GIS-based modeling of residual biomass availability for energy and production in Mexico

Energy demand in Mexico is expected to increase in the foreseeable future; however, recently adopted national policies require that Mexico reduces its dependence on fossil fuel-based energy resources. In order to identify areas with a high potential for renewable energy production, based on agricultural by-products a geographic information system-based model was constructed. The model considered a set of enablers' layers (agriculture residue, roads, electrical network, population, land use) and a set of restrictors' layers (slope, natural protected areas, water bodies, natural vegetation, populated areas, airports, and historical sites). Eight crops were selected: maize, wheat, sugarcane, barley, sorghum, agave, paddy rice, and pecan nut. These were selected based on their residue production, as well as being the ones with sizable production volume in several regions across Mexico, as well as the characteristics of their residual biomass that can be used for generating energy or chemicals, without altering the primary intention for these crops, which is human and animal feed. Four models were developed using a weighted overlay algorithm to construct the enablers' layer while the restrictors' layer was created by selecting features with a given characteristic or by generating buffers from the layer's features. The results show that it is possible to generate up to 70,951 MWh of electricity or 18,373 Gg of Fischer–Tropsch liquids using only 60% of the residual biomass. The distribution of these energy sources in the country is highly variable depending on the type of crop selected with a concentration of the crop residues along the lowlands of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean and the central states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, and Queretaro. The study covers a very ample set of municipalities throughout the country, therein their relevance.