Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106

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Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

A feasibility study on the potential, economic, and environmental

advantages of biogas production from poultry manure in Iran
M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh a, b, *, A. Rezazadeh a, b, S. Kabiri b
a
Division of Thermal Sciences and Energy Systems, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, University of Qom, Qom,
Iran
b
Center of Environmental Research, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Biogas is the gas produced by the anaerobic degradation of organic matter. In addition to the usual uses
Received 29 March 2019 in burning, it has widespread applications as a raw material in some industries. The biomass of organic
Received in revised form matter decomposition is a good fertilizer for agriculture. Unfortunately, despite such a large potential for
27 April 2020
reasons such as the cheapness of energy in Iran, the use of this benefical capacity has not been addressed
Accepted 30 May 2020
Available online 7 June 2020
so far.
This paper investigates the potential of biogas production from poultry manure sources in Iran and
demonstrates the examples of biogas plants in Iran. Also, the information about the capacity of biogas
Keywords:
Renewable energy
production has been investigated and reported in different provinces in Iran. The results consist of
Biogas economic analysis as the cost of biogas production, and the environmental analysis as the environmental
Poultry manure impact of the biogas production and carbon footprint. Kermanshah, Chaharmahalbakhtiari, Golestan,
Biomass Bushehr and North Khorasan provinces have the highest capacity for biogas production from poultry
Iran manure. The highest cost savings by using the biogas are in Khorasan Razavi and Isfahan provinces and
the lowest levels have been found in Ardebil and North Khorasan provinces.
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Human wastewater

Entirely green or biogas energy is a valuable renewable energy Renewable energy is the fourth largest energy resource, after
source. When organic matter decays or decomposes, it produces a petroleum, coal, and natural gas. It includes almost 14% of the
mixture of carbon dioxide and methane gases, which are called global primary energy and biomass resources presently comprise
biogas and can be used for various uses.
Biogas is sometimes called green energy, which is a valuable
energy source in rural areas. Biogas provides a renewable energy
source that is clean and easy to control and can easily replace
firewood or fossil fuels.
Biogas is made from organic matter. The following is the natural
fermentation process of materials that produce biogas:

Farm waste (fertilizers and animal wastes)

herbal materials

* Corresponding author. Division of Thermal Sciences and Energy Systems,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology & Engineering,
University of Qom, Qom, Iran.
E-mail addresses: m.khoshgoftar@qom.ac.ir, mh.khoshgoftar@gmail.com
(M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh). Fig. 1. Share of potential energy of biomass waste in Iran [15].

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.05.173
0960-1481/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
88 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106

Table 1
Specifications of biomass and biogas projects by the Iran Ministry of Energy [1].

Project name Technology Region Start Utilize Percentage of Progress Capacity of project Lifespan
until 2010 (kW) (year)

Manufacture of vanadium energy storage Energy reservation Alborz, 2002 2005 100 0.01 >20
system (Single-cell) Taleghan
Manufacture of semi-industrial stack Vanadium Energy reservation Alborz, 2005 2008 100 1 >20
redox battery Taleghan
5 Survey of biomass resource potential in the Survey potential All over the 1998 2000 100 e e
country country
Feasibility study for installing of biomass power Survey potential-land fill Fars, Shiraz 2004 2005 100 1060 13
plant Khorasan, 2004 2005 100 650 13
Mashhad
Construction biomass power plant in Shiraz Landfill Fars 2009 2009 100 1200 e
Construction biomass power plant in Mashhad Landfill Khorasan 2009 2009 100 660 e
Feasibility study for biomass Survey potential All over the 2006 2011 75 10000 >20
country
Potential biomass resource assessment Survey potential All over the 2005 2011 46 e e
country
Feasibility study for the manufacturing of Feasibility study Markazi 2007 2011 88 600 e
Biogas in Saveh
Pilot construction for biodiesel production Feasibility study,design & Markazi 2007 2010 100 70(Lit/h) 10
manufacturing

Table 2
Iran production capacity and domestic consumption of electricity from biogas power plants [1].

Region Total nominal capacity(MW) Practical capacity(MW) Gross electricity generation(GWh)

Shiraz biogas power plant 1.2 1.065 2.178

Mashhad biogas power plant 0.66 0.6 3.789

more than 11.5%. Recently, Iran has paid attention to renewable Table 5
energy sources. Thus, the Iranian Ministry of Energy carried out 11 Emission factors for biogas and natural gas.

projects based on solar energy. Furthermore, two geothermal Fuel Unit Kg CO2 e
plants were established in Ardabil Province in 2010. By application Natural gas cubic metres 2/04652
of biomass resources, about 4000 MW of power generation and Biogas cubic metres 1/40995
225,000 MW of heat production in power plants were supplied in
2005. Biomass energy is the unique renewable energy source that
delivers energy in the form of electricity, cooling, heating, auto- Today, natural gas, oil, and coal as fossil fuels supply 32.6%, 23.7%,
mobile fuel in liquid, solid, and gaseous forms; furthermore, it can and 30% of the total world energy demands, respectively [3].
be used as petrochemical feeds [1]. Energy in Iran is primarily supplied by fossil fuels because Iran
There is increasing interest in applying biomass energy supply. It has the fourth-largest oil resources (60% of total energy demand)
is predicted to include 15e50% of the world energy by 2050 [2]. globally and the second-largest natural gas resources (38% of total

Table 3
Biogas and methane produced from different manures [45e47], and [6].
. .
Type of manure Produced biogas m3 % Methane % CO2 Volume of methane m3
kg kg
Poultry manure 0:4  0:6 50  70 30  50 0:27
Cow manure 0:26  0:28 50  60 34  38 0:14
Sheep manure 0:22  0:24 40  50 30  50 0:1

Table 4
Weights and manure production coefficients for different animals [6].

