Evaluating livestock manures for biogas production: a GIS based method

The Animals (data)Base for Energy Potential Estimation (ABEPE), presented in this paper, is a GIS based biomass resource assessment application using a relational database management system to estimate biogas production from livestock manures. Energy and biogas potential of livestock residues of all major groups of stock-raising animals (cattle, pigs, sheep/goats, poultry, etc.) were evaluated. The calculations were based on geographical and time-depending data of Greece. Typical input data included population of animal groupings, by-product factors, availability factors, energy factors, etc. for the period 1970–1998. Output included manure production, available energy and biogas quantities. Furthermore, ‘ABEPE’ can perform time-depending prediction of all types of output, based on past and present trends. As a case example, the prediction results for the year 2010 are herein presented. The possibility of biogas upgrading in order to be distributed through the national natural gas network is also discussed.