Sustainable second-generation biofuel production potential in a developing country case study

ABSTRACT

Iran is the fourth biggest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world. Meanwhile, this country is the largest CO₂ emitter among the Middle East countries and 99% of energy in this country is produced from nonrenewable-based resources. Nevertheless, Iran has a promising potential to generate energy from its renewable resources such as biomass. Therefore, renewable energy generation can contribute to increasing the renewable energy share in the country’s energy generation and mitigating the environmental impacts. Thus, the aim of this research was to evaluate the second generation biofuel production potential in Guilan province (as one of the important agricultural areas in the region) of Iran. In this research, energy generation from cow manure, poultry manure, municipal solid wastes, rice wastes, and peanut wastes were studied. The results showed that the total energy generation from second-generation biomass resources in Guilan province of Iran was 76,523,985.50 GJ year⁻¹. The yearly potential of energy generation from cow manure, poultry manure, municipal solid wastes, rice wastes, and peanut wastes were 2,284,529, 352,138, 648,523, 73,238,768, and 27 GJ, respectively. In conclusion, there is a remarkable potential to generate energy from second-generation biomass resources in Guilan province of Iran.

KEYWORDS:

• Biomass renewable energy
• second generation
• waste to energy

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Erasmus+ program in the field of waste management through MOU between the University of Guilan and University of West Attica. Gratitude also goes to Dr. Armaghan Kosari-Moghaddam and Dr. Mehdi Esmailpour-Troujeni for their guidance and support throughout parts of this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Guilan, University of West Attica, and Ghent University Global Campus.

Notes on contributors

Amin Nikkhah

Amin Nikkhah is a teaching/research assistant in the Department of Environmental Technology, Food Technology and Molecular Biotechnology at Ghent University Global Campus. His current research interest is to develop Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the agri-food/energy nexus.

Iraj Bagheri

Iraj Bagheri is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Engineering, University of Guilan. His research interests mainly Agricultural Mechanization Engineering, and Effect of Mechanization on Forests soil and stand.He also works on research projects concerned with renewable energy and waste management.

Constantinos Psomopoulos

Constantinos Psomopoulos is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, the University of West Attica. His research activities and technical experience involve eco-design of EUPs and energy efficiency, renewable energy systems, materials and energy recovery from wastes, electromechanical installations and apparatus, electrical measurements and high field effects, high voltage engineering and power systems.

Seyed Hossein Payman

Seyed Hossein Payman is an Associate professor at the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Engineering, the University of Guilan. His research interest is mainly focused on rice processing machinery.

Hemad Zareiforoush

Hemad Zareiforoush is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Engineering, the University of Guilan. His research interests mainly Computer Vision in Biosystems Engineering Mechatronics & Renewable Energy in Agriculture.

Mamdouh El Haj Assad

Mamdouh El Haj Assad is an associate professor in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Department at University of Sharjah. His research interests focus on performance optimization of renewable energy systems, absorption chillers and modeling.

Adel Bakhshipour

Adel Bakhshipour is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Engineering, the University of Guilan. His research interests mainly focused on postharvest technologies and the applications of machine vision and image processing in agriculture and food. Also, He works on research projects concerned with renewable energy and waste management.

Sami Ghnimi

Sami Ghnimi is an Associate Professor at Bioengineering and Microbial Dynamic at Food Interfaces (Co-habilited team n°3733, University of Lyon 1 - ISARA). His research interests include, but not limited to the following areas: sustainable food systems and encapsulation of bioactive molecules.