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Small Ruminant Value Chain Analysis in Fentale Districts of East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia
Shimelis Gizachew Desalegn
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
1-8
Received:
4 December 2019
Accepted:
31 December 2019
Published:
9 January 2020
Abstract: The study was conducted in four kebele of Fentale districts of Pastoral and Agro-pastoral Area to map out small ruminant value chain actors and their roles, identify the major constraints and suggest the specific areas of intervention for better performance of small ruminant value chain. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources a total of 98 producers, 12 traders, 20 consumers and 4 exporters were interviewed with separate semi-structured questionnaires. The result of study indicated that small ruminant made by far the greatest contribution to livestock-based livelihoods in study districts. About 98% of pastoralist offers small ruminant for sale to meet their crucial needs at any time during the year. The result of this study revealed that even if small ruminants supplied to the markets by pastoralist more or less meet the quality attributes required by export markets still the majority of producers (72.4%) backyard production type, followed by small scale (23.5%), medium scale (2%) and commercial scale (2%) respectively. Appropriate extension service that will respond to the peculiar needs of export markets, especially on the aspect of providing information and knowledge on the desired small ruminant characteristics and quality requirements of importing countries should be provided for the producers.
Abstract: The study was conducted in four kebele of Fentale districts of Pastoral and Agro-pastoral Area to map out small ruminant value chain actors and their roles, identify the major constraints and suggest the specific areas of intervention for better performance of small ruminant value chain. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from pr...
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Photo-thermal Conversion Efficiency of Textured and Untextured Aluminum Substrate Coated with Titanium Dioxide (TiO2)-bound CuFeMnO4 Absorber
Charles Opiyo Ayieko,
Robinson Juma Musembi,
Benard Odhiambo Aduda,
Alex Ogacho,
Pushpendra Jain
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
9-15
Received:
28 August 2019
Accepted:
18 September 2019
Published:
10 January 2020
Abstract: The possibility of obtaining thermal energy from the sun for household bathing and washing has resulted to growth in market for solar thermal applications with new types of solar absorbers currently being investigated either to compliment or to replace existing ones. This study focuses on CuFeMnO4 absorber paint by addressing aspects which have little attention regarding improvement of optical absorption for higher efficiency such as texturing the metal substrates on which to coat CuFeMnO4 absorber paint. In this study, texturing was done controllably in order to match the incoming solar radiation wavelength and the surface topography and morphology. Textured and untextured aluminum sheets coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2)-bound CuFeMnO4 absorber paint were used to fabricate prototype flat plate solar thermal collectors. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was chosen here as binder to a spectrally selective CuFeMnO4 absorber paint. The TiO2-bound CuFeMnO4 absorber paint was applied by a simple, cheap and up-scalable dip coating method over the aluminum sheets. The aluminum sheets were electro-chemically textured to enhance optical absorption and photo-thermal conversion efficiency for both the textured and untextured prototypes were compared. The efficiency characterization of the prototype collectors was done by measuring the global solar irradiance, fluid inlet, fluid outlet and ambient temperature. Both instantaneous and steady-state efficiencies were determined mathematically, and it was found that the prototype collector whose absorber plates were textured recorded higher instantaneous and steady-state efficiencies compared to the collector fabricated from untextured aluminum plates.
Abstract: The possibility of obtaining thermal energy from the sun for household bathing and washing has resulted to growth in market for solar thermal applications with new types of solar absorbers currently being investigated either to compliment or to replace existing ones. This study focuses on CuFeMnO4 absorber paint by addressing aspects which have lit...
