Biomass Resources Potentials in Bangladesh :
Biomass in the most significant energy source in Bangladesh which accounts for 70% of the total final energy consumption in Bangladesh [Islam 2000]. The main sources of biomass fuels are –
-
Trees (woodfuels, twigs, leaves, plant residues)
-
Agricultural Residues (paddy husk, bran, bagasse, jute stick etc.) and
-
Livestock (animal dung).
Land use pattern and different biomass fuels of Bangladesh are described below in separate subsections.
Land Use Pattern
Approximate land use pattern of the country is :
-
Agricultural land : 64 %
-
Forests : 18 %
-
Human Settlement : 8 %
-
Water and other : 10 %
Different types of land pattern and forests with approximate percentage are shown in Table 5.1 and remote sensing image map of Bangladesh showing the land use patterns can be found at
Land Use Pattern of Bangladesh, Base 1996 [FRA, 2000]
|
Total area (’000 ha) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
Land area |
|
Inland water |
|
|
Forest |
|
Other land
|
||
|
Closed |
Plantation |
Shrubs/Trees |
Forest Fallow |
||
|
720 (5%) |
232 (1.6%) |
105 (0.7%) |
17 (0.1%) |
11,943 (82.9%) |
1,383 (9.6%) |
Wood fuel :
Total wood fuel consumption of the country is 8 million m3 where domestic cooking accounts for estimated 5.1 million m3 (63%) annually and the industrial and commercial sectors 2.9 million m3 annually(37%). Overall, tree and fuels provide 48%, agriculture residues 36%, dung 13% and Peat 3% [FMP, 1992]. Though it is commonly thought that reserve forests are the main source of wood fuel in the country, but from statistics it has been found that village forests are supplying 84% of total consumption which has been shown is Figure 5.2 along with other sources. At present there is acute shortages of wood fuel in Bangladesh, due to which poor people opt for other inferior type (not compact, difficult to handle) of biomasses like agricultural residues or animal dung. The future projection of demand and supply of wood fuel by Forestry Master Plan (FMP) 1993 is bleak which is shown in Table
Wood fuel demand-supply projections up to 2013 (in 1000 m3 per annum)
|
Year |
1993 |
1998 |
2003 |
2008 |
2013 |
|
Estimated demand |
8272 |
9045 |
9847 |
10682 |
11553 |
|
Estimated supply |
6135 |
6450 |
6787 |
7212 |
7742 |
|
Balance |
-2137 |
-2595 |
-3060 |
-3470 |
-3811 |
Projection of Woodfuel Supply in 1000 m3 [Farid et. al, 2000]
|
Year |
1993 |
1998 |
2003 |
2008 |
2013 |
|
Forest lands: |
2040(33.2) |
1957(30.3) |
1857(27.4) |
1765(24.5) |
1704(22.0) |
|
Natural forests |
193(3.14) |
196(3.03) |
200(2.94) |
206(2.85) |
211(2.72) |
|
Plantation forests |
22(0.36) |
36(0.55) |
32(0.47) |
34(0.47) |
68(0.88) |
|
Unclassified state forests |
1825(29.7) |
1725(26.7) |
1625(23.9) |
1525(21.1) |
1425(18.4) |
|
Non-forest lands: |
4095(66.8) |
4493(69.7) |
4930(72.6) |
5447(75.5) |
6038(78.0 ) |
|
Homestead lands |
3971(64.7) |
4370(67.7) |
4806(70.8) |
5288(73.3) |
5817(75.1 |
|
Strip lands |
52(0.84) |
51(0.8) |
52(0.76) |
83(1.15) |
85(1.09) |
|
Agroforestry |
12(0.19) |
12(0.18) |
12(0.17) |
16(0.22) |
16(0.2) |
|
Woodlot |
60(0.98) |
60(0.93) |
60(0.88) |
60(0.83) |
120(1.55) |
|
Total |
6135(100) |
6450(100) |
6787(100) |
7212(100) |
7742(100) |
figures in parentheses indicate percent of total supply, calculated from FMP 1993
Forest :
|
Of the total area of Bangladesh,
agricultural land makes up 65% of its
geographic surface, forest lands
account for almost 17%, while urban
areas are 8% of the area. Water and
other land use account for the
remaining 10%. The total forestland
includes classified and unclassified
state lands and homestead forests and
tea/rubber gardens. In case of private
forests, the data represent the
tree-covered areas.
