Bioenergy Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...

forms a small part of the Turkish energy sector. There is unrealised potential to generate bioenergy using waste from the country's vast

agricultural sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in ...

and forest resources. The possibility of expanding

biogas Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. I ...

, biofuel and

bioethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a h ...

production and use has been suggested to supplement Turkey's energy needs, reduce dependency on fossil fuel imports and cut

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...

Overview

Turkey is highly dependent on fossil fuels for its energy needs, contributing to increasing

and raising concerns over

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

. Since 1980, Turkey has considered using

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...

for energy and heating, and in the 2010s included a biomass component in its target of achieving 20% renewable energy by 2023. The economic biomass potential of Turkey is 32 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe)/year. Total biomass production is estimated to reach 52.5 Mtoe by 2030. An estimated 6.5 million homes in Turkey use biomass as their main source of heating fuel. Waste from the country's vast

has potential as a source of heat and energy, and could reduce dependency on foreign fuel imports.

Bio-waste Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion o ...

from

Marmara Region The Marmara Region (Turkish: ''Marmara Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey. Located in northwestern Turkey, it is bordered by Greece and the Aegean Sea to the west, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the north, the Black Sea Region to the ...

has potential to generate almost half its energy needs. The country's rich forest resources have also been proposed as a source of renewable bioenergy. Forest residues (wood chips and pellets) from industrial activities are also a potential source of biomass - their use in energy generation could reduce Turkeys' greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5% and save $0.5 billion annually by reducing the need for fossil fuel imports. Sources of biomass energy include grain dust, wheat straw, and hazelnut shell. Biomass as an energy source is advantageous due to its ability to be readily available all year round. Tupraş intends to make

sustainable aviation fuel An aviation biofuel or bio-jet fuel Note: About">Investable Universe>About' or bio-aviation fuel (BAF) is a biofuel used to power aircraft and is said to be a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) c ...

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is the process of extracting bioenergy from biomass and capturing and storing the carbon, thereby removing it from the atmosphere. The carbon in the biomass comes from the greenhouse gas carbon d ...

has been suggested to remove residual

after net zero in 2053. There are drawbacks to using biomass as energy in Turkey. These include but are not limited to: availability (seasonally and geographically), production (based on climate conditions), and cost of transportation. Overall, the cost of biomass waste varies depending on Turkey's economic status and crop production. there are no reliable production or export statistics.

Biogas

There is significant

generation potential in Turkey. More than eighty five million tons of

animal waste Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutrie ...

is produced annually in Turkey. This could be used to produce over 1.8 million tons of oil equivalent (toe). With plant waste included the potential raises to over 5.3 million tons of oil equivalent (toe). A 2022 study estimated the country's biogas potential at 7 billion m³ per year. However, only 85 biogas facilities with 36 plants are currently in operation in Turkey.

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air L ...

and

Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is bordered ...

have the greatest potential for electricity generation from animal waste. The world's largest landfill gas power plant began operating in 2020 in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Biofuel

One percent of fuel requirements in Turkey are produced by biofuels, with an estimated increase of seven percent in 2023. Biojet production is hoped to be certified in 2022. A

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

plant is planned. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

and

Ministry of Industry and Technology The Ministry of Industry and Technology ( tr, Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı) is a government ministry office of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for industrial and commercial affairs in Turkey. The ministry is headed by Mustafa Varank. Ref ...

funded the establishment of a

biorefinery A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts (such as chemicals). The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio ...

in Istanbul, which converts processes algae biomass into biofuel and other products.

Bioethanol

In 2011, Turkish Energy Regulatory Agency (EMRA) mandated biofuel blending for bioethanol (2%) and

(1%). Approximately 1.5 million tons of biodiesel and 3 million tons of bioethanol are produced in Turkey.

Sugar beets Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double s ...

are the main source of

production in Turkey, followed by

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

and

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...

, with a yearly production of 15, 4.3 and 20 tons per year, respectively.

References

External links