Zhang Wudi

Agricultural waste resources and biogas energy potential in rural areas of Lao PDR

ABSTRACT Lao PDR lacks of conventional energy resources, such as oil and natural gas, and 100% of fossil fuels are imported from abroad. Fossil fuel consumption in Lao PDR in 2010 was about 561 million liters and rapidly increased to 716 million liters by 2015. However, Lao PDR has a high potential for renewable energy, especially from hydropower, agricultural wastes, and livestock wastes, in which agricultural and livestock annually produced a large amount of agricultural residues as a favorable renewable energy sources. In 2016, productivity crops were estimated for 24,608,840 ton and these products amount can be generated annual agricultural residues for 12,525,000 ton, which can be estimated to total of energy potential was 197,840 GJ or 55,001 GWh. The majority of livestock in country are buffaloes, cattle, swine, and poultry; large amount of livestock manure produced from each region and can be feedstock as substrate for biogas digester, which these amounts were estimated about 1,583,740 kg TS/day, and equivalent to 439,917 m3/day of biogas production or 658,376 kWh/day of energy generation. Therefore, objective of this paper is unique to promote and research development the agroforestry residues and livestock wastes as renewable energy resources, and its energy potential for biofuel production, including, biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas in each region of Laos.