Biogas Generation from Bovine Confinement: An Energy Policy Option for Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has the largest commercial beef herd in the world and is one of the most important players in the global agricultural market, notably for soybeans. Agriculture has an important demand for energy and emits significant quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG). To minimize the effects generated by livestock activities, from both the energetic and environmental perspectives, there exists the possibility of the use of biogas generated from beef cattle confinement. This productive system allows the reduction of methane emissions from enteric fermentation and from manure through the production of biogas. This has become an option for energy policy by contributing to the offer of energy and the reduction of the demand of agriculture for fossil fuels. With a renewable energy resource, the agricultural sector dependent on non-renewable resources, also reduces its dependence on exhaustible resources, so that a policy aimed at the use of biogas and partial energetic autonomy becomes strategic for the sector. The article analyses biogas production potential from waste throughout the entire beef production chain in more intensive systems (total or partial confinement of beef cattle). These solutions can contribute both to the offer of electric energy to the agricultural sector in the country, increasing its productivity, and to the reduction of greenhouse gases.