Fondation des Fondateurs: Village Scale Pyrolysis

This research explored the opportunities and constraints to combine production of biofuels for local use in an African context and biochar for soil use with low-temperature pyrolysis. Three real-world issues justify this approach:

  • The need for rural land-users in Africa to generate additional household income and fuels to spread risk and allow transport for access to markets.
  • The necessity to provide sustainable production systems that minimize soil degradation and increase efficiency of applied nutrients.
  • The demand for solutions to global warming.

The research addressed three important questions:

  • How can pyrolysis of biomass be linked to microbial processing to make biofuels and char from biomass?
  • What level of biofuels production will local biomass resources allow?
  • What impacts on energy, economics, and the environment can be foreseen with analysis and modeling of adoption?

View publications arising from the Village-Scale Pyrolysis project.