Type of animal TAMi ðkgÞ Animal weight Vi Manure production coefficient Q VSi ðkgÞ Annual manure produced

Hen 1.6 4.4 7.04

Dairy cow 610 3.65 2226.5
Sheep 70 3.36 235.2
Turkey 3.4 3.32 11.288
Swine 181 3.1 561.5
Beef Cow 415 2.6 1079
Calf 180 2.6 468
Heifer 360 2.6 936
Beef calf 360 2.6 936
Cow 500 2.6 1300
Bull 720 2.6 1872
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106 89

Table 6
Annual methane production by poultry manure and reduced carbon emission in different provinces of Iran.

Provinces manure manure Total Natural gas Average volume of Average Percentage of ton CO2 e ton CO2 e Reduced
produced from poultry consumption at biogas produced methane replaceable natural gas for for biogas carbon
from laying manure home and per kg of fertilizer, produced per kg consumption of Natural emissions
meat poultry (t) petrochemicals 0.5 cubic meters of of fertilizer, 0.27 households and gas ton CO2 e
poultry (tons) and commercial biogas (million cubic meters of agricultural and
(t) (million cubic cubic meters) methane petrochemicals with
meters) (million cubic methane from poultry
meters) manure (%)

Alborz 9,503 33,788 43,291 2,984 21/6 11/7 0/4 23,921 30,519 54,440
East Azarbayjan 55,198 46,395 101,593 5,717 50/8 27/4 0/5 56,136 71,621 127,757
West Azarbayjan 44,164 323 44,487 3,420 22/2 12/0 0/4 24,582 31,362 55,944
Ardabil 21,040 1,480 22,520 1,365 11/3 6/1 0/4 12,444 15,876 28,320
Esfahan 132,333 75,770 208,103 10,779 104/1 56/2 0/5 114,989 146,707 261,697
Ilam 23,757 118 23,875 502 11/9 6/4 1/3 13,192 16,831 30,023
Bushehr 12,154 118 12,272 12,227 6/1 3/3 0/0 6,781 8,651 15,432
Tehran 8,016 71,353 79,369 15,455 39/7 21/4 0/1 43,856 55,953 99,809
Chaharmahalebakhtiyari 14,608 968 15,576 1,049 7/8 4/2 0/4 8,607 10,981 19,587
South Khorasan 36,136 3,551 39,687 490 19/8 10/7 2/2 21,929 27,978 49,908
Khorasan Razavi 110,316 70,983 181,299 6,792 90/6 49/0 0/7 100,179 127,811 227,990
North Khorasan 5,920 220 6,140 1,466 3/1 1/7 0/1 3,393 4,329 7,721
Khozestan 51,611 1,596 53,207 12,049 26/6 14/4 0/1 29,400 37,510 66,910
Zanjan 18,828 2,273 21,101 1,478 10/6 5/7 0/4 11,660 14,876 26,535
Semnan 45,761 2,577 48,338 1,276 24/2 13/1 1/0 26,710 34,077 60,787
Sistan & Balochistan 5,867 118 5,985 10 3/0 1/6 16/2 3,307 4,219 7,526
Fars 71,082 15,406 86,488 4,868 43/2 23/4 0/5 47,790 60,972 108,762
Qazvin 38,194 42,943 81,137 2,125 40/6 21/9 1/0 44,833 57,200 102,033
Qom 28,994 55,819 84,813 1,363 42/4 22/9 1/7 46,864 59,791 106,655
Kordestan 39,902 743 40,645 1,775 20/3 11/0 0/6 22,459 28,654 51,113
Kerman 24,809 18,417 43,226 2,263 21/6 11/7 0/5 23,885 30,473 54,358
Kermanshah 22,350 1,159 23,509 2,480 11/8 6/3 0/3 12,990 16,573 29,563
Kahkiloye & 4,673 ,234 7,907 456 4/0 2/1 0/5 4,369 5,574 9,943
Boyerahmad
Golestan 134,761 10,613 145,374 1,742 72/7 39/3 2/3 80,328 102,485 182,813
Gilan 121,877 118 121,995 2,911 61/0 32/9 1/1 67,409 86,003 153,413
Lorestan 31,107 35 31,142 1,326 15/6 8/4 0/6 17,208 21,954 39,162
Mazandaran 166,751 6,569 173,320 4,472 86/7 46/8 1/0 95,770 122,186 217,956
Markazi 41,929 23,732 65,661 2,859 32/8 17/7 0/6 36,282 46,289 82,571
Hormozgan 23,528 118 23,646 1,131 11/8 6/4 0/6 13,066 16,670 29,735
Hamadan 46,463 6,584 53,047 2,250 26/5 14/3 0/6 29,312 37,397 66,708
Yazd 42,902 22,040 64,942 3,086 32/5 17/5 0/6 35,884 45,782 81,667
total 1,425,031 485,371 1,910,402 109,182 955/2 515/8 0/5 1,055,612 1,346,786 2,402,398

