Biogás : mapeamento das plantas e potencial de produção a partir de dejetos bovinos no RS

Abstract

Due to the global energy crisis and the growing demand for technologies with low environmental impact, new sources of energy have been requested, as an alternative, biogas stands out. Biogas is a gas mixture rich in methane (CH4 ) with a calorific value suitable for use as an energy resource. It is a gas produced by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter (biomass), such as agricultural waste of animal origin (manure) or vegetable and urban waste (landfills), which enables the production of biogas in places close to the source of waste. Biogas can be used either in the production of electrical energy or in thermal heating systems. In addition, as a by-product of biogas generation, a biofertilizer is formed that can also be used, for example, on rural properties. Due to the diversity of sources of raw materials to be used, biogas has a good potential for development in the country, especially in Rio Grande do Sul. This study aimed to analyze the current scenario of the biogas sector in the state and estimate the production potential of biogas and electricity from the state's cattle industry. To this end, a survey was carried out on the Biogasmap platform, to gather data regarding biogas projects, for estimating the potential of cattle farming, the CIBiogás biogas calculator platform was used. It was found that there are currently in Rio Grande do Sul 39 biogas production plants registered in the Biogasmap, of these 27 are small, 4 are medium-sized and 8 are large, with the northwest region having the largest number of plants installed, and agriculture is the main raw material used in the state. With a current herd of 11.9 million cattle, the state has an estimated biogas production potential of 1878 million Nm3 /year, which could generate up to 24.8 GWh/year of electricity. It is observed that the state has a positive scenario for the production of biogas, with federal and state incentive actions for this, also counting on the availability of raw material.