Energy can be derived from livestock manure as long as they are collected in lagoons or large tanks and can be considered feasible only in in-stall livestock systems, excluding therefore sheep and goats from such practices since their breeding is extensive making collection of manure impossible.

Since animal manure is of a high water content, it can be digested anaerobically for the production of biogas, which can be burnt for heat or/and electricity production.

Intensive livestock in Bosnia & Herzegovina consists of cattle, brood sows and poultry farming. According to official statistics there were 378.000 cattle (heads), 276.000 pigs and 11,26m poultry in 2008 [1,2]. The energy potential Eresanimi, j for animal species i in region j was evaluated based on the formula [5]:

Eresanimr,) = prCi. jYiHi

Ci, j number of animal species i nurtured in region j [heads] pi country specific manure generation factor for species i [t/head/yr]

Yi country specific biogas yield [Nm3/t manure]

Hi country specific lower heating value of biogas [GJ/Nm3]

The manure generation factor, the biogas yield and the energy content of the produced biogas of the examined animal species depend on factors such as body size, kind of feed, physiological state (lactating, growing, etc.), and level of nutrition and coefficients regarding the residues produced on average per animal and the biogas yield per ton of produced residues were assumed according to the experts analysis in whole this region [5]. The amount of biogas that could be theoretically produced amounts to 292 million Nm3, which is equivalent to 6,50 PJ In order to estimate the technically available livestock manure and since no further data regarding the regional distribution of animal farms that are of adequate size for biogas production were available, it was assumed that the technical potential of livestock manure would be 20% of its theoretical value, which is now the case for Croatia [5]. The available livestock manure for energy production amount to 1,30 PJ, or 0,56% of the total primary energy supply in the country in 2008 [5].

Residues from cows contribute the largest share to the total potential (50% in total), while poultry has a sizeable share (38%) and pig residues have the lowest share (12%).

Furthermore, in the same Figure it is shown that the potential is higher in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brcko District than in RS.

In FBiH the highest potential is found in the canton of Tuzla (FBiH-K3), which makes 40% of the total potential in FBiH and Brcko District. Furthermore, this canton exhibits the highest poultry residues potential, since 35% of the country’s poultry is farmed there. Another 18% of the FBiH potential is found in the Zenica-Doboj canton (FBiH-K4) and therefore, 58% of the FBiH potential is concentrated in the north-east.

Exploitation of livestock manure for energy production via anaerobic digestion (AD) is considered to be feasible only for medium to large scale livestock units. A feasibility study called ANIWASTE financed by the EC in 2005 has sampled more than 300 farms in the wider region of Banja Luka and Lijevce polje, which is the region with the most intensive cattle raising activities. The average farm in this region has 100 pigs, 10-20 cows and 5.000­10.000 poultry. In general, the sector has passed through a post-war transition period in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has resulted in small family farms [8].