Biogas production potential from livestock manure in Iran

Abstract

Population growth and technological advancement mean that human activities now consume increasingly higher levels of energy. This causes major problems such as depletion of fossil fuel resources and environmental pollution. Energy managers and planners are therefore trying to develop options to meet these increasing demands for energy while maintaining low environmental impact. Application of advanced energy saving techniques and renewable energy resources and technologies present a good solution to these problems. Bio-energy is a widely available resource so it presents an attractive type of renewable energy. Biomass is abundant and easily accessible, making it a low cost resource with great flexibility in terms of potential application.This paper reports on biogas production from livestock manure and considers evaluations made for the different provinces in Iran. Data for calculations were sourced from available databases relating to Iranian cattle farms. This study reports on calculations made using statistical data on number of cows, amount of manure produced and volume of created biogas per kilogram of animal waste. The total amount of biogas production from livestock waste was calculated for each province using theoretical and experimental methods. Outcomes showed that production of biogas from livestock waste could potentially supply a proportion of the country׳s natural gas demand. The outcomes were tabulated and a GIS database was generated. Volumes of produced biogas from livestock manure were compared with those of natural gas consumption and outcomes were plotted on a classified map showing data for natural gas consumption and biogas energy. Outcomes revealed that the provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan and Ilam had the highest priority in production of biogas from livestock waste with annual gas consumption levels of 33.3% and 9% respectively.