FACT SHEET Turning Agricultural Residues and Manure into Bioenergy

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies a significant opportunity for the United States to utilize agricultural residues and manure to reduce oil and coal dependence. By 2030, the U.S. could tap 155 million tons of residues and nearly 60 million tons of manure, which could generate over 10 billion gallons of ethanol or 166 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The document emphasizes that sustainable use requires balancing energy needs with soil health, suggesting that no-till farming and cover crops can mitigate erosion. Geographically, a small number of states, led by Iowa, hold the majority of this potential, with specific opportunities identified in Arkansas, Texas, and California based on their dominant crops and livestock.

• By 2030, the United States has the potential to utilize 155 million tons of agricultural residues and nearly 60 million tons of manure for bioenergy production.
• The total available biomass from these sources could produce more than 10 billion gallons of ethanol or 166 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, the latter representing 4 percent of total U.S. power consumption as of 2010.
• Sustainable residue removal depends on local factors like soil conditions and climate; however, farmers can use no-till farming and cover crops to reduce soil erosion and water pollution while increasing available residues.
• Anaerobic digesters on smaller livestock farms can convert manure into biogas for on-farm heat and power or for sale as renewable natural gas, which helps reduce methane emissions and improve water quality.
• A small number of states dominate the potential for bioenergy co-products, with approximately two-thirds of the total projected 2030 U.S. crop residues and manure coming from just 10 states.
• Iowa has the highest potential for bioenergy production, with 31 million tons of residues available by 2030, including corn stover that could yield 1 billion additional gallons of ethanol annually.
• Other states with significant potential include Arkansas (rice hulls and manure), Texas (field residue, cotton gin by-products, cattle manure, rice hulls, and sugarcane bagasse), and California (vineyard and orchard prunings, manure, and rice straw).

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2014). FACT SHEET Turning Agricultural Residues and Manure into Bioenergy. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Agricultural-Residue-Ranking.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. FACT SHEET Turning Agricultural Residues and Manure into Bioenergy. 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Agricultural-Residue-Ranking.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=FACT SHEET Turning Agricultural Residues and Manure into Bioenergy |date=July 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Agricultural-Residue-Ranking.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2014fact, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{FACT SHEET Turning Agricultural Residues and Manure into Bioenergy}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Agricultural-Residue-Ranking.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }