Assessment of energy production potential from agricultural residues in Bolivia

Although the transition towards replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies is increasing worldwide, using renewable resources and appropriate technologies are still challenging in developing countries. Biomass feedstock is receiving increased attention in Bolivia, a South American country, to increase access to renewable electricity and ensure a sustainable energy source. To develop biomass-based energy conversion facilities, it is critical to understand the biomass availability in Bolivia. This study quantified the sustainable agricultural residue biomass available throughout the country for energy generation purposes. The quantification process used statistical crop production information and correcting factors, including leftovers for soil conservation, animal feeding, etc. Following that, a geographic information system (GIS) was used to create maps showing the spatial distribution of residues in order to identify the municipalities that generate the largest volumes of agricultural residues. The results show that the major residues are from sugarcane, soybean, corn, rice, sorghum, and sunflower, which generate 3.8 M dry t/yr of biomass across the country. Most of the available biomass is generated in Santa Cruz, one of the country's nine departments, where biomass potential is estimated at 3.7 M dry t/yr. Ten neighboring municipalities in this department are identified as major residue producers with a biomass potential of 3.2 M dry t/yr, equivalent to an energy potential of 4.5 TWh and power generation of 722 MW, assuming 30% plant efficiency and 0.72 capacity factor. The biomass energy potential from these ten municipalities is equivalent to 50% of the annual electricity production. Moreover, it could supply energy to 58% of the population. These results demonstrate the vast potential in Bolivia to replace fossil fuels with residue biomass in producing energy.