Keywords: agricultural waste; biomass production; biofuel; energy yield; calorific value; sustain-
able agriculture
1. Introduction Due to economic growth and an increase in population density, Vietnam faces a tremen-
dous rise in energy consumption [
1
]. From being an energy exporter during 1990–2010,
Vietnam has become dependent on energy import, although rising energy consumption was
anticipated. Primary energy consumption in rural Vietnam relies strongly on biomass [
2
],
representing the country’s largest renewable energy source. Unfortunately, biomass is not
treated adequately, and energy loss is enormous. Nearly half of the renewable energy used
in 2017 was provided by modern bioenergy, which accounted for an estimated 12.4% of
total final energy consumption. The remaining 81.6% of the energy supplied in Vietnam
comes from coal, oil and natural gas, mostly imported into the country [
3
]. Vietnam is a
young and fast-growing economy in Southeast Asia that has made efforts to tackle climate
change issues internationally. Thus, a good understanding of the energy resources, markets,
policies and scientific studies will help the country to move towards a cleaner and more
sustainable economy [
4
].
The agricultural sector accounts for more than 15% of Vietnam’s gross domestic
product and concurrently for 40% of the country’s labor force [
5
]. Table
1
shows the
dominant crops that are cultivated in the country.
Agronomy 2021, 11, 169. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010169
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy
Agronomy 2021, 11, 169
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Table 1. Top six crops/commodities considering the total yearly yield in Vietnam.
Production Quantity (t)
