Ecological and Economic Potential of Biogas Production from Dairy Cattle Biological Residues in Kazakhstan

Research Objective – to determine the ecological and economic prerequisites, prospects, and constraining factors of biogas production from dairy farming waste in Kazakhstan. Methods – content analysis of publications on this topic was used to systematize modern views on anaerobic digestion technologies and application directions for products derived from gaseous biofuels; the principle of comparison and synthesis – when comparing indicators of milk production, organic biological residue formation, and assessing opportunities for using them as a resource base for bioenergy gas production, summarizing the environmental and economic benefits of manure processing at dairy farms; summation of results – to substantiate vectors for the dissemination of biogas systems in the context of transition to a circular economy. Results – it was revealed that the potential volume of waste materials depends not only on cattle population, but also on the structure of the dairy herd, specifics of production process organization, and methods of manure removal and storage. It is noted that livestock numbers by categories of economic entities are of significant importance for characterizing animal housing and breeding. It is shown that households and peasant (farm) holdings predominate in the structure of the livestock sector, accounting for almost 90 % of total cattle numbers, which complicates the collection and transportation of manure substrate and reduces the efficiency of its centralized processing. It is established that due to territorial heterogeneity in dairy farming development, the potential for ecofuel generation in the republic should be considered differentially. Based on the obtained results, conclusions were drawn regarding the current state and prerequisites for constructing a circular model of agricultural production, enabling optimal resource consumption, generation of additional profit, and reduction of environmental burden.

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