energy demand) [4].
Fossil fuels are the key resources of energy demand. Fossil fuel
resources are limited and have a lot of pollutant emission and im-
pacts on the environment [5,6]. Another decision is to use renew-
able energy resources. A promising type of renewable energy is
biomass. All the biological material, such as food industry waste,
agricultural waste, and livestock waste, can be applied as a source of
biomass. Recently, the municipal solid waste (MSW) production has
increased with population growth. Dumping and landfilling are
conventional waste disposal methods. Low-cost approaches are
unsuitable and unsustainable due to environmental impacts [7].
Cheng et al. [8] focused on prefabricated biogas digesters (PBDs)
in China. They investigated the development of PBDs in China
including the characteristics of PBDs, the process of manufacturing,
advantages and disadvantages, economic analysis, and the mar-
keting of this product. Finally, it was deduced that the PBDs could
have a very high potential and efficiency for use all over the world.
One of the alternative energy sources that can be classified as a
“renewable energy source” is biomass or bioenergy. Biodegradable
energy is a term for any non-fossil fuel placed on the organic,
biological or vegetative substrate. This class of materials can be
converted into a useable energy source. Biostat is one of the vital
energy sources of the earth, which is classified as the “Bio-renew-
able Resource.” Biotechnologies are now being developed that can
convert vegetable energies such as crops, seeds, weeds, wild plants,
trees, shrubs, etc. Organic waste in the form of biodegradable
materials, garbage, compost, animal manure, and other tailings
products can also be converted into energy. Noorollahi et al. [9]
proposed to find the potential of biogas production from livestock
manure in different provinces of Iran.
Another important factor is the environmental effect and
economy. Economic considerations and environmental issues are
studied in the fuel of vehicles [10]. The production of biogas can
also cause the reduction of greenhouse gases by about 20%. The
Europen Commission has predicted a reduction of about 40% in the
greenhouse emission until 2030 [11].
The leader in the production of biogas in the world is the
Europen union by a production of about 60%. The power generation
by this renewable source of energy is about 6% of the total
renewable resource [12].
Biogas, biodiesel, and bioethanol are the final and more
important products of biomass. The purpose of this paper focuses
on biogas. The anaerobic digestion process has four steps. At first,
polymers are converted into monomers (such as amino acids and
glucose) by hydrolysis. Then, monomers are converted into volatile
fatty acids, such as acetic acid and hydrogen. In the next step
hydrogen and carbon dioxide are produced by activation of fatty
acids. The final step consists of methanogenic bacteria that produce
biogas by this process. The normal composition of biogas is 55e65%
methane, 30e35% carbon dioxide, and little amounts of hydrogen,
nitrogen, and other materials. Natural gas contains about 80%
MJ
methane. Biogas and natural gas heating values are around 22 m 3
90 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106

Fig. 2. Flowchart describing operation steps in this study.

(5600 kcal
m3
) and 41 mMJ3 (9800 kcal
m3
), respectively [13]. Biogas contains biogas production system in Iran worked with cow manure. The
high methane content (40e70%) that can further be upgraded to following are some examples of the academic and research centers
natural gas quality (75e99% methane content). Biogas is upgraded of Iran that constructed and operated many pilot plants.
through increasing the percentage of methane and developing the
quality of biogas in terms of releasing lower emissions and green- 1.1.1. The biogas plant in Shiraz
house gases [14]. For the first time in Iran in 1999, the collection, extraction, and
There is a wide-ranging source of biomass for biogas generation, burning of biogas were carried out with 18 burners at the waste
some of which are: disposal site of Shiraz. Then, with the participation of the Organi-
zation of New Energy Technologies (SANA) in 2005, feasibility

Agricultural waste studies were conducted to restore energy, generate revenue, reduce

Municipal solid waste greenhouse gas emissions from waste landfill, build a 1 MW biogas

Municipal sewage and industrial organic waste plant, and sell electricity produced at a guaranteed price to the

Forest Ministry. Subsequently, the construction of a megawatt biogas

Food industry waste plant was started in 2007 and launched in January 2009, with an

Domestic animal manure operation forecast of at least 13 years (Electricity Sales Contract). In
this regard, developmental studies, the design of vertical and hor-
izontal systems for collecting biogas in new sections of the site, and
1.1. Biogas in Iran then the operation of digging up to 14 vertical wells with a mini-
mum depth of 20 m were carried out in March 2011 aiming at
Fig. 1 shows the potential for biomass energy in Iran [15]. maintaining and increasing the amount of biogas production. By
Biogas in Iran was initially used in a bathhouse in Esfahan by increasing the amount of biogas from new wells to the biogas
Sheikh Bahai (1530e1622). Nowadays, there are five provinces in collection network, the biogas production rate increased by at least
Iran that use biogas for heat or electricity generation. The first 300 cubic meters per hour. The number of wells collecting gas from
Fig. 3. Biogas production from poultry’s manure in Iran (million m3).

Fig. 4. Methane production from poultry manure in Iran (million m3).

