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Nigeria currently produces less energy required for uninterrupted electricity supply. This situation has led to an energy crisis that is adversely affecting every sector of the economy. An exploration of energy contributions from different sources could help address the energy crisis in Nigeria. This paper aims at promoting the commercial availability of electricity from biomass in Nigeria. The biomass potentials identified include conventional crops, agricultural residues, tertiary residues; forest residues; energy crops; grasses and aquatic weeds including algae. Conversion of biomass to bioenergy can be achieved through anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis or esterification. Although the prospects are bright, challenges facing bioenergy in Nigeria, include inadequate information on feedstock; uncomprehensive research and development capacity; poor policy formulation and implementation; poor regulatory framework, poor investment climate and poor access to technology. An integrated approach is recommended to include the establishment of Nigerian Biofuel Corporation under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and a Nigerian Network on Bioenergy.

The bioenergy sector in Nigeria currently lacks a proper assessment of resource availability. In this study, we investigated the bioenergy potential of agricultural residues and municipal solid and liquid waste using data from 2008 to 2018, and we applied a computational and analytical approach with mild assumptions. The technical potential for the production of cellulosic ethanol and biogas was estimated from the available biomass. It was discovered that higher energy was generated from biogas than cellulosic ethanol for the same type of residue. The available crop residue technical potential of 84 Mt yielded cellulosic ethanol and biogas of 14,766 ML/yr (8 Mtoe) and 15,014 Mm3/yr (13 Mtoe), respectively. Biogas has diverse applications ranging from heat to electric power generation and therefore holds great potential in solving the current electricity crisis in Nigeria. It will also position the nation towards achieving the 7th sustainable development goal (SDG 7) on clean and affordable energy.

Ficus benjamina (FB) is a perennial plant that serves ornamental purposes. Its fruits are non-edible and considered 'waste' with no defined application. This paper discusses the valorisation and identification of the potential of Ficus benjamina fruits as a suitable biofuel feedstock. The whole fruit was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and bomb calorimeter. In addition, the proximate and ultimate analyses were performed to determine their physical, thermal, and chemical properties for potential biofuel application. Pulverised Ficus benjamina fruits (PFB) have a porous morphology that makes them less dense with a crystallinity index of 25.5%. The moisture, ash, volatile matter, and fixed carbon contents were 9. 29, 6.26, 64.35, and 20.10%, respectively. The higher heating value (19.74 MJ/kg) and lower heating value (18.55 MJ/kg) are comparable to other biomass feedstocks. The results establish the possibility of using PFB as a solid biofuel.

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Oxidative stress has been linked to the pathogenicity of many diseases. This study investigated the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the methanolic extract and solvent fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous) of Desmodium ramosissimum using Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride assays, respectively. The extract and solvent fractions were further appraised for their in vitro antioxidant capacity using total antioxidant capacity (TAC), 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods at varying concentrations of 25–300 µg/mL. Results revealed that ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions possessed elevated levels of TPC and TFC when compared to other solvent fractions and extracts in a concentration-dependent manner. The ethyl acetate fraction had the highest TPC (532.36 mg GAE/g), TFC (2843.33 mg QE/g), and ferric reducing potential (56.70 mg GAE/g) at 300 µg/mL. In addition, at 300 µg/mL, the TAC (77.33 mg AAE/g) of the n-butanol fraction and its DPPH radical scavenging ability (86.04%) were higher. As shown in this study, organic solvents with different chemical natures are capable of extracting chemical constituents with antioxidant components of different polarities, and D. ramosissimum may also be considered a rich source of natural antioxidants, justifying its pharmacological use in traditional medicine.

The use of biofuel is gradually becoming more attractive universally as convenient substitute for fossil fuels due to the current increase in the demand for clean and renewable energy. This is because of its contribution towards lowering the dependence on crude oil, in view of the current global decline of fuel reserves. Switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum L.) has been developed into a herbaceous bioenergy crop. The processing of non-edible switchgrass biomass for fuel production will impact on rural and national development without negatively affecting food security. One of the main challenges of the production of biofuel from plant biomass is the technological impediment of breaking down plant biomass (lignin and cellulose in plant cell walls) that can be converted into biofuel. This research work will employ the use of genomic and transgenic aspects of biotechnology, such as callus induction and culture media optimization of native switchgrass, genes and constructs, cloning and sequencing, transformation and characterization analyses to invent a genetic modification framework (GMF) technology that will result in genetically modified switchgrass capable of coproducing cellulase which will culminate to drastic reduction in the cost of production of biofuel and thereby encourage its commercialization.