Unlocking the Resource Potential of Livestock Waste in Bangladesh

Currently, the livestock sectors of Bangladesh are blooming at an incredible rate. In addition to the higher economic gain from this sector, the burden of managing a vast amount of waste has attracted the attention of environmentalists. Producing biogas and resource recovery can be a valuable solution to manage these wastes and produce clean energy. The present analysis aims to determine the bioresource potential of livestock waste in all divisions of Bangladesh. Total biogas, bioelectricity, biofertilizer, methane, and heat energy generation potential are estimated for 2020-21. Prospective manure production from livestock waste was highest in Dhaka (50.53 Mtyr(-1)) and lowest in Sylhet (14.51 Mtyr(-1)). It is estimated that 17652.2 million m(3) of biogas could have been produced from only livestock manure. The total biogas potential from livestock waste was 25520.9 million m(3) in 2020-21. Prospective annual methane production was 15277.3 million m(3), while 467.4 petajoules of heat energy could have been produced from this sector. The estimated bioelectricity potential was 45.4 terawatts. hours (TWh), while annual biofertilizer production could be 29.81 million tons. Using biomethane in place of diesel could avoid yearly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 42,500 kilotons of CO2 equivalent and reduce 28,800 kilotons of CO2 in Bangladesh. The outcome of this study can serve as a benchmark guideline for potential investors and policymakers to ensure optimal investment to produce bioenergy from livestock waste in different regions of Bangladesh.