92 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 5. Share of poultry manure in natural gas demand (%).
24 to 38 wells in the first and second phases increased to 53 wells in
the third phase. For the use of buried cell gas in the northeast of the
burial site, 11 biogas wells with a maximum depth of 17 m were
constructed in 1995. In March 1996, five new wells were created in
Phase 3 and the beginning and the end of Phase 4.
Measurement of the exhaust gases from the wells and the biogas
plant, and the control and evaluation of the resulting biogas are
carried out by the Optima Biogas Model 7 Analyzer. The gas
consumed in a dynamo dynamically reaches 350 cubic meters per
hour. Considering the capacity and anticipation of increased pro-
duction of gases, as well as the amount of wastes in Shiraz, it is
possible to develop a project to produce at least 2 MW of electricity
[16,17].
1.1.2. Mashhad biogas plant
In July 2009, a biogas power plant with a nominal capacity of
650 kW and an initial investment of 15 billion rials was opened at
the site of Mashhad old city. The plant is capable of delivering more
than 4 million kW-hours of electricity per year to the network for
13 years. The amount of biogas used in this power will be more than
2 million cubic meters annually. Meanwhile, it will reduce green-
house gas emissions by around 20,000 tonnes a year, with the
initial steps taken to sell its carbon credits through the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) [16].
1.1.3. Saveh biogas plant
In this plant in the city of Saveh, 40 tons of waste are discharged
daily to the biogas site of the New Energy Organization, which
produces electricity and gas from waste recycling, composting, and
municipal sewage sludge. The liquid fertilizer and refined water of
the plant are also available to the municipality to develop green
space. Studies on the implementation of this project began since
2003, by considering a valid amount of 28 billion rials, and 10 MW
of electricity will be produced by the end of the fourth plan. Also,
municipal waste and waste disposal, and energy production in the
biogas project are the two environmental projects being imple-
mented in partnership with the New Municipal Energy Agency and
Urban Water and Wastewater [16].
1.1.4. Isfahan biogas plant
The collection of gases produced from the anaerobic decom-
position of organic materials is called biogas due to the activity of
anaerobic bacteria such as methanogenic bacteria in a closed cell,
most of which consists of methane. Typically, the ratios of different
gases depend on the nature of the organic matter. These gases are
mostly produced by waste gutting in enclosed containers, and have
very high thermal values. The former landfill of Isfahan continued
until 2009, and has the potential to extract energy from biogas and
build a power plant with a capacity of 1 MW. The ongoing feasibility
studies of this project are based on the prescribed letters. In 2020,
this potential will be exploited as a clean energy alternative to fossil
fuels, which reduces the environmental damage caused thereof. It
can be used in many ways, which, in addition to generating reve-
nue, will prevent methane from entering the environment and
reduce its environmental impacts [16].
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 6. Reduction of carbon emission (ton CO2).
1.1.5. Tehran biogas plant [18]
In Tehran, with a daily production of 2 MW of electricity, has
become the world largest producer of biogas electricity [16]. This
has led biogas recovery experts from Germany to consider the
launch of this new industry in Tehran as a major step forward
making Tehran one of the pre-emerging cities for biogas recovery.
Currently, the Tehran Hazem Factory can produce 2 MWh of elec-
tricity per day, and this potential exists in other sectors so that
Tehran can generate more electricity by producing and extracting
biogas.
With the extraction of biogas and the establishment of garbage
factories in different parts of Tehran, there is a possibility of
increasing electricity production in this city, thereby yielding sig-
nificant revenues in Tehran. The hydropower plant, with a daily
electricity production of 2 MW and its transmission to the
nationwide electricity grid, is the first plant that has been able to
extract new biogas from the use of new energies [19]. Germany is
currently in the process of setting up biogas plants as one of the
most advanced countries in the world. At present, 20% of electricity
in Germany is supplied through the extraction of biogas from
municipal waste and its conversion into electricity.
The development of the biogas industry will provide different
countries with the opportunity to save on the consumption of
primary resources and to use more precisely their existing
resources.
In addition to reducing environmental problems, Tehran tries to
turn waste into a wealth of cities, which is happening as in many
developed countries [14]. Tehran, with a daily electricity
93
production of 2 MW from urban waste, is among the biogas pro-
ducing cities that have now taken a new step in the field of energy
based on urban waste.
The Iran Ministry of Energy has other biogas projects as shown
in Tables 1 and 2, indicating Iran’s production capacity and do-
mestic consumption rate of electricity from biogas power plants.
Using 35% of oilseed produced in Iran, it is possible to produce
about 3.84 GL of biobutanol and 1.07 GL of biogas and other bio-
fuels, which are a significant figures. Regarding greenhouse gas
emissions and environmental degradation, biogas can be regarded
as a very good source of emission reductions and greenhouse gases
that can save up to 56% of environmental damage. This cost
reduction has been investigated using E 85 instead of gasoline [20].
Barati [7] calculated net output to be 1596 kW in a power unit,
while the chemical exergy of biofuel fertilizer is 8758.3. The exergy
output of this unit is about 73%. This unit of production consists of a
unit of power generation and biofuel production. This synchronous
production boosts the efficiency from 15.4 to about 85%.
Energy, environment and economic evaluation of a hybrid
renewable energy system based on a typical commercial poultry
house have been investigated by Akyuz et al. [21]. Simulation of
four senarios have been perfromed: Stand alone diesel, photovol-
taic (PV)edieselebattery, windedieselebattery and photo-
voltaicewindedieselebattery. Results show the hybrid energy
system is more economical than the conventional network based
on the distances.
Oktay and Dincer [22] investigated energy, exergy, economic
and environmental issues of using the bigadic geothermal for
94 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 7. Average potential energy produced by biogas.
district heating.
Recent advances in renewable technology, coupled with
increased demand and the need for clean and cheap energies, have
led to an ever-increasing trend towards electricity generation.
Biogas is one of the most important of these sources. In Italy, many
livestock units produce electricity from animal waste through
biogas installations. The electricity produced is measured by spe-
cific meters and is sold to the Italian electricity company, in addi-
tion to domestic electricity supply. Also, the fertilizer from the
biogas plant is enriched with fertilizers, which can increase the
productivity of agricultural products more than ever. Experts
emphasize that the use of biogas technology in addition to elec-
tricity production will have significant effects on the environmental
and human health. In Italy, there are about 1224 biodiesel power
plants, accounting for 15% of total renewable energy in the country,
producing around 947 MW of power [23].
Biogas is one of the renewable energy sources produced by
bacteria that break down organic matter under anaerobic condi-
tions. To decide on the selection of suitable installation sites for
biogas units, it is important to have easy access to and estimate the
amount of organic waste. In the present study, using information
such as population density, livestock population in the region, and
land use maps, a model is provided for determining the potential of
biogas production from livestock and regional wastes and its dis-
tribution in Iran. Moreover, primary points are determined for the
construction of biogas units with the use of some information. The
results show that about 2,740 million cubic meters of biodiesel can
be produced by livestock wastes with anaerobic fermentation of
livestock and waste products. The same trend in countrywide
studies (e.g. Malaysia) suggests that an amount of 5,550 million
cubic meters of biogas per year can be produced from livestock [24].
The ease of technology and the construction of biogas plants, the
increasing amount of solid or liquid residues, and the possibility of
producing biogas from these materials have led to the construction
of such power plants in many countries. According to available data
in 2006, about 74 million tons of methane are produced from an-
imal wastes annually, 40 million tons of which are produced only
from municipal waste and dispersed in the atmosphere. Collection
of these wastes and production of methane gas using special
mechanisms has many benefits, in addition to reducing greenhouse
gases and helping to protect the environment. Biogas can be used in
the following applications:
✓ Lighting of houses and buildings
✓ Cooking (such as propane)
✓ To set up generators and generate electricity
✓ Combustion engines for power generation
The production of biogas makes good use of waste and can
promote health. This will be achieved by making available energy in
developing countries. In the United States, farmers see the pro-
duction of biogas, which makes use of abundant plant and animal
waste [18].
Zareei [25] used the critical path method to examine the feasi-
bility of building a biogas unit, and reported duration of about 38
weeks for construction of a 50-cubic biogas unit.
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 8. Chemical exergy of the biofuel.
Heydari and Askarzadeh [26] used a hybrid photovoltaic/
biomass/fuel cell power generation system to produce electricity
power in Iran, with a fuel cell capital investment cost changing
from 2000 $/kW to 4000 $/kW.
The rapid development of aquaculture and fisheries has attrac-
ted much attention towards two potential contaminants of tacit
carnage (unwanted creatures) and fish waste, including head,
viscera, and residual fish. Fish waste has a lot of potential as a high
organic carbon source for producing methane, but it also has some
limitations (high content of nitrogen, i.e. ammonia). The purpose of
this work is to assess the substrate potential for biogas production
through anaerobic process technology. Anaerobic digestion is a
long time, which is an efficient way to produce renewable fuels e
the biogas - that can be used as a source of energy for generating
electricity and heat. These renewable energy sources can be used to
reduce both plant processing costs and carbon footprint in the in-
dustry. To reduce the marine environmental pollution from the
spillage of fish waste and tacit catch, food waste, sludge from urban
and industrial waste, and animal wastes were used for simulta-
neous digestion. Therefore, wastes produced in industry and agri-
culture are used, instead of garbage, during anaerobic digestion and
digestion simultaneously as a substrate. Yahyaee et al. [27] reported
an amount of about 11% of total fish waste for biofuel production.
Three types of products can be produced in systems that work
with biogas, such as power generation, heat generation, and
transportation.
In these types of power plants, the energy efficiencies for power
generation, heat production, and transportation are about 8e54,
95
16e83, and 4e18%, respectively [28].
The optimum conditions for parameters affecting anaerobic
digestion to produce maximum methane of biogas are:

