Estimation of animal and olive solid wastes in Jordan and their potential as a supplementary energy source: An overview Jamal Abu-Ashour a , Hani Abu Qdais a, *, Mohammad Al-Widyan b a Department of Civil Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan b Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 2227 2. Animal waste quantities and characteristics .......................................................................... 2228 2.1. Sheep waste .............................................................................................. 2229 2.2. Cows waste ............................................................................................... 2229 2.3. Poultry waste ............................................................................................. 2230 2.4. Olive waste ............................................................................................... 2230 3. Animal and olive wastes heating values .............................................................................. 2231 4. Estimation of potential energy recovery from animal and olive wastes ..................................................... 2231 5. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 2231 References ..................................................................................................... 2231 1. Introduction The exploding world’s population and the expanding industrial developments led to an increase in the consumption of conven- tional energy sources to alarming levels. Oil has been the major source of energy for most industrial developments. However, most experts agree that the oil reserves will be depleted in the near Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14 (2010) 2227–2231 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 22 December 2009 Accepted 1 March 2010 Keywords: Animal waste Olive waste Biomass Energy Jordan ABSTRACT Biomass is a potential source of energy that can reduce our dependency on oil as the main source of energy. In addition to municipal solid waste, animal and olive wastes are the main sources of organic waste in Jordan. In 2005, there were more than 2.4 million heads of sheep, about 72 thousand cows, and 40 million hens being raised in farms distributed in all governorates of Jordan. These animals produce 5.3 million tons (as exerted) of solid waste per year. If these quantities can be effectively collected they may constitute a valuable source of energy. This paper is aiming to estimate the amounts of animal and solid wastes generated in Jordan and their energy potential. The total amount of BOD from animal waste is estimated at 200,000 tons per year. Significant quantities of organic waste can also be collected from olive mills distributed in the country. This waste known locally as ‘‘Jift’’ is currently being collected and used for heating during the winter. The amount of olive waste produced in 2005 was about 27,000 tons. The potential for energy recovery from these wastes was investigated. Assuming an overall waste collection efficiency of 70%, the total heating value of these wastes was found to be 6600 million MJ. This quantity is equivalent to 157 thousand tons of oil equivalent (toe). This quantity represents 84% of Jordan’s local crude oil and natural gas production. However, it only represents 2% of the total primary energy consumption of 7187 thousand toe. In addition, the scattering of farms and olive mills in the country will make the collection of their waste costly. Therefore, any potential project for energy recovery from animal and olive wastes in a centralized plant may have low economic merit; however, its environmental benefits are tangible. Decentralized collection and processing of these wastes may be a better option. ß 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: hqdais@just.edu.jo (H.A. Qdais). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser 1364-0321/$ – see front matter ß 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2010.03.001