Of the 2.52 million hectare Forest
Land, Forest Department manages 1.52
million hectare which includes
Reserved, Protected and Acquired
forest and Mangrove forest on the
newly accreted land in estuaries of
major rivers. The remaining 0.73
million hectare of land designated as
Unclassed State Forest (USF) are under
the control of Ministry of Land.
Village forests (homestead land) form
the most productive tree resource base
in the country and accounts for 0.27
million hectare. |
| Area distribution of Different Land use Category Table -1 |
| Land Use Category | |||
| Area (Million Hectare) | Percent | ||
| Agriculture | 9.57 | 64.9 | |
| State Forest | |||
| Classfied | 1.52 | 10.3 | |
| Unclassified |
0.73 |
5 | |
| Private Forest | |||
| Homestead | 0.27 | 1.8 | |
| Tea/Rubber Garden |
0.07 |
0.5 | |
| Urban | 1.16 | 7.9 | |
| Water |
0.94 |
6.4 | |
| Other | 0.49 | 3.2 | |
| Total | 14.75 | 100 | |
| Table - 2 Total Forest Land of Bangladesh |
| Category of Forests | Area (Million Hectare) | Percentage |
| Forest Department Managed Forests | 1.52 | 10.30 |
| Unclassed State Forest | 0.73 | 4.95 |
| Village Forest | 0.27 | 1.83 |
| Total | 2.52 | 17.08 |
|
Table - 3 Forest Area Managed by FD |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The Hill Forest mainly situated in the
district of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar,
Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban and
Sylhet. The total area of the Hill
Forest i
s 670,000 hectare which accounts for
44% of total area managed by the
Forest Department and 4.54% of total
area of Bangladesh.
Sundarban, the world’s largest contiguous natural mangrove forest in Bangladesh covers an area of 6,017 sq. km which accounts for 4.07% of total area of Bangladesh and 40% of total area managed by the Forest Department. The area covered by the three wildlife sanctuaries in the Sundarban is 1,39,700 hectare that was declared as ‘World Heritage site’ by the UNESCO in 1997. The plain land ‘Sal’ forest is situated mainly in the district of Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Netrokona, Naoga, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Panchagar. The total area of Sal Forest is 120,000 hectare which accounts for 0.81% of total area of Bangladesh and 7.89% of total area managed by the Forest Department. |
Agricultural Residues :
Agricultural residues contribute significantly to the biomass sector of Bangladesh. Crop production generates considerable amounts of residues that can be used as energy source. Crop residues can be distinguished into field residues and process residues. Field residues are residues that are left in the field after harvesting. They are scattered over a wide area, and are generally used as fertilizer. Process residues are generated during crop processing, e.g. milling. They are available at a central location. Besides being as energy source, crop residues are used for several other purposes, such as fodder, raw manufacturing material. In some cases they are just burned as waste [RWEDP 2001]. In Table 5.4, processed agricultural residues production from different principal corps in the year 1998 are shown.
Processed Agricultural Residues Production in 1998 [RWEDP]
|
|
Cultivated Area
|
Total Crop Production
|
Residue |
Residue-to- Product- Ratios |
Processed Residue Production |
Moisture Content |
|
Crop |
(hectares) |
(metric tons) |
|
(RPR) |
(metric tons) |
(%)
|
|
Rice |
10262707 |
28292940 |
Husks |
0.27 |
7,639,094 |
12 |
|
Maize |
2548 |
2660 |
Cob |
0.27 |
718 |
7 to 8 |
|
Maize |
2548 |
2660 |
Husks |
0.2 |
532 |
11 |
|
Coconut |
32092 |
89320 |
Shells |
0.12 |
10,718 |
8 to 9 |
|
Coconut |
32092 |
89320 |
Husks |
0.42 |
37,514 |
10 |
|
Groundnut |
34715 |
39538 |
Husks |
0.48 |
18,978 |
8 |
|
Sugar cane |
175152 |
7378710 |
Bagasse |
0.29 |
2,139,826 |
49 |
|
Jute |
577390 |
1086910 |
Stalks |
2 |
2,173,820 |
15 |
|
Total |
11119244 |
36982058 |
|
|
12,021,201 |
|
Animal Dung :
Total live animals of Bangladesh in 2000 is estimated as 59.55 million heads (Table 5.5). Of the working cattle 92% was used for cultivation and 0.19% was for transportation [Islam 2000]. In Table 5.6, animal residues or manure are given in annual dry matter production in tons. Dry matter of animal manure is the matter left after the removal of moisture.