Temperature: the best working temperature range is about 35 
60  C

pH: the best range of pH for anaerobic digesters is about 6: 8 
7:2

Nutrients: the metabolism of anaerobic bacteria needs essential
nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, carbon, magne-
sium, sodium, manganese, cobalt, iron, and zinc. Amounts and
percentages of these materials are very important in the control
and interactions of microorganisms.

Toxic substance: if the food required for a microorganism is
more than its needed activity, it will become toxic and inhibit
biological growth.

Mixing of contents: making a uniform solution by mixing
biomass increases gas production and efficiency of anaerobic
digesters [29,30].
1.2. Methane production from poultry manure
The quality of poultry manure depends on the type of poultry
living and feeding conditions. Different amounts of biogas and
methane are produced from 1 kg of poultry manure [13] according
to Refs. [5,29], and [6] in which methane production was computed
from different types of manure. In this regard, it is important to
estimate their potential to replace fossil fuels.
96 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 9. The energy footprint of the natural gas production by biofuels.
The purpose of research about the potential of renewable energy
is to identify the location that has economic sources of renewable
energy. The energy crisis can be considered the most important
crisis facing humanity. In recent years, the use of biogas to sus-
tainably develop the country has become more prominent due to
the problems of widespread dependence on oil and limited energy
resources. In addition to providing fuel, the use of biogas has dra-
matic effects on reducing greenhouse gases and, as a result, on
global warming. There are also other advantages of biogas pro-
duction from biomass resources, waste reduction, and production
of non-toxic fertilizers. The purpose of this research is to study the
potential of biogas production and energy from biomass resources
in Iran with the approach of supplying energy at the place of con-
sumption and reducing shipping costs [31].
Biogas is a type of biofuel that has good energy output and is
used worldwide because of its high efficiency and low emission
rates. This type of fuel will eventually replace fossil fuels and is also
the second renewable energy, after solar energy, available in the
world. Scarlett et al. [32] studied the amounts of biogas produced in
different European countries and presented the energy output
levels of this type of fuel in different tables.
In India, Mittal et al. [33] investigated the potential of biogas
production from various sources including agriculture, animal,
human, etc. They found the potential of this country to meet energy
demands from renewable sources such as biogas.
In 2019, MosayebNezhad et al. [34] simulated a biogas-fueled
micro-turbine gas cycle and showed that it could be thermody-
namically efficient at about 46.6%. They stated a very important
potential of biogas production anywhere in the world from the
perspective of energy production. Other studies show that the use
of biogas increases the efficiency of cogeneration by up to 81.2%.
For the first time, Matisse Kernagel and William Rees [35] at the
University of British Columbia invented and developed the term
ecological footprint in the book Ecological Footprint: Reducing
Human Impact on Earth. From the perspective of these two
thinkers, each human unit (whether individual, city, or country)
has an impact on the earth because he/she uses the products and
services of nature. Their ecological impact is equal to the amount of
nature they occupy to sustain life [36e41].
In 2014, Usitalo et al. [42] showed the amount of carbon dioxide
footprint released in the process of biogas energy production. They
also estimated a reduction of around 49e84% in greenhouse gas
emissions by the use of biogas instead of fossil fuels.
Budzinowski and Postawa [43] demonstrated a decrease in the
amount of carbon dioxide footprint by the use of biogas. They
calculated the amount of extracted energy and carbon dioxide
footprint from biogas burning using different power structures and
different operating pressures, and found up to 98% reduction in
cogeneration cycle carbon dioxide emissions.
In all the reviewed works, there is not a clear work about the
potential of biogas production from poultry manure in each prov-
ince of Iran. There is not a complete work about the economic and
environmental benefits of biogas production from poultry manure.
In this study, therefore, a complete research about biogas produc-
tion potential from poultry manure was presented in each prov-
inces of Iran to investigate energy, exergy, economic, and
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 10. The footprint of CO2 released by biogas.
environmental analysises as well as benefits of biogas production.
The results of economic and environmental analyses are presented
to encourage different investors to realize this important potential.
2. Methodology
Different types of manure have various specific capabilities in
biogas and methane production [44]. For example, 1-kg poultry
manure produces 0:4  0:6 cubic meters of biogas and about 0:27
cubic meters of methane, according to empirical data summarized
in Table 3.
According to Table 3, an amount of 0.4e0.6 cubic meters of
biogas is produced per kilogram of chicken manure. This amount
was assumed to be 0.5 cubic meters per kilogram. As shown in
Table 3, 0.27 cubic meters of methane is fed per kilogram of chicken
manure. In this way, the production of biogas and methane is
calculated in each province. In this study, the equation proposed by
the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources was used to obtain
the produced manure.
QVSi ¼ N*TAMi *Vi
where QVSi is total manure produced in one year (g), N shows the
number of animals, TAMi is the weight of the animal (kg), and Vi is
manure production coefficient that can be obtained from Table 4
[6].
The amount of poultry manure produced for all provinces of Iran
can be calculated here.
97
2.1. Emissions of methane in the atmosphere
The four important impacts of manure abandoned in nature
includes the following options [48]:

