An investigation of biogas production potential from livestock and slaughterhouse wastes

Fossil fuel resources are severely limited and their combustion is a major source of environmental pollution. As a result, scientists avidly seek alternatives to fossil fuels, and biomass can be a viable alternative source of energy. Anaerobic digestion is one of way of converting biomass to biogas. Slaughterhouse wastes and animal husbandry residues are from among the organic waste types utilized to generate biogas. Every year, large amounts of livestock waste discharges and slaughterhouse waste materials are produced worldwide, which provoke environmental pollution and are thus a cause of much concern. In lieu of what is discussed, it is intelligent to use animal wastes to generate biogas and hence reduce pollution. In view of that, the researchers in this study intend to investigate biogas production potential from animal manure in Iran. To this aim, biogas production potential from heavy and light livestock and poultry wastes were examined. Slaughterhouse wastes, containing rumen, intestines, stomach and blood from heavy and light livestock, and also poultry blood were examined. The results indicate that biogas production potential from the available livestock manure in this country is 8600 million m3 per year, 70% of which is obtained from heavy livestock, 23% of it from poultry, and only 7% from light livestock. Biogas yields potential from slaughterhouse wastes in Iran is approximately 54 million m3 per annum of which 40% is produced from light livestock rumen, 24% from heavy livestock rumen, 17% from heavy livestock blood, 14% from poultry blood, and 5% from light livestock blood. Tehran Province, as the capital, had the greatest potential for biogas production from slaughterhouse waste; that is about 9 million m3. From among all other provinces in Iran, Mazandaran Province had the greatest potential, with 828 million m3 biogas yield per year.