Live Animals in 2000 [FAOSTAT, 2001]
|
Animals |
Head |
|
Cattle |
23,652,000 |
|
Goats |
33,800,000 |
|
Sheep |
1,121,000 |
|
Buffaloes |
828,000 |
Animal Residues in 1999 [RWEDP, 2001]
|
Animal |
Output (tons) |
|
Buffaloes |
757,000 |
|
Cattle |
24,427,000 |
|
Chickens |
2,018,000 |
|
Total |
27,202,000 |
Municipal and Industrial Solid Wastes:
The main cities of Bangladesh are already over burdened with solid wastes from different sources. According to the World Banks study, the rural population generates only 0.15 kg per capita per day, while their urban counterparts generate 0.4 to 0.5 kg per capita per day [World Bank, 1998]. All city corporations, responsible for waste management, are unable to handle the solid waste properly. But attempts have been made to establish private community-based waste management systems through NGOs. In the capital city of the country – Dhaka, one of the most populated city in the world with about 10 million inhabitants and area of only 360 km2, waste disposal system has become one of the major civic project. It has been estimated by different sources that each day about 3000 to 5000 tons of solid waste materials are generated in the city. Recently, Waste Concern, NGO involved with waste management, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Dhaka City Corporation under which eight new community-based composting plants are being established throughout the city. Waste Concern have demonstrated how creative ventures, in which non-government and private sector organizations support the work of waste disposal authorities, can tackle the serious problems of waste management and generate revenue for all those involved. Their innovative approach has been recognized internationally and they are requested to provide technical support in India and Palestine [Waste Concern 2001]. At present two projects are under active consideration of Ministry of Environment. Two foreign companies (US & Canadian) have submitted their proposal to convert waste into energy in Dhaka using "Plasma Technology". According to Waste Concern, a leading NGO involved in waste management in the country, conversion of waste to energy may not be financially viable as our waste has low calorific value and high moisture content. Moreover, our waste has 70-75% organic matter [Iftekhar Enayetullah & Maqsood Sinha 2001].
Study by CGEA-ONYX of France :
A study was done by CGEA-ONYX of France in October 1997 to find out the possibility to install a wasteto- energy plant at Dhaka. Average calorific value and density of the solid waste were found to be 750 to 950 kcal/kg and 0.35 ton/m3 respectively. The estimated daily volume, physical composition and major composition parts of solid waste in the city is presented in Table 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8 individually.
Daily Volume of Solid Waste at Dhaka [CGEA-ONYX, 1997] :
|
Source |
Tons |
|
Household |
1400 |
|
Commercial |
600 |
|
Industrial |
800 |
|
Medical |
200 |
Physical Composition of Solid Waste at Dhaka [CGEA-ONYX, 1997] :
|
Material |
% by Weight |
|
Paper |
10.0 |
|
Glass |
1.4 |
|
Metal |
0.5 |
|
Plastic |
2.6 |
|
Textile |
2.5 |
|
Wood/Grass |
22.0 |
|
Ash/Soil |
40.0 |
|
Food Waste |
18.0 |
|
Others |
3.0 |
|
Total |
100 |
Major Composition [CGEA-ONYX, 1997 ] :
|
Major Parts |
% by We ight |
|
Moisture |
45.0 |
|
Combustible |
20.0 |
|
Incombustible |
34.7 |
Bio-gas & Bio-fertilizer potential:
There are about 22 million of cattle which excrete about 0.22 million tons of dung per day. This can produce on an average 2.72X10 9 M3 of biogas/year.
|
Sl. |
Raw materials |
Organic Fertilizer (in million tons) |
Yearly gas Production (in million cubic meter) |
|
1. |
Cow/Buffalos dung |
60.2 |
2971.10 |
|
2. |
Poultry droppings |
2.05 |
191.60 |
|
3. |
Human excreta |
32.85 |
1226.40 |
|
4. |
Garbage |
1072 |
115.00 |
|
5. |
Water hyacinth |
10.00 |
740.00 |
|
6. |
Pressed mud |
0.07 |
3.84 |
(Source: BPPP PP)
Pictures of Biomass Resources :
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|
|
Automatic Rice Mill which are quite a large numbers in Bangladesh
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Rice Husk form Rice Mill
|
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 |
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Poultry Waste of Poultry Farm
|
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 |
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Briquettes of Rice Husk
|
|
 |
|
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Cow Dung
|
|
 |
|
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Residue
|
|
 |
|
|
Human Excreta |
|
 |
|
|
Biogas in Use |
