In Ghana, the potential of palm kernel shells as renewable energy in charcoal production has not been exploited adequately. Using a low-cost instrument (kiln and compressor box) built from local resources, we produced charcoal briquette from palm kernel (Elaeis guineensis) shells. Further, we measured and compared its efficiency using starch as a binder to traditional charcoal and commonly used fuelwood (Acacia) in Cape Coast. Following the American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the proximate analysis was conducted for all fuels with results indicating that palm kernel shell (PKS) briquette produced had a moisture content of 1.08 %, as compared to 9.25 % in charcoal and 16.00 % in fuelwood. The volatile matter, ash content and fixed carbon recorded were 71.80 %, 0.06 %, and 27.07 % in PKS briquette, 86.00 %, 0.78 %, and 3.97 % in charcoal and 80.50 %, 2.04 %, 1.46 % in fuelwood respectively. The calorific values for charred PKS increased after binding to form the PKS briquette with the highest value among the other fuels. The calorific value for the other fuels were 17.5 MJ/kg for charcoal, 18.72 MJ/kg for charred PKS, and 18.72 MJ/kg for PKS briquette. We also conducted an ignition test, combustion test, fuel burning rate (FBR), and specific fuel consumption (SFC) on PKS briquette and charcoal to determine their suitability as cooking fuels. Charcoal readily ignited as compared to PKS briquette with respective fuel mass of 5.08 g and 25.5 g. The resultant briquette possesses desirable combustion characteristics such as no smoke emissions and ash formation. The FBR and SFC in PKS briquette recorded the highest in comparison with charcoal. The values recorded were 2.84 g/min and 20.05 g/ml respectively while that of charcoal was 0.42 g/min and 3.48 g/ml respectively. PKS briquette produced from this study showed high calorific value, low moisture content, and a fast burning rate amongst other excellent properties. These properties are potential indicators that the proper utilization and production of PKS briquette as renewable energy in Ghana would contribute to solving the existing energy crisis. Additionally, reduce climate change impacts, via the reduction in the over-dependence on fuelwood and charcoal for domestic and commercial heating.

Energy is essential to the development of a country, and several studies have been carried out on the production and use of energy by industrialised countries. However, little research and development has been carried out in developing countries on renewable energy. Also, the importance of traditional fuels such as biomass has not been emphasised in developing countries like Ghana, which rely on fossil fuels. Ghana relies heavily on imported petroleum fuel obtained from fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels are faced with many limitations including environmental pollution and an escalating price. Hydropower, biomass, biofuel, wind, and solar energy are the major renewable energy resources expected to be fully exploited in the future. This study, therefore, assesses the sources of the main renewable energy in relation to policy, the conditions of the market and food security. The government of Ghana has put in place a favourable business environment for the renewable energy sector by setting explicit feed-in tariffs (FITs). In addition, various acts and legislation have been passed and formulated by the relevant institutions (Renewable Energy Act (832) of 2011). The study revealed that there is an increase in the exploitation and use of energy from renewable resources when compared with the past decades. However, this exploitation is still limited due to barriers such as the cost of technologies, financing issues, and scientific and technical barriers.

The increasing global population and the challenges associated with fossil fuel has led to a surge in energy demand, necessitating research on renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources. Biodiesel, is produced from biomass materials like vegetable oil and fats, is a promising alternative. Transesterification is a principal method used in biodiesel production, as it is simple, versatile, and efficient. Biodiesel offers several advantages, including emissions, lubricity, and safety, making it a sustainable fuel option and its properties conforms to the international standards. However, it has lower energy content, cold weather performance issues, and slightly reduced engine power compared to petroleum diesel. The choice of biodiesel feedstock depends on its properties, with jatropha oil and other feedstocks being potential in Ghana. Research on biodiesel in Ghana is still in early stages and the Ghanaian government's policy aims to replace 10 % of petroleum fuel with biofuel by 2020 and 20 % by 2030, but these goals have not been achieved due to barriers. Despite these challenges, the government and stakeholders in the biofuel industry are working to optimize the biodiesel sector for sustainability, efficiency, and scalability. Innovative cultivation techniques and low-cost oil extraction methods are required, necessitating interdisciplinary research collaborations. By capitalizing on these opportunities and implementing targeted interventions, Ghana can become a regional leader in sustainable biodiesel production.

The quality of soils in rehabilitated small-scale mined sites needs thorough investigation since a lot of changes do occur. The study assessed the impacts of small-scale mining activities on concentration and distribution of soil physicochemical properties and heavy metals. The soil samples were collected from 120 (50 m × 50 m) plots. The concentrations of soil physicochemical properties (Ca, Mg, Na, N, P, K, and OC and EC) varied significantly ( < 0.05) between unmined and mined soils. However, there were no statistically, significant differences ( < 0.05) observed in the concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Cu between the unmined and mined soils. Despite the generally poor (33.8%) soil quality in the study area, mining activities further reduced it by 24.2%. Soils from mined sites with unfilled/partially filled pits had higher levels of K, Mg, and Na. As mined sites fallow period increased, concentrations of OC and Cd increased, while Ca, Mg, pH, Cu, Pb, and As and value of EC decreased. The number of years that mined land remained fallow, and whether the pits were filled or unfilled during this period should be factored into the mined land rehabilitation processes.

Moringa oleifera grows well in different parts of Africa, including Ghana, and throughout the world as it can tolerate moderate cold and severe drought. Dubbed as the Miracle Tree, Moringa has a number of nutritional, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. It is also used as a cure for diabetes and various forms of cancer. Another promising use of this plant is the production of biodiesel. However, such application demands vast cultivation areas and this can lead to competition with the cultivation of crops for food, forestry, and environmental protection. Furthermore, it requires suitable cultivation schedules that favor the growth of pods containing oil-rich seeds. The present work investigates the availability of land for Moringa cultivation in Ghana to increase the energy production from the plant. The study reports on an overview of the soil, water, and climatic conditions that favor Moringa oleifera cultivation and oil production, the conversion of Moringa oleifera oil to biodiesel, and the performance of Moringa oleifera biodiesel versus mineral diesel as well as the commercial enhancement of the Moringa product.

In this study, biodiesel was produced from waste frying oil as feedstock with a calcined fish shell under a heterogeneous solid base catalyst. The process of transesterification was done by varying methanol‐to‐oil molar ratio, catalyst amount, reaction temperature, and reaction time. The heterogeneous catalyst was prepared stepwise as follows: washing and drying the fish shell for 24 hours at 120°C in an oven, then crushing to form powder having been pound for 2‐3 minutes in an agate mortar cleaned with nitric acid (6 N). The powdered fish shell was then calcined at 950°C for 4 hours using a muffle furnace. The calcined catalyst was subsequently kept in a desiccator to avoid encountering moisture. The prepared catalyst was then characterized using XRD and FT‐IR. The optimum biodiesel yield of 99.58% was obtained under methanol‐to‐oil ratio of 10 : 1, catalyst amount of 3.0 wt%, reaction temperature of 60°C, and reaction time of 8 hours with mass transfer control of 600 rpm. The optimum rate of constant of 0.164 L/mol·S ⁻¹ was determined using the second‐order kinetics model. The constant rate of reaction indicated that the forward reaction is crucial for the reaction. The properties of biodiesel produced conformed with those of the international standard using ASTM D6751.