potential marine global warming

water eutrophication

freshwater eutrophication

fossil fuel depletion
The biogas digester reduced the impact potential from 4.4 kg of
CO2 equivalent to 3.2 kg CO2 equivalents compared with traditional
manure managements [48].
On the other hand, the effect of methane on global warming is
25 times greater than CO2 [19]. In Table 5, total methane production
by poultry manure is 515.8 million cubic meters in Iran, meaning an
equivalent CO2 reduction of 12970 million cubic meters.
In general, biogas has the potential of turning urban waste and
manure into electricity, but the use of bird manure as a source of
biogas is a huge challenge. At present, the first biogas power plant,
(1) which uses only bird manure, has been exploited in Northern
Ireland [49]. The plant was built during 18 months after eight years
of the research phase. The project has been set up for 23 million
pounds and a capacity of 3 MW in Ballymena, with 40 thousand
tons of poultry manure annually (equivalent to 20% of the total
poultry manure produced in Northern Ireland) [49].
Although similar plants are being built in China; the power plant
built in Northern Ireland uses much more advanced technology
98 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 11. Footprint of the environmental impacts.
than other competitors. Northern Ireland has been heavily satu-
rated with industrial poultry and has always been looking for a
solution to poisonous waste [49]. It should be noted that poultry
manure is not even applicable to agricultural land due to the
presence of high nitrate levels according to the EUO guidelines.
Although many small chicken manure systems have been sur-
veyed by the Irish Ministry of Agriculture over the years, none of
the systems have been commercially successful. Currently, more
than 100 poultry farms are being collected for clean energy in
Ireland and transferred to the Ballymena power plant [49].
In addition to the fact that this new biogas plant has created
many businesses, it uses a unique technology that can convert bird
fertilizers directly into energy. Poultry manure loses its nitrogen
during an innovative process and can yield 100% biogas. Under
normal conditions, the high level of nitrogen in poultry manure
disrupts the activity of bacteria in anaerobic digestion [49].
The liquids and fiber remaining after an innovative process in
the digestion are free of nitrogen and can be used in agricultural
applications. The electricity produced by this method is sold to the
Irish electricity grid and can supply 4,000 households [49].
Biogas production from chicken manure has two advantages in
terms of carbon emissions: First, if released, this amount of bird
manure is released into the environment of some greenhouse
gases, while carbon is not used for other reason. By replacing
biohazard instead of natural gas in Iran, it can be economically
important by not consuming natural gas from the spread of emis-
sions caused by its use, since it is possible to export without using
this amount of natural gas [46]. In Table 5 lists the coefficients of
natural gas and gas emissions in kilograms of CO2. The multipli-
cation of these coefficients by the amounts of natural gas and
biogas gives the amounts of emission from these two sources.
2.2. Assessment of biogas production in Iran
Aviculture is growing in the world and Iran because of higher
food demands by population increase. According to a report by the
Iran Statistic Center [50], there are more than 274,299,000 poultries
in aviculture of Iran. For example, Mazandaran, Esfahan, and
Golestan have more than 29,198,000, 28,486,000, and 22,365,000
poultries in aviculture, respectively.
According to Table 4, manure production for 1 year equals:
Q VSi ¼ 7:04.
N ¼ 274; 299; 000
Q VSi ¼ 7:04 kg
Therefore, the whole manure production in Iran is:
Annual total manure produced in Iran ¼ 274; 299; 000*7:04
¼ 1; 931; 064; 960 kg
As mentioned above, total one-year manure production in Iran
is 1,931,064,960 kg. According to Table 3, 1 kg of poultry manure can
produce 0:4  0:6 m3 of biogas and 0:27 m3 of methane. In this
study, 1 kg of poultry manure can supposedly produce 0:5 m3 of
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 12. Costs of poultry manure.
biogas. Therefore:
Annual total biogas production in Iran ¼ 0:5*1:931; 064:960
¼ 965:532:480 m3
Annual total methane production in Iran ¼ 0:27*1:931:064:960
¼ 521:387:539:2 m3
2.3. Environmental impact and footprint calculation
In recent years, the growing trend of energy consumption has
caused the phenomenon of energy crisis in the world. The
increasing demand for fossil fuels and their high prices have led to
much attention towards renewable energy sources. One of these is
renewable biogas, which can be extracted from animal, agricultural,
urban, and industrial waste. Biomass energy consists of energy
generated from all waste of living things and has the highest energy
potential after solar energy; it is currently the best source in terms
of economic, environmental, scattering, and easy access. The use of
biomass as an energy source is attractive not only for economic
reasons but also for environmental reasons, as well as an acceler-
ating factor for sustainable development. It is also the only
renewable energy source that can be used as fuel in cars along with
hydrogen. Also, emissions of pollutants from biomass combustion
99
are generally lower than fossil fuels, and commercial exploitation of
biomass can cause problems related to waste and waste disposal in
other industries including forestry and wood products, food pro-
duction, and especially solid waste [36e41].
The basic calculations for estimating ecological footprint are
conceptual. First, per capita consumption of major consumables
(e.g. energy, food, production, and consumption of forest products)
is estimated via dividing total consumption by population. Many of
data needed for preliminary surveys are readily available in na-
tional statistical tables. The next step is to estimate per capita land
allocated to the production of each consumer item through dividing
the average annual consumption of each item by the average
product [36e41].
The footprint of energy is defined as the ratio of annual con-
sumption to average product of energy consumption [36e41].
annual consumption of an item
aai ¼ (2)
average annual yield
The other footprints are the carbon dioxide and environmental
impacts footprint defined as the ratio of released carbon dioxide or
the environmental impact to energy consumption in a region
[38e41].
2.4. Chemical exergy and cost estimation
Biogas plants are the best and most economically recognized
way in many countries to address energy shortages, pathogenicity,
100 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 13. Cost saving by using biogas instead of natural gas.
treatment costs, and environmental pollution, as these systems
prevent the spread of animal waste and thus that of disease in rural
areas. According to studies, the collection of animal waste in the
biogas system has reduced the production of flies by 3 and mice by
5%, and the energy obtained therefrom can also meet the villagers’
need to avoid cutting wood forests and protect rangelands from
destruction. Methane extraction from municipal landfills and
municipal wastewater can be used to generate electricity or hot
water consumed in neighboring areas [37].
Methane environmental impact was estimated to be about 143.9
mpts per kilograms of this gas produced by poultry manure [51].
The costs of poltry manure and natural gas have been consid-
ered about 256 $/tonne and 55 cent/m3, respectively, in an eco-
nomic analysis. Low heating value (LHV) of the methane has been
considered to be about 0.05 GJ/kg [37].
The amount of chemical exergy is considerable when the stream
has deviations from its environmental standard condition, for
instance, fuel stream. The amount of specific chemical exergy for
methane can be calculated directly [52]. An accurate methodology
to simplify the calculation of flue gas specific heat and specific
exergy value associated with fuel composition has been proposed
by Coskun et al. [49]. By this method, specific heat and specific
exergy value of combustion products can be predicted accurately in
one formulation by only knowing the chemical composition of
