Woody biomass, the most abundant and high energy density bioenergy resource, is used inefficiently to satisfy the domestic heating and cooking demands of the people. Despite being a carbon-neutral source when harvested sustainably, the inefficient use of biomass to satisfy the cooking demand of marginalized people led to poor indoor air quality and causing respiratory health problems. Hence, it is necessary to identify a technology that enables the conversion of woody biomass into fuel that does not affect indoor air quality. In this regard, the conversion of woody biomass into biogas by anaerobic digestion emerges as the viable option. However, the recalcitrance nature of woody biomass necessitates a pretreatment before being fed to an anaerobic digestor, increasing the capital and operating cost of the biogas system. But usage of this technology to convert woody biomass to gaseous fuel can aid in sustainable development. The waste digested from the anaerobic digestor can be used as manure for agricultural crops in rural areas. Meanwhile, fly ash generated during the combustion of the woody biomass is also inhibited thereby resulting in an improvement in air quality. In this regard, this chapter presents the recent developments and factors affecting biogas production from woody biomass. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
