We made an assessment study on the amount biomass fuel used by a community. We want to calculate the emission as a result of biomass fuel use. What approach is the best to calculate emission in CO2 equivalents?
It is usually assumed that biomass itself is carbon-neutral fuel and CO2 emissions are originated from from biomass transport and preparation and from auxillary fuels an delectricity. These emissions can be estimated based on local CO2 emission factors.
See for instance http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/sites/default/files/resources/reports/Carbon_Compliance_Carbon_Emission_Factors_for_Fuels_Methodology_and_Values_for_2013_%26_2016.pdf
There are data in the literature. Usually, 1 ton of wood or woody biomass contains 500 kg Carbon (other biomass somewhat differs), so 1 t biomass burning results in 1.8 t of CO2. But there are global warming effects of the production of the biomass fuel as well (so it is never carbon neutral as stated above).
You can calculate the emission based on the produced power or heat energy as well.
Also, I have an excel spreadsheet calculation of all emissions from biomass fuel and I am happy to share with you. It includes harvesting, transporting, processing and incinerating. Also, the CO2 effect of agricultural management can be added.
Please find my paper below about CO2 emission of wood pellets produced in the US, transported to Europe and burnt in an industrial boiler.
Article Use of Linear Programming to Optimize the Social, Environmen...
This is actually a matter of agreement. If you will use actual 3.5 tCO2/twood emission you won't see any advantage of biomass over fossil fuels. For instance, UNFCCC distinguish renewable and non-renewable biomass, EU ETS emissions reporting doesn't count biomass emissions, etc...
I would like to thank you both Dmitri and Robert for your answers. Biomass fuel is generally considered as carbon neutral on the assumption that it is replaced and captures the released CO2. However, in cases where biomass fuel is not replaced (tropical deforestation), I also agree that it is not carbon neutral in principle. The assumption, 1 t biomass burning results in 3.5 t of CO2, considers fixed amount of carbon in the biomass. There are also emission calculations based on the produced power or heat energy as well. Which estimate is better?
Robert I would be very happy to receive your excel spreadsheet for calculation of emissions from biomass fuel.
But do we really capture all CO/CO2 which is released through biomass combustion? that is correct that a tree in order to grow captures CO2 but the amount that we release during the peak time, actually can be captured during a very long time. And that is quite correct to say that we do affect the environment negatively even if we burn wood instead of oil.
The CO2 produced with reaction of carbon with oxygen, most biomass, including wood, is composed of roughly 50% carbon by weight, 40% oxygen and 5% hydrogen. A 50-megawatt electric power plant burning wood pellets would emit 43,730 tons of carbon as carbon dioxide each year, The calculation of carbon stock as biomass consists of multiplying the total biomass by a conversion factor that represents the average carbon content in biomass.generally 1 m³ wood stores 1 tonne CO2. Each cubic metre of wood grown holds just under a tonne of carbon dioxide 'sequestered' from the atmosphere. The total carbon emissions absorbed by forests around the world is around 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315940391_Energy_consumption_and_equivalent_emission_of_CO2_at_wood_pellets_production_in_Serbia
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Bioecology
- Systems Ecology
- Landscape Ecology
- Connectivity