Perspectives for biogas generation from manure on the farms in the Leningrad Region of the Russian Federation
Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution ‘Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM’, branch in Saint Petersburg, Filtrovskoje shosse, 3 p.o. Tiarlevo, RU 196625 Saint Petersburg, Russia
*Correspondence: timofeev_ev84@mail.ru
Abstract:
The interest in biogas in the Leningrad Region is consistently growing. Biogas can replace fossil fuels in different applications and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study aimed to demonstrate the perspectives for its generation from livestock waste and further farm application. The farm energy audits identified the pattern of fuel and energy consumption. Computational and statistical methods were applied to estimate the biogas generation. First, the study considered a cattle farm with 1,800 head and manure output of 43,300 t year-1. According to calculations, the farm can fully meet its own needs for electricity or motor fuel by converting the manure into biogas. Meanwhile, the fuel use of biogas can reduce pollutant emissions by almost 30% against conventional fuel. Secondly, the study estimated the biogas production potential from the farm organic waste in the whole Leningrad Region with the total cattle stock of 165,000 head, pig stock of 184,000 head, and poultry stock of 29,180,000 head, producing about 8 million t year-1 of animal/poultry manure. According to calculations, the livestock waste processing will yield up to 500 million m3 of biogas. This is enough to fully cover the energy inputs of the farms in this region. However, the payback period for biogas plants is above eight years. The positive aspects of biogas application are introducing biogas in the farm energy balance as an energy resource; reducing the hazardous emissions owing to the improved processing of organic farm waste; obtaining high-quality fertilisers to consequently increase crop yields.
Key words:
biogas, electrical power, manure, motor fuel