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ABSTRACT:Emissions from fossil fuel combustion are of global concern due to their negative effects on public health and environment. This paper is an inventory of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the environment through consumption of fuels (gasoline and diesel) in Nigeria from 1980 to 2014. The fuel consumption data for the period in view were sourced from bulletins released by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) and were utilized for GHGs estimation based on default emission factors (69300 kg/TJ (CO2; gasoline), 74100 kg/TJ (CO2; diesel), 18 kg/TJ (CH4; gasoline), 3.85 kg/TJ (CH4; diesel), 1.9 kg/TJ (N2O; gasoline) and 2.25 kg/TJ (N2O; diesel). In addition, the uncertainty and sensitivity analyses associated with the inventory were carried out. Total amount of GHGs emitted into the environment for the period under consideration was 7.30 x 10 8 tCO2 e (5.20 x 10 8 tCO2 e and 2.10 x 10 8 tCO2 e of gasoline and diesel, respectively). It is worth noting that gasoline consumption accounted for 71.23% of the total amount of GHGs with CO2 making up 98.72 % (CH4 = 1.39 % and N2O = 0.61 %) of the emissions. For this study, uncertainty of estimate was between -80.93 % and 78.36 % while volume of diesel is more sensitive than the volume of gasoline of the input parameters. National policy and enforcement on low or neutral emission fuels utilization are amongst the recommended actions toward reducing GHG emissions in the country.

The quest for alternative energy sources is gradually shifting from natural fossil fuel to alternative bio-resources especially agricultural waste products due to their reduced pollution risk and sustainability. This study seeks to investigate the suitability of plant residue pellets to produce biomass. The plant residues investigated include; 100% granulated corn cob residues, 100% granulated corn stalks and a composite of 50:50 granulated corn cobs and stalk residues. The residues were compressed at 200 MPa and pelletized using cassava starch as a binder. The pellets were experimentally analyzed using emission, ultimate, proximate and calorimetry analyses. The result showed that the cobstalk 50:50 combination had the most desirable properties. It has 0.64% nitrogen, 48.57% carbon, 0.38% Sulphur, 6.22% hydrogen, 55.81% oxygen, 3.25% moisture content, 2.20% ash content, 80.0% volatile matter, 17.80% fixed carbon percentage, HHV of 32.9 kJ/kg, an average CO2 of 563±50 PPM, an average CO of 100±50 PPM, and an average value relative humidity of 69±4%. The study reiterates that corn residues are a good bio-fuel and should be encouraged to address the current energy shortfalls.

In this paper, the wind power potentials as well as wind speed characteristics of four selected locations in the North-Central (Ilorin and Makurdi) and North-East (Gombe and Maiduguri) parts of Nigeria are investigated. The data used are obtained from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) between the durations of 11 and 54 years, measured at an anemometer height of 10m. The analysis of the data is carried out using a two-parameter Weibull Distribution Function (WDF). The most probable wind-speed and the wind-speed carrying the maximum energy were also evaluated. The capacity factor estimation is then used to identify the most suitable turbine for the sites. The results obtained show a monthly mean wind-speed of 4.50 m/s, 3.72 m/s, 4.77 m/s and 5.34 m/s for Ilorin, Gombe, Makurdi and Maiduguri respectively, while the wind-power densities were 67.74 W/m2, 40.87 W/m2, 79.52 W/m2 and 107.49 W/m2 respectively for the same sites.

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