Biodigesters as a complement to the soybean, corn and wheat production chain in Paraguay, technical and economic pre-feasibility study

Abstract

The Paraguayan agricultural producer is in constant risk, due to price variations and climatic threats. In this context, biodigesters could help to generate additional profits with the use of biogas and digestate produced from sources found in the agricultural environment. For this purpose, a technical and economic pre-feasibility study is carried out, which was achieved from the experiences obtained in the “Concordia-SC Project” - Brazil and the KTBL of Germany. In this way, 3 scenarios of complementation of pig manure with corn and wheat were proposed for anaerobic digestion in industrial biodigesters in large-scale agricultural projects. The results showed that in scenario 1 (pig manure) 25.8% IRR was obtained; scenario 2 (pig manure and corn silage) IRR 31.7%; and scenario 3 (pig manure and wheat grains) IRR 27.2%. At the same time, in scenario 2, an opportunity cost of US $ 33,197 was obtained and in scenario 3, US $ 5,455, respectively, in favor of the use of biodigesters. Finally, the possible savings in fertilization from the digestate resulted in US $ 114,093, 148,502 and 132,565 in N, P2O5 and K2O respectively. The results show that the inclusion of biodigesters in the productive chain of the soy, wheat and corn complex can support the obtaining of greater profitability for the producer, while reducing the risk to which it is exposed.