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In Khartoum (Sudan) a particular factor shaping urban land use is the rapid expansion of red brick making (BM) for the construction of houses which occurs on the most fertile agricultural Gerif soils along the Nile banks. The objectives of this study were to assess the profitability of BM, to explore the income distribution among farmers and kiln owners, to measure the dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and organic carbon (C_org) in cow dung used for BM, and to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from burned biomass fuel (cow dung and fuel wood). About 49 kiln owners were interviewed in 2009 using a semi-structured questionnaire that allowed to record socio-economic and variable cost data for budget calculations, and determination of Gini coefficients. Samples of cow dung were collected directly from the kilns and analyzed for their nutrients concentrations. To estimate GHG emissions a modified approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was used. The land rental value from red brick kilns was estimated at 5-fold the rental value from agriculture and the land rent to total cost ratio was 29% for urban farms compared to 6% for BM. The Gini coefficients indicated that income distribution among kiln owners was more equal than among urban farmers. Using IPCC default values the 475, 381, and 36 t DM of loose dung, compacted dung, and fuel wood used for BM emit annually 688, 548, and 60 t of GHGs, respectively.

Energy demand continuously increases what contributes to higher emissions of GHG. Moreover, the primary energy sources like coal, natural gas and oil are depleting. To manage this problem, the scientists have worked on the different possibilities of renewable energy conversion technologies in order to get the most useful and cleanest type of energy. In this work, there are investigated possible biomass conversion technologies in order to satisfy energy demand for Poznan, the city in Poland. Actually, the energy demand is met by coal combined with heat and power plant (CHP). There is an interest of changing actual coal CHP plant with biomass to minimize emissions. The aim of this work is to choose the best thermo-chemical biomass conversion option in the concept of minimum investment cost. To achieve this goal, the thermo-economic analysis and optimization of different biomass conversion technologies have to be conducted. First, on the basis of the literature review, the models of biomass conversion processes are modeled in Belsim Vali software. Then, from 2008, two different scenarios of energy demand are defined for the city. In the next step of this work, there is conducted energy integration in order to find an optimal set of designed boundary conditions through maximizing the units of performance for the most promising types of biomass conversion processes. Finally, an optimal configurations and sizes of the equipments are found by thermo- economic optimization.

This work includes the development of the biomass conversion technologies designed to provide the required heat demand to the district heating network. Biomass is considered here as the only fuel utilized in the proposed conversion systems as the competitive feedstock to the coal, which is mainly used in Polish heat and power plants. The first part of the work consists of the simulation of the proposed technologies. Separate utilities of the conversion systems are modeled in the proper software. Constant and variable parameters of the models are characterized as well as the investment and operation costs estimation for the each utility. A heat demand of the case study of CHP plant in Poznan is considered as the basis for estimating the energy consumption profile, which is then used in the present thesis during the integration process. Two main scenarios of the heat requirements are proposed in this work. The simulated models are next integrated and optimized in order to satisfy the demand profile. The optimization is done under the defined objective function. Finally, the optimum plant configuration is determined based on the exergy efficiency and cost objective function.

Energy is undoubtedly the driving force at the core of the development of any nation. Thereis a direct relation between per capita income and energy consumption. The way this energyis produced, supplied and consumed, affects the local and global environment and is thereforea key issue in sustainable development.The Kingdom of Morocco which is not an oil-producing country is heavily dependent onimported energy to meet its energy demand. Morocco relies on imports for nearly 90 % of itshydrocarbon needs, with the total cost of its imports fluctuating between US$1 billion andUS$1.5 billion per year. Electricity supplies are based largely on the combustion of importedcoal, which is mainly obtained from South Africa, and imported crude oil from Saudi Arabia,Iran, Iraq and Nigeria, together with electricity imports from Spain and Algeria. Thisdependence has had an unusually large impact on its economy and environment, affectingforeign exchange, the national debt and government revenues and investment budgetsaccording to the Moroccan Government.In Morocco, the renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, and biomassare plentiful, widely distributed and environmentally attractive. These resources add no netcontributions to the atmospheric carbon dioxide and add no heat to the global environment.Levels of solar insolation exceed 5.00 kWhJm2/day on a horizontal plane in much of thecountry throughout much of the year, wind resources are favourable for both small scale andwind farm developments in some locations, hydro resources for micro applications are for themost part unexplored but likely to be available in the mountainous regions with goodprecipitation. Whilst bio-energy reserves are scarce throughout much of the arid and semiarid regions of the country, urban waste is abundant and offers good opportunity for processmg.The objective of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of renewable energy sources inmeeting Morocco's primary energy demand.In this thesis, the energy, electricity, environmental and renewable energy budget forMorocco against the global backdrop is discussed and the related institutional,implementation and policy frameworks including assessment of barriers are analysed. Thethesis also addresses renewable energy resource assessment which is a prerequisite toundertake any meaningful exercise to integrate renewable energy technologies into ruralenergy plan within the overall national energy scenario in Morocco.Furthermore, a comprehensive and scientific model for all important renewable resourcessuch as solar, wind, biomass and micro-hydro throughout the country has been developed,which is a starting point for all future initiatives including private sector participation andmarket development in this sector.The proposed renewable energy plan could set Morocco on the path to a sustainable energysystem with associated economic benefits setting a model for other African and developingcountries to follow. The plan clearly contributes to the envisaged purpose of increasingrenewable energy contribution in the primary energy balance bringing significant social andenvironmental benefits into the process.Plentiful wind and solar radiation resources and the proximity to Europe put Morocco in astrong position. Import of technology from and export of electricity to Europe could becomea promlSlng strategy to limit the global greenhouse effect and to boost the Moroccan economy.

The need to change the current paradigm from linear economy to circular economy makes the recovery of resources from waste effluents one of the current and future technological priorities. In this context, sewage sludge represents a great challenge and at the same time a great opportunity for the recovery of resources, both material, and energy. Within the framework of the H2020 SMART Plant project, BETA Tech. Centre is developing two technologies to maximise resource recovery from different types of sludge. Firstly, phosphorus-rich biofertilisers are being produced through advanced dynamic composting processes treating sludge from EBPR and SCENA processes. Secondly, cellulose-rich sludge is being treated through biodrying processes to produce biomass fuel with a calorific value similar to that of pine chips. &nbsp

The need to change the current paradigm from linear economy to circular economy makes the recovery of resources from waste effluents one of the current and future technological priorities. In this context, sewage sludge represents a great challenge and at the same time a great opportunity for the recovery of resources, both material, and energy. Within the framework of the H2020 SMART Plant project, BETA Tech. Centre is developing two technologies to maximise resource recovery from different types of sludge. Firstly, phosphorus-rich biofertilisers are being produced through advanced dynamic composting processes treating sludge from EBPR and SCENA processes. Secondly, cellulose-rich sludge is being treated through biodrying processes to produce biomass fuel with a calorific value similar to that of pine chips.