A prospective study on the environmental feasibility of supplying electricity to the Brazilian Amazon through biogas power generation

Abstract

This study supports a renewable way to generate electricity for Amazonian people living in isolated areas by determining the environmental impacts of a biogas power plant (BGPP) operated with agricultural residues. The study's novelty lies in measuring the environmental effects of projects based on residual biomass to reduce the high dependence on fossil fuels in a very impoverished region of Brazil. The localities under analysis lie in the country's lowest social indices zones, where severe development obstacles are noted, with the local electricity supply based on diesel engines. We constructed a model of BGPP based on data collected from the literature and adapted it to the conditions of the Brazilian Amazon. Then, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method evaluated the system's environmental performance. The system was favorable in terms of Global Warming Potential and Primary Energy Demand for all scenarios, which represented up to 7.7-fold less CO2eq emissions, and 71-fold less energy consumption compared to the production of electricity from diesel. Conversely, Ecotoxicity's impacts must still be reduced to make this alternative attractive. Biogas unit seems to be up to 8.8-fold more toxic to the environment than the counterpart, although this effect is drastically reduced by adequate digestate destination.