Determination of the biogas potential in cities with hazelnut production and examination of potential energy savings in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey is currently the world’s largest producer of hazelnuts. In this study, based on 2018 data, the electrical energy potential of hazelnut shells after anaerobic digestion has been calculated for various cities, namely Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, Trabzon, Düzce, Sakarya, Artvin, Rize, Gümüşhane, Sinop, Kastamonu, Bartin, Bolu, Tokat, Zonguldak and Kocaeli, all of which have commercial licenses for hazelnut production in Turkey. The total potential gain so determined was 131.55 GWh, with the highest for any single city (Ordu) found to be 46.42 GWh. The electrical energy that could potentially be generated that was calculated for each city was compared with their electricity consumption in terms of lighting, habitation, industrial use, business use and agricultural irrigation. It was determined that the energy generated for hazelnut-producing cities could potentially be almost twice as large as the electrical energy typically consumed by agricultural irrigation. Ordu’s electricity energy generation would potentially meet 63.63%, 9.99% and 13.5% of its lighting, habitation and business energy needs, respectively. Giresun’s energy potential with regard to this use of hazelnut shells would meet 15.79% of the electricity used by industry. When these values are taken into consideration, it seems clear that the electrical energy potential of hazelnut shells for these cities could offer a significant saving in terms of overall consumption.