Exploring biomass resources and conversion technologies in Bangladesh: Current status, challenges, and future prospects

Abstract

This paper assesses the potential of biomass resources in Bangladesh to meet the country's growing energy demands. It begins by analyzing the available biomass resources and their total energy content, followed by a review of the government's existing energy technologies. The study further explores innovative biomass conversion methods, discussing their benefits and challenges for maximizing electricity production. Additionally, a comparison between an ongoing project involving establishment of waste incineration-based plant and a potential anaerobic digestion (AD) plant for treating solid waste in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. This study reveals that although incineration-based plant will generate less electricity than AD, the cost of energy of the incineration plant is half of the AD plant. Moreover, Incineration is expected to inflict less damage to the human health and ecosystem compared to the AD. Overall, this study concludes that both the waste-to-energy strategies will bring significant environmental benefits compared to the traditional landfilling process.