Abstract
Continuous growth in global energy demand,
depletion of fossil resources and climate change concerns associated with fossil
fuel combustion have increased the motivation on utilization of renewable
energy sources. Utilization of renewable sources is vital in Turkey as the
country highly depends on imported energy. Biogas is a renewable energy
resource produced from decomposing organic waste under anaerobic conditions.
Production of biogas from organic wastes such as animal manure is advantageous
to contribute renewable energy production and waste management strategies for
health and environmental protection. In this study, the animal manure based
biogas energy potential of the Mediterranean Region of Turkey is determined.
The region is composed of eight provinces including Antalya, Burdur, Isparta,
Mersin, Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye and Kahramanmaraş. The results revealed that
Mediterranean Region has 183 Mm3 annual biogas potential
corresponding to 0.08 MTOE/year energy generation capacity. Co-digestion of
agricultural residues can contribute to about 0.208 MTOE/year energy
generation. It is determined that biogas production can contribute reduction of
carbon footprint by 1.7 million tons of annual CO2 emissions. Mersin
Province has shown the highest biogas potential in the region.