This study recognized the importance of linking higher education institutions with various industries in a given country to promote technology transfer and sustainable development. However, in one or another way, the linkage was not well-practiced in Ethiopia. The study aims to assess the role of university–industry linkages in technology transfer and identify the barriers and opportunities of the linkage. Universities have institutionalized intermediary organizations such as technology transfer offices, collaborative research centers, incubators, and science parks to enhance university–industry collaboration. The collaboration between academia and industry is understood as the transactions between universities and firms that involve the exchange of knowledge, skills, resources, and capabilities. The study uses the concept of the triple helix model and proposes the establishment of the Higher Education Institutions–Industry Resource Integration Center as a way forward to solving the problems that Ethiopian industries are facing. A triple helix of university–industry–government relations is emerging as a common format that transcends national boundaries. The integration of these functions is changing the nature of the university and its role in society. The potential for national development in Ethiopia and elsewhere resides in entrepreneurial universities taking the lead in infusing knowledge, innovation, technology, and enterprise into the entire society.

A series of tests were conducted to investigate the performance of a solar tunnel dryer for drying ginger. To supply hot air to the dryer, two axial flow fans with a power rating of 28W, a supply voltage of 220V, and a 50W photovoltaics (PV) module were employed. By dividing the 8.5-meter-long solar tunnel dryer into four equal portions every thirty minutes, solar radiation, dry air temperature, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity were measured at five solar tunnel dryer stations. The hot air temperature at the collector output grew from 34C to 65.5C for an 8-hour operation in the no-load condition when the solar radiation was changed between 540 and 820W/m². At 9:00 a.m., the average maximum temperature was 30C. During the loading operation, the temperature was 77C at 1:00 p.m. The moisture content of sliced ginger was reduced from 90.4 to 11.8 on a wet basis using the solar tunnel dryer. With a solar collector area of 6m², open sun drying takes 40 hours to achieve the same wet basis condition. A total of eight experiments were carried out, both with and without loads. The dry air temperature at the collector outlet ranged from 34.0 to 65.5 C. As the drying efficiency, collector area, and time savings improve, the drying time decreases. The ginger is kept in a controlled area, resulting in high-quality dried ginger. The solar tunnel dryer showed a net saving in drying time of 40 over open sun drying.

Biomass energy accounts for more than 92 percent of overall energy consumption in Ethiopia. As a result, Ethiopia is one of the worlds most biomass-dependent countries. The high reliance on wood fuels and agricultural residues for fuel harms societys social, economic, and environmental well-being. This study aims to create and test the quality of fuel briquettes made from the coffee husk. Also built and produced are a carboniser/charcoal kiln, a manually operated molder system, and a briquette stove for burning the manufactured briquette. The carboniser converts 15kg of raw coffee husk into 6kg of carbonised char in 25minutes, and the manually operated briquette molder can press 30kg per hour. The efficiency of converting raw coffee husk into carbonised char content was 40.12. In the geological survey of Ethiopia, the geochemical laboratory directorate received triplicate samples of the fuel briquette charcoal for analysis. Moisture content, fixed carbon content, ash content, sulfur content, and calorific value were determined using a bomb calorimeter and a ceramic lining furnace. Physical properties of fuel briquettes ranged from 10.03 moisture content, 970kg/m³ density, 81 fixed carbon, 5.15 ash content, 0 sulfur, and 30.54Kcal/kg higher heating value, according to laboratory results. The results of the study revealed that the coffee husk fuel briquettes produced have more positive characteristics. Fuel briquettes were cost-effective and environmentally friendly and reduced deforestation compared to firewood. This study clearly shows that briquettes made from coffee husk could be used as an alternative energy source when this kind of waste is well managed.

The performance of gasification for Injera baking was explored in this study, as well as the effects of moisture content, and primary and secondary airflow rates. Primary air is used in the reactor of a biomass gasifier, which creates syngas that is burned by secondary air on the mitad's bottom side. An average temperature of averaged 185 °C at the center and 170 °C away from the center was observed; the size of the cone determines the temperature distribution on the metal surface. The reactor's narrower cone diameter allowed for a greater temperature only in the center and a more variable baked Injera eye appearance. The cone diameter has been reduced to 0.15 m of the mitad diameter to improve the temperature distribution on the mitad surface. The gasifier temperature is 800 °C when the air/fuel ratio is 5.8 kg/kg and the moisture content of the wood is 16%. Gasification is improved by heating the primary air and changing the air-fuel ratio. The findings revealed that pre-heated air is more efficient for gasification and saves money on baking and fuel. Fuel efficiency (0.45) and time savings (0.12) were discovered in the new gasifier. Between gasification temperatures of 650 and 800 °C, an effective Injera baking temperature (170–185 °C) on the mitad surface was attained. Following the tests, the average specific wood fuel consumption (1.414 g/kg), char residue (317 g), and average Injera baking time were calculated. For each test of one baking cycle, this was found at the burning rate capability of both stoves, which is 6 kg/hr. Therefore, the fuel consumption and burning rate of fuel are depending on the amount of airflow rate.

Manufacturing industries use a huge amount of power to heat water. The ability to control pollutant gas species released from the company by improving the efficiency of combustion reduces global warming and energy bills associated with water heating. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) thermal analysis of a biomass gasifier and heat exchanger combined system has been used to study the effect of the concentration of species, such as CH₄, CO₂, and CO, on the gasification temperature. The power consumed by boilers for water heating in industries, hotels, restaurants, and other domestic hot water heating is, to some extent, to substitute by a combined system. The model and syngas energy analysis of the integrated system was investigated by assuming a eucalyptus wood chip as fuel from the literature with 5%wb ultimate and 10% proximate values to analyze the gasification performance. The reactor was designed to supply syngas gas energy through the pipe. The gasification system was investigated at temperatures ranging from 298 to 990 K. This range of temperature in the gasifier is enough for water heating applications. The CFD model is developed and validated with the experimental results obtained in the literature. Several parameters, such as syngas molar composition and mass fraction, lower heating value of biomass, gasifier efficiency (67.3%), biomass energy, product gas energy, energy gain by the heat exchanger, and hot water outlet temperature, were examined by varying temperature. As the result shows, the species concentrations in the gasifier vary with temperature and gasifying agent. To optimize the transfer of heat from the heat exchanger tube to cold water, the syngas circulation time inside the inner tube should be increased by making the inner tube-shaped zigzag.