, holding all project documents, such as templates, presentations, and meeting minutes. Regular monthly meetings were scheduled with the work package (WP) and Task leaders to discuss the project's progress.

WP1 and WP2 were successfully finished and WP3, WP4, WP8, and WP10 were initiated, leading to finalized and submitted deliverables in the European Commission portal by month 30. To ensure effective communication, WP leaders coordinated with task leaders via emails and online meetings.

Project visibility was achieved via television appearances, scientific conferences, municipal forums, and various media outlets, including social networks, informative videos, newsletters, and more.

The project collaborated with multiple European initiatives, leading to an approved application to the Horizon Results Booster, applications to standardisation support for Horizon Europe and H2020 projects, and a joint application for the EUSEW Sustainable Energy Week Conference. REFFECT AFRICA also joined the Clean Energy Working Group under the Green Deal Support Office.

WP3 is partially completed wit h 2 of the 3 demonstrators intalled in Ghana and Morocco.

Significant results were attained in WP1, WP2, WP3, WP8, and WP10, including comprehensive technological requirements assessment for the demonstration sites, agricultural waste data compilation, potential for renewable energy and biochar production, and energy, water treatment, and soil improvement needs. Necessary specifications for the three demonstrators were defined and characterized.

The project's progress and results were disseminated through social networks and newsletters, keeping stakeholders informed. Lastly, active involvement of most project partners was noted, alongside fruitful collaboration with other European projects.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The REFFECT AFRICA project aims to demonstrate from a techno-economic point of view, the application of gasification in the agro-food industry (one of the key African sectors for many households and SMEs) by carrying out the following steps:
• Electricity production using agro-food waste: both rural (on-grid and off-grid) and urban applications.
• Development and application of in-situ heat recovery units (HRU). Considering the energy requirements of the value chain: production of cold, heat, drying, distilled water, etc.
• Study and application of biochar generated during gasification (between 20-25% of input biomass) for soil improvement (highly affected in desert and rural areas of Africa) and possible co-composting products.

The project is still at an early stage, having only been made the survey of technical characteristics and needs for the implementation of the demonstrators, however, after the implementation of the demonstrators the project will have several positive environmental, health, climate, social and economic impacts. This implementation will imply the replacement of a large part of the energy consumption at the sites by renewable energy. The raw materials used will be waste biomass, resulting in an environmental net and social benefits. One of the challenges of the REFFECT AFRICA approach is to involve three dimensions: bioenergy production (electricity and heat), water treatment and biochar/biofertilizer production.

At the environmental level there is a high potential for Climate Change adaptation and mitigation as the most important Climate Change impacts occur due to the use of fertilizers and in the milling phase (electricity and waste treatment). Thus, the installation of a gasification plant will reduce CO2 emissions by 10-12% in the whole value chain and more than 50% in the mill. This project also foresees a reduction of at least 40% in methane emissions due to the storage of agricultural waste products and a reduction of air pollutants of more than 20%.

REFFECT AFRICA will further enhance the knowledge base for the development, assessment, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of effective climate change mitigation actions and measures and increase the capacity to apply this knowledge in practice in Africa, dealing with the best available technologies for biomass waste valorization.
At the economic level the implementation of the demonstrators will ensure the creation of new local jobs for the operation of these gasification plants and for the supply of the necessary fuels. In this sense, new skills will also be sought, resulting in a new economic sector in the areas addressed.

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