Feedstock for indigenous biogas production in romania: a review

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to review the status of the biogas sector in Romania in the context of the European Union s policy towards increasing the share of energy from renewable sources, as well as reducing emissions and better waste management. Therefore, this work will take a look at feedstock for biogas production readily available, their potential for biogas production and what problems are specific to Romania both in terms of infrastructure and legislative framework regarding the biogas sector. Romania shows a lot of untapped potential for biogas production, with both animal husbandry and agriculture being central to the economy of rural communities, which would benefit most from local small-scale biogas production installations using on site available materials for heating and electricity. In the case of animal husbandry, sheep and pig farming represent the most developed sectors in terms of thousands of heads, with significant amounts of manure available annually for biogas production, yet not collected. The biogas potential of animal origin feedstock materials can be enhanced by the integration of agricultural wastes such as stalks, straws, peels, etc., using co-digestion technologies. Candidates able to fulfil this role are some of the more developed sectors of Romanian agriculture in terms of productivities, specifically wheat, maize and potato.