Petrochemicals Cellulosic Wastes as an Alternative Source of Feedstock

Petrochemicals Cellulosic Wastes as an Alternative Source of Feedstock 

Solomon Gabche Anagho and Horace Manga Ngomo  

Studies have shown that the biomass component in waste, predominantly of cellulosic materials, is a heavy energy carrier. For example, Ngomo (2004) estimated that in 

Cameroon, 1,148.77 PJ of energy, equivalent to 41,325 million kWh of electricity could be harvested annually from the theoretical harvestable biomass wastes arising from agricultural waste, forest residue, and livestock dung. 

As early as 1917, the need to obtain chemicals from cellulosic materials had already been eminent. For example. Palmer Cloukey (1918) in producing alcohol from various species of hardwoods studied the effect of moisture content in the wood on alcohol yield. By destructively distilling beech, yellow birch and maple that had been subjected to seasoning for between 4 and 18 months they observed that beech gave high alcohol yields when the moisture content was high, while excess moisture lowered the yields for yellow birch and maple. 

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