fuels, gas temperature, and excess air ratio. This methodology can
be used for all carbon-based fuels, especially biomass fuel. In this
study, the chemical exergy also, calculated by this simple and ac-
curate approach developed by Coskun et al. [49].
The process of this study is to begin with preliminary researches
indicating that fertilizers in poultry farms are produced in large and
concentrated quantities. Thus, the question is whether or not this
fertilizer can be used as an energy source. Here, biogas was used as
a solution. For obtaining biogas, the most commonly used method,
namely anaerobic, was selected among other methods. Then, the
necessary information was obtained with the help of various
sources. Moreover, other sources that worked on similar issues
were used to choose the method. Table 6 summarizes the results of
calculations. Now, according to the relationships described in sec-
tion 2.2, the amount of biogas production in Iran is calculated and
then the amount of energy that can be extracted from this energy
source is calculated. Economic, environmental, and carbon dioxide
footprint analysises discussed in sections 2.3 and 2.4 can also help
compare the use of biogas instead of natural gas or other fuels.
These steps are illustrated in Fig. 2.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Methane production and gas demand shear
In the current study, poultry manure was used as a resource for
biogas production. According to the methods and numbers of
poultry in each province of Iran, poultry manure, biogas, and
methane productions were calculated for each province as shown
in Table 6.
The fertilizers produced by each province were obtained using
the statisticsof Iran. In this reference [50], there are two types of
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 14. The payback of using biogas instead of natural gas.
laying and broiler chickens. By collecting fertilizers, these two
values were used to obtain the fertilizer produced by each province.
According to the energy balance sheet in 2015, natural gas
consumed in domestic, agricultural, and petrochemical uses of each
province was obtained through dividing the amount of methane
produced in each province by biogas on demand for natural gas per
province. However, the amount of elongation is reduced according
to the emission factors listed in Table 6.
Table 6 represents the producible biogas and methane calcu-
lated for each province in Iran. The annual natural gas consumption
for every province of Iran can be used to compute the amount of
natural gas that can be replaced by biogas produced from poultry
manure in each province.
According to Table 5, Sistan-Baluchistan province can provide
16% of its gas consumption with the help of biogas. Also, Qom,
Golestan, and South Khorasan provinces have 1.68, 2.25, and 2.19%
of their gas consumption, respectively. On the other hand, consid-
eration should be given not only to the benefits of reduced con-
sumption but also to the environmentally friendly use of biogas. In
total, this would reduce around 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent, which is a very important environmental point of view
for using this gas. These values are very impressive in Isfahan,
Khorasan Razavi, and Mazandaran provinces and reduce 261, 227,
and 217 thousand tons of carbon dioxide, respectively.
3.2. Biogas and methane production
By using Geographical Information System (GIS), the annual
101
biogas production in Iran by poultry manure is shown in Fig. 3. Also,
Fig. 4 demonstrates the potential of methane production. Further-
more, Fig. 5 indicates the amount of biogas that can be produced
from poultry manure, and Fig. 6 shows reduced carbon emission in
each province of Iran.
In the southern provinces of Iran (Fig. 3), the capacity to produce
biogas from poultry manure is very low, but it is relatively high in
western provinces. Kermanshah, Chaharmahalbakhtiari, Golestan,
Bushehr, and North Khorasan provinces have the highest capacities
for biogas production from poultry farms.
Fig. 4 shows the methane production capacity of bird manure
biogas in different provinces of Iran. Usually, 70% of the biomass gas
is methane, hence it can be inferred from Fig. 3 that the higher the
capacity of each province for the production of biogas, the higher
the production capacity for methane.
As shown in Fig. 5, the use of biogas to meet the needs of natural
gas is significantly growing in various provinces of Iran, and most of
the provinces have a significant share of their natural gas needs
from this renewable source of biogas supply.
3.3. Energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) analysis
By using biogas instead of fossil fuels, the air, land, and green-
house gas emissions can be prevented to a large extent. As shown in
Fig. 6, the rate of carbon dioxide reduction in the air in different
provinces of Iran is determined using biogas in the map.
Fig. 7 shows the average energy output of biogas produced from
poultry manure in each region of the country. This value is
102 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
Fig. 15. The thermoeconomic cost distributionin in all provinces of Iran.
maximum in the northern provinces and Isfahan.
The results for the chemical exergy of biogas output presented
in Fig. 8 are similar to Fig. 7 showing clearly higher values in the
northern provinces.
Fig. 9 displays the ecological area due to the energy footprint of
methane output generated by biogas. The results are dependent on
the population and the amount of gas consumed by the city, and are
particularly high in Tehran, Bushehr, and North Khorasan.
In Fig. 10, the results of the carbon dioxide emission footprint
are presented. These results indicate that the highest amount of
carbon dioxide footprint is related to Golestan province and then
Qom, Mazandaran, South Khorasan and Ilam.
The results of Fig. 11 are related to the traces of environmental
pollutants released by biogas. The results are similar to carbon di-
oxide emissions.
The costs of purchasing poultry manure in the Iranian provinces
are illustrated in Fig. 12. The lowest and the highest costs belong to
Ardebil and North Khorasan provinces, and the northern and cen-
tral parts of Iran, respectively.
The cost saved for using biogas instead of municipal gas in each
region of the country is set out in Fig. 13. Khorasan Razavi and
Isfahan provinces, and Ardebil and North Khorasan provinces have
the highest and the lowest cost savings, respectively.
The payback period specified in Fig. 14 indicates that the rate of
return on capital utilization of biogas is below 3 years in most
provinces of the country. This rate is not appropriate only in
Bushehr province where it is estimated to be above 9 years.
In the case of thermoeconomic costs, the cost of poultry manure
is assumed to be about $ 7.36 per gigajol. Fig. 15 shows that these
costs are high in the northern, Mashhad, and Isfahan provinces, and
the lowest values belong to Golestan and Sistan and Baluchistan
provinces.
3.4. Sensitivity analysis
In this study, a sensitivity analysis was performed on the
amount of biogas produced from poultry manure based on changes
in the amount of biogas available from manure. The amount of
available biogas is assumed to range from 0.22 to 0.33 cubic meters
per killogram of poultry manure. The results are shown in Fig. 16.
By obtaining the amount of produced biogas or methane,
sensitivity analysis was performed on the amounts of energy
footprints in different cities (Fig. 17). The results show that the
energy footprint increases in all cities with increasing biogas pro-
duction, but the slope of this increase is the same in all cities.
Another sensitivity analysis is on the cost of poultry manure that
has an impact on the cost of biogas and the amount of cost saved.
The cost of poultry manure varies from $ 250 to $ 310 per ton. The
results (Fig. 18) indicate that the higher the cost of poultry manure,
the higher the cost of biogas. The maximum cost increase rate is
observed in Isfahan.
As a result, the cost of biogas can affect the cost saved using
biogas instead of natural gas. The results of the cost saving analysis
(Fig. 19) show that the cost sving decreases in all provinces as the
price of biogas increases.
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106 103

