@article{48dea2760bc44767abe169b72c8c959f,
title = "The potential of sustainable biogas production from biomass waste for power generation in Pakistan",
abstract = "Pakistan is facing a severe electricity shortfall due to rapidly growing demand leading to 8–12 h d−1 power outages in rural areas in summer. Predominant use of imported fossil fuels for electricity generation is exerting a huge burden on the economy and causing immense damage to the environment in the form of GHG emissions. One of the best energy sources in terms of economy and emissions is biomass waste which is abundantly available in Pakistan in the forms of animal manure, poultry waste, sugarcane bagasse and kitchen waste. This paper critically analyses the potential of these largely underutilized biomass waste resources for biogas production as a Waste-to-Energy technology to overcome Pakistan's power crisis. Potential biogas production from each resource and its subsequent utilization in power generation is calculated for Bahawalpur (a division of Pakistan) as a case study and for the whole country Pakistan as well. Remarkable results come out to be 11.65 M m3 d−1 of biogas production potential which can generate 3059.7 GWh y−1 electricity for Bahawalpur division alone. The results for the whole Pakistan are 226.8 M m3 d−1 of biogas production potential and corresponding electricity generation of 59,536 GWh y−1 which accounts to be 49.4% of the total power generation for the year 2018. The most striking finding is that power generation from biogas will be enough to eliminate Pakistan's power shortfall. There is a possible market of 12.9 B USD y-1 corresponding to total bio-fertilizer generation of 340,800 kt y-1 from anaerobic digestion (AD). Findings of this paper present the government of Pakistan a critical consideration of widespread use of biogas technology in future and draft a proper Waste-to-Energy policy accordingly. The conclusion is that the biogas production and its subsequent use in electricity generation from biomass waste is the sustainable and eco-friendly renewable energy source which could resolve power crises and environmental and waste management issues in Pakistan. Biogas as a source of energy can be an important component for sustainability transition in Pakistan. This study could be a good reference for other developing countries too.",
keywords = "Anaerobic digestion, Animal waste, Biogas, Pakistan, Sugarcane bagasse, Waste-to-Energy",
author = "Haseeb Yaqoob and Teoh, {Yew Heng} and {Ud Din}, Zia and Sabah, {Noor Us} and Jamil, {Muhammad Ahmad} and Mujtaba, {M. A.} and Asad Abid",
note = "Funding Information: Despite being a huge potential, biogas technology is still not being fully utilized in Pakistan especially for electricity generation because of lack of government initiatives, inconsistent policies, financial constraints, and regulatory instruments. Government of Pakistan needs to initiate friendly policies to encourage farmers, farm owners, sugar mill owners, researchers, policy makers and private business owners for adoption of biogas technology in the country. Policy may include proper training and educational programs for waste management and handling. The whole waste management policy needs to be revised to use waste as an alternate energy source. Control mechanisms for open disposal of waste, heavy fines, and high fees for throwing waste into landfills can encourage waste recycling. The government might make it compulsory through regulations to construct biogas plants for enterprises like big hotels, universities, big farm owners and sugar mills to manage their own waste. Government should offer subsidies, financial support programs and soft loans (also from banks) to attract adoption of biogas technology. Some sort of financial support and subsidies are reported to be key incentives where 50% of biogas users received full financial support and 46% users got partial support either from the government or from NGOs in Srilanka ( Rajapaksha, 2016 ). Leasing programs could be introduced for execution of biogas units. A clear tariff regularization guideline for power supply facilities is yet to be formulated to determine energy prices and obtain permits for investors to promote biogas technology in Pakistan. A clear financing policy can attract investment in biogas power technology. Involvement of the private sector in development of biogas technology in the country will play an essential role through proper coordination between public and private sectors. The support for biogas related industry could be done through low taxes, incentives, and effective support schemes. It is reported that biogas production reduced due to removal of tax exemptions and abolishing of reduced feed-in tariffs in Germany ( Purkus et al., 2018 ). Universities should be given adequate funding and should be directed to do research for the improvement of AD processes and reduce biogas technology cost. By proper policy making and planning, the biogas utilization has advanced in many countries. Brazil from its waste resources generated 584 B m 3 y −1 biogas in 2015 and electricity generation capacity reached 450 MW in 2016. China and India have installed biogas electricity generation capacities of 350 and 187 MW respectively in 2016 ( Scarlat et al., 2018a ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier Ltd",
year = "2021",
month = jul,
day = "20",
doi = "10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127250",
language = "English",
volume = "307",
journal = "Journal of Cleaner Production",
issn = "0959-6526",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}