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Preparation and Characterisation of Bio-Oil Produced from Sawdust of Selected Wood Species
Idowu Abimbola Adegoke,
Rotowa Odunayo James
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
16-25
Received:
22 March 2019
Accepted:
30 April 2019
Published:
21 January 2020
Abstract: Renewable energy is of growing importance in satisfying environmental concerns over fossil fuel usage. The study was carried out to determine bio-fuel characteristics of pyrolytic oil produce from sawdust of selected wood species (Gmelina arborea, and Nesogordonia papaverifera). Sawdust samples of 200 gramms each were collected from Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria sawmill and oven-dried at 103±2°C for 24 hours to 12% moisture content. While four replicates of bio-oil were produced at each temperature regime for each of the samples, two different temperature regimes were used (500°C and 600°C). The metallic container (pyrolytic chamber) was filled with 200 grammes of the samples of each species and placed inside the Reactor which was connected to a condenser. Using standard test, physical properties, chemical and thermal characterization of bio oil and proximate analysis of the Bio-Char were assessed. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used to ascertain significance difference in the oil yield produced at different temperature. The result shows that there was general increase in the volume of oil yield as the temperature increases. The volume of the oil ranged between 35.97±1.82 to 49.33±3.21 and 52.93±0.51 to 63.63±5.83, the highest and least mean of the pH of pyrolytic oil yield ranged from 3.52±0.02 to 3.54±0.02 and 3.64±0.36 to 3.73±0.01 for G. arborea and N. papaverifera respectively. There was significant difference in the means of the volume of bio-oil obtained as pyrolysis temperture increases. It further shows that the sawmill wood residues differs significantly at P<0.05 within the two temperature regime. The study established that pyrolysis is an efficient way to produce liquid fuels from biomass. The physical properties of the bio-oil obtained from sawmill wood residues falls within the acceptable range for fuel production. The selected wood species are therefore suitable for production of bio-oil with acceptable physical and chemical properties. Based on the result of the study, it is therefore among others recommended that residence time be taken for each temperature range to convert the feedstock to oil, and quantity of oil yield per specie.
Abstract: Renewable energy is of growing importance in satisfying environmental concerns over fossil fuel usage. The study was carried out to determine bio-fuel characteristics of pyrolytic oil produce from sawdust of selected wood species (Gmelina arborea, and Nesogordonia papaverifera). Sawdust samples of 200 gramms each were collected from Forestry Resear...
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Characterization of Advanced Hexaploid Wheat Lines Against Stripe Rust (Puccinia striiformis f. Sp. tritici) and Identification of Employed Pathogen Races
Getnet Muche,
Alemu Ayele
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
26-32
Received:
18 December 2019
Accepted:
12 January 2020
Published:
12 February 2020
Abstract: Wheat is one of the world's most important crops whose grain production is increasing year after year. However, its production is badly constrained by wheat rusts. Stripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici is an important disease of wheat resulting significant yield failure in wheat growing areas around the globe. The pathogen is one of the very important yield limiting factors in Ethiopia. The severity is worse due to emergency of virulent stripe rust races at one point of the world spread to the rest of wheat producing countries by wind and human travels. Thus, development and cultivation of hereditarily diverse and tolerant varieties is the most sustainable option to overcome these diseases. The present study was carried out with the aim to identify possible sources of stripe rust resistance among Ethiopian bread wheat breeding pipelines to enhance cultivar improvement efforts and identify physiologic races involved during screening process. A total of four mono-pustule isolates were collected from Meraro and Kulumsa, stripe rust hot spot locations. Out of these, two P. striformis races; namely, PstS2 and PstS11 were identified. The former was detected at Meraro and virulent to seven of the 19-diffential lines while PstS11 displayed across Meraro and Kulumsa and virulent to nine of the19-diffential lines. Twenty-eight advanced bread wheat pipelines and a universal susceptible cultivar, Morocco were evaluated for their resistance at the seedling stage against identified stripe rust races (PstS2 and PstS11) in a controlled environment. Of the 28, twenty and seventeen lines exhibited susceptible seedling reactions to PstS2 and PstS11 with infection types ranging from 7 to 9, respectively. Those groups of lines that showed susceptible reaction at seedling stage are expected to possess poly minor genes that could be used for durable stripe rust resistance breeding in wheat. However, is advised to evaluate for adult plant resistance and postulate inherent resistance genes in these lines for fruitful recommendations.