Fig. 16. The sensivity analysis of the biogas production from poultry manure.

Fig. 17. Energy footprint sensivity analysis.

4. Conclusion consumption in the world, which continues to dampen not only the
non-renewable and renewable energy sources but also the
In recent years, the growing trend of energy consumption has continued use of fossil fuels. The use of biogas technology has led to
created a critical phenomenon that has reduced energy a dramatic reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels, and a
104 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106

Fig. 18. Cost of biogas production in terms of the cost of poultry manure changes.

Fig. 19. Cost saving by using biogas in terms of changes in poltry manure prices.

reduction in fueling problems, especially in rural and impoverished anaerobic bacteria in anaerobic digestion. Biogas is considered to be
areas of the country. Biogas refers to the collection of gases from the a lagging gas. This article provides an overview of the importance of
decomposition and fermentation of animal, human, and plant biogas production using animal waste. It first presents the biogas
waste resulting from the lack of oxygen and the activities of history and its extraction and production potential. Despite the
 M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh et al. / Renewable Energy 159 (2020) 87e106
good potential for biogas production in Iran (917.5 million cubic
meters of methane equivalent to 30% of natural gas consumption in
households, commercial industries of the country in 1997), the
production of biogas has not been much developed in the country.
Then, its technical and economic justification is applied to its
application, operation, and priorities.
The maximum footprint of energy production from biogas is
related to Bushehr province and maximum footprint of the envi-
ronmental impacts are recorded in Golestan province. The specified
payback period is below 3 years in most provinces of the country.
This rate is not appropriate only in Bushehr province where it is
estimated to be above 9 years. With all the results presented in this
article, it can be conluded that Iran is a very high-capacity area to
replace natural gas or other fossil fuels with renewable fuels such as
biogas. It seems in the first place that it is not economically ad-
vantageous to produce bio-gas from poultry manure due to the
abundance of gas reserves in Iran. However, this article shows that
the benefits of this method are considerable and that the use of
biogas can also help reduce environmental pollutants.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
M.H. Khoshgoftar Manesh: Supervision, Writing - review &
editing, Investigation. A. Rezazadeh: Visualization, Data curation,
Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Conceptu-
alization. S. Kabiri: Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing - original
draft, Conceptualization.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.05.173.
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