Agro-Waste Valorisation and Circular Economy Approaches in Nigerian Agricultural Industry

This study examines agro-waste valorisation opportunities and circular economy approaches in the Nigerian agricultural industry, assessing the engineering feasibility and economic potential of converting agricultural and agro-processing wastes into value-added products. Nigeria generates over 50 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually from crop production, food processing, and livestock activities. These wastes represent significant economic and environmental losses when disposed of as refuse, but contain recoverable value through energy conversion, composting, animal feed, industrial raw material, and biopolymer extraction applications. This study profiles major agro-waste streams in six industrial clusters across all geopolitical zones including palm oil mills in Edo State, rice mills in Kebbi State, cassava processing in Anambra State, and abattoir waste in Kano State. Waste characterisation, valorisation pathway assessment, and conversion technology evaluation are conducted using engineering material flow analysis. Circular economy value chain models are developed for three priority waste streams. Findings reveal that rice husk silica extraction, palm shell activated carbon production, and biogas from abattoir waste represent the highest value-added and most technically mature valorisation pathways. Combined, these three applications could generate an estimated 28 billion naira in annual value from currently wasted materials. The study recommends a national agro-waste valorisation strategy with investment incentives for circular economy enterprise development in agro-industrial clusters.

Keywords: agro-waste valorisation, circular economy, Nigeria, agricultural waste, biorefinery.