Abstract: Wheat is one of the world's most important crops whose grain production is increasing year after year. However, its production is badly constrained by wheat rusts. Stripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici is an important disease of wheat resulting significant yield failure in wheat growing areas around the globe. The pathogen is on...
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Success, Gaps and Challenges of Power Sector Reform in Ethiopia
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
33-42
Received:
5 September 2019
Accepted:
11 February 2020
Published:
18 February 2020
Abstract: Ethiopia faces chronic power problems including insufficient generation capacity, low connectivity and poor reliability of transmission and distribution all of which constrain development. The Ethiopian power sector reform is necessitated by poor technical and financial performance of the power sector. The reform was initiated during 1997 just like any other Africa country due to deregulation of the power sector market in the world which aimed to increase the technical and financial performance of the sector. The government initiative to reform the power sector was backed by world bank by transforming Ethiopia Electric Light and Power Authority (EELPA) into Ethiopia Electric Corporation (EEPCO) in order to give the utility to work in business mind rather than as simple service sector. The main reason for powers sector reform is inability of state own vertically integrated utility to mobilize sufficient capital for the electricity sector development and expansion and waiting of federal government yearly allocated budget to perform its planned tasks. It is found that as most sub Saharan African countries including Ethiopia is in its initial steps of power sector reform even though there are some work done regarding corporatization, electricity amendment, management contract and tariff setting for independent power producers. The reform resulted in significant progress in connectivity and creating independent regulatory agency but failed to bring unbundling, encompassing independent power producers and improving transmission and distribution reliability. This article is based on country study by the author reviewing the status of power sector reform with special emphases on the success, gaps and challenges of the sector. The result of this study shows that power sector reform in Ethiopia has mixed result that gaps and challenges override the success due to weak institutional structure, weak project management and low skill capacity of human resources to implement the reform as intended, government inability to finance the reform process and the country still position itself at level-2 out of level-5 of maturity level of power sector reform.
Abstract: Ethiopia faces chronic power problems including insufficient generation capacity, low connectivity and poor reliability of transmission and distribution all of which constrain development. The Ethiopian power sector reform is necessitated by poor technical and financial performance of the power sector. The reform was initiated during 1997 just like...
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The CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) Plant with Brayton Cycle: A Third Generation CSP System
Huseyin Murat Cekirge,
Serdar Eser Erturan,
Richard Stanley Thorsen
Issue:
Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020
Pages:
43-50
Received:
28 January 2020
Accepted:
17 February 2020
Published:
26 February 2020
Abstract: The main goal of this study is that electricity unit price is lower than 6 cents (US) producing in a CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plant. For this goal, the paper suggests an integrated facility with thermal energy storage. The plant includes heliostat area, air cavity receiver, gas turbine package (compressor, combustion chamber and generator), steam turbine and generator, heat exchanger, sensible thermal energy storage system and condenser. The process details are heated air through SIC (Silicon Carbide) air cavity tube receiver will be sent to the gas turbine (Brayton Cycle) and hot air from output of gas turbine will be source to heat exchanger to steam production. Steam from output of the heat exchanger will be supplied to the TES (Thermal Energy Storage) for its charging and second turbine (Rankine Cycle) for to generate electricity. Thus, the total efficiency of the plant reaches 55% during sunshine. Assumptions that is to calculate unit price are several schedules and interest rates for every year and amortization and taxation are ignored. With these assumptions, the paper's aim is achieving the goal with 5.7 US ¢/kWhe for 13 years return time, %3 interest rate without subsidizing.
Abstract: The main goal of this study is that electricity unit price is lower than 6 cents (US) producing in a CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plant. For this goal, the paper suggests an integrated facility with thermal energy storage. The plant includes heliostat area, air cavity receiver, gas turbine package (compressor, combustion chamber and generator), s...
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