Biomass availability assessment for biogas or methane production in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Ensuring the environmental sustainability of energy production, including research and investment in renewable energy, can minimize the negative impact of fossil fuel use. According to the 2017 Brazilian national energy balance, biomass, a substrate for energy generation, represents approximately 23% of the national energy matrix. The state of Rio Grande do Sul currently imports 1.7 million metric tons of natural gas per day from Bolivia. Thus, the purpose of this study is to present the state’s biomass, biogas and methane generation potential, considering agro-industry biomass residue (dairy and slaughterhouses), wine production, animal waste (cattle, poultry, sheep and horse), landfills and domestic wastewater treatment plants. The methodology consisted of three stages. First, a study was conducted to evaluate all possible sources of biomass in the state, along with relevant and reliable databases for each sector; second, on-site visits were carried out at the companies with the highest volumes of biomass to formalize and check the data. Finally, the theoretical biomass and biogas volumes from each source were calculated. The results indicate that Rio Grande do Sul can generate approximately 85 metric tons of biomass residue per year, around 9 million metric tons of biogas per day or 5 million metric tons of methane per day. Thus, the state can generate enough methane to supply all projected natural gas consumption in the coming years.