No abstract

Fossil fuels are a major contributor to climate change, and as the demand for energy production increases, alternative sources (e.g., renewables) are becoming more attractive. Kerosene and conventional solid fuels, which are used to cook, have detrimental effects on people's health, the environment, and the economy. This study seeks to explore the potential of cassava ethanol as an alternative to dirty cooking fuels in Ghana. The study revealed that the prices of electricity and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are on the rise and this is making their adoption very low. The use of ethanol, an alternative clean cooking fuel that can be produced locally and reasonably priced, should be encouraged. Cassava was selected as the most viable crop for ethanol production because it is highly underutilized and can be grown on most Ghanaian land. The study also revealed that the Crop Research Institute-Agra (CRI-Agra) Bankye, a variety of cassava, will give an optimum ethanol yield. It has the potential to produce one litre of ethanol from about 7kg of fresh roots. Approximately 147 Ha of agricultural land may be used to produce 1 ton of cassava ethanol. Since cassava ethanol for cooking offers major potential for climate change mitigation, there should be an adoption strategy. This work serves as input for decision-making for industrializing the cassava sector.

No abstract

Traditional leafy vegetables have been noted to supply abundant amounts of minerals and to some extent calories and proteins which are vital to the alleviation of problems of malnutrition in developing countries. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of three different rates of application of cattle dung on growth parameters, proximate and mineral composition, weight loss and shelf life of Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius. The treatments were cattle dung manure at rates of 0, 0.5. 0.8 and 1.1 t/ha. Application of 1.1 t/ha in Amaranthus cruentus resulted in the highest plant height on the 20th day after transplanting. The 0.8 t/ha rate of application gave the highest number of leaves and shoots of Amaranthus cruentus. Higher rates of application produced bigger stem girths which varied significantly from those without manure application. On the effects of the different rates of application on Corchorus olitorius, the results showed that, generally, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) from those without manure application. Increased rates of application resulted in a decline in the growth parameters. The results on shelf life for both Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius showed that both wilted and dried on the 24th hour and 48th hour after harvesting respectively. In conclusion, the study showed that increased application of cattle dung produced positive outcomes on the growth parameters of Amaranthus cruentus.