Publication: Accessibility of agricultural manure and field side streams for sustainable biogas production a spatial data-based review in the southern part of Northern Ostrobothnia

Researchers Anne-Mari Riikonen, Ossi Kotavaara and Ulla Lehtinen from the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute investigated how much agricultural side streams are generated in the southern part of Northern Ostrobothnia and how accessible the raw material is to biogas plants. The study covered the municipalities of Nivala, Haapajärvi, Kärsämäki, Pyhäjärvi, Reisjärvi, Sievi and Ylivieska. Side streams refer to the secondary material produced in agriculture: slurry, straw, grass and spoiled or surplus grass silage. Literature was used to estimate the amount of manure and field biomass suitable for biogas production, as well as the Normilanta model produced by the Natural Resources Institute Finland and harvest statistics for production plants.
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Pohjois-Pohjanmaan eteläinen osa on merkittävää maatalousaluetta. Tarkastelualueella on noin 750 eläintilaa, joista 97 % on nauThe southern part of Northern Ostrobothnia is a significant agricultural area. There are about 750 animal farms in the area under review, of which 97% are cattle farms. The farms produce about 1,123,000 tons of slurry annually, which is the main source material for biogas plants. Beneficial field biomass is produced in more than 10,000 field parcels and in an area of approximately 38,360 hectares. There is a total of 33,123 tons of arable biomass from straw and 12,267 tons from grassland. The key question is whether this input material is sufficient for the needs of operating and planned biogas plants.

Four biogas plants operating or planned in the area were considered in the review. The operating plants are the Ojasaari biogas plant (capacity 35,000 t) and Pyhäjärvi Biogas Ltd (5000 t). The planned plants in Nivala are the Wega Group plant (500,000600,000 t) and the Reisjärvi biogas plant (c. 100,000550,000 t). Based on a spatial data-based service analysis, it was determined from which farms and parcels of land feed materials are collected for biogas plants to fill the capacity of the plants. The service areas of the biogas plants, i.e. the distance to the premises where the input material is collected, ranged from 5 kilometres to 40 kilometres at the Ojasaari biogas plant.

The result of the survey was that there is enough input material in the area for the needs of biogas plants. Approximately 55%, or 648 067 tonnes, of the input material generated in the entire inspection area can be used at biogas plants in the area. On the other hand, side streams generated at the edges of the observation area remain unexploited, especially in Kärsämäki and Haapavesi municipalities. Most of the area's feed is animal-derived slurry. Increasing the amount of grass could therefore play a major role in biogas production in the region. Its methane output compared to manure would be many times higher, making it an excellent input material.

The publication has been produced as part of the BIOTUTO – Cooperation boosts recycled nutrients and local bioenergy production project. The project is managed by the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute and co-implemented by Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Jokilaaksojen koulutuskeskus JEDU and Nivala-Haapajärvi Region NIHAK ry. The project is funded by the EU's Fair Transition Fund - JTF.


Publication (only in Finnish):
Riikonen, Anne-Mari; Kotavaara, Ossi; Lehtinen, Ulla. Maatalouden lanta- ja peltosivuvirtojen saavutettavuus kestävän biokaasutuotannon kannalta – paikkatietopohjainen tarkastelu Pohjois-Pohjanmaan eteläisessä osassa. Oulun yliopiston Kerttu Saalasti Instituutin julkaisuja 1/2025

More information:
Heidi Pasanen, project manager, BIOTUTO project
heidi.pasanen@oulu.fi

Photo: Ulla Lehtinen

Last updated: 31.3.2025