| 1. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, 1954-, et al.
(author)
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Climate change effects of forestry and substitution of carbon-intensive materials and fossil fuels
- 2017
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In: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1364-0321 .- 1879-0690. ; 67:January, s. 612-624
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We estimate the climate effects of directing forest management in Sweden towards increased carbon storage in forests with more land set-aside for protection, or towards increased forest production for the substitution of carbon-intensive materials and fossil fuels, relative to a reference case of current forest management. We develop various scenarios of forest management and biomass use to estimate the carbon balances of the forest systems, including ecological and technological components, and their impacts on the climate in terms of radiative forcing. The scenario with increased set-aside area and the current level of forest residue harvest resulted in lower cumulative carbon emissions compared to the reference case for the first 90 years, but then showed higher emissions as reduced forest harvest led to higher carbon emissions from energy and material systems. For the reference case of current forest management, increased harvest of forest residues gave increased climate benefits. The most climatically beneficial alternative, expressed as reduced cumulative radiative forcing, in both the short and long terms is a strategy aimed at high forest production, high residue recovery rate, and high efficiency utilization of harvested biomass. Active forest management with high harvest levels and efficient forest product utilization will provide more climate benefit, compared to reducing harvest and storing more carbon in the forest.
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| 2. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, et al.
(author)
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Climate effects of bioenergy from forest residues in comparison to fossil energy
- 2015
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In: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 138, s. 36-50
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Forest residues can be left at the harvest site to gradually decompose, or can be collected for energy purposes. This study analyzes the primary energy and climate impacts of bioenergy systems where forest residues are collected and used for electricity, heat and transportation, compared to fossil-based energy systems where fossil fuels provide the same services while forest residues are left on site to decompose. Time profiles are elaborated of primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions from various energy applications fulfilled by bioenergy or fossil energy systems. Different biological decay functions are considered based on process-based modeling and inventory data across various climate zones. For all scenarios, the changes in cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) are calculated over a 300-year period, to evaluate the short- and long-term contributions of forest residue to climate change mitigation. A life cycle perspective along the full energy chains is used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of each system. The results show largest primary energy and climate benefits when forest residues are collected and used efficiently for energy services. Using biomass to substitute fossil coal provides greater climate change mitigation benefits than substituting oil or fossil gas. Some bioenergy substitutions result in positive CRF, i.e. increased global warming, during an initial period. This occurs for relatively inefficient bioenergy conversion pathways to substitute less carbon intensive fossil fuels, e.g. biomotor fuel used to replace diesel. More beneficial bioenergy substitutions, such as efficiently replacing coal, result immediately in reduced CRF. Biomass decay rates and transportation distance have less influence on climate benefits.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Haus, Sylvia
(author)
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Climate impact of the sustainable use of forest biomass in energy and material system : a life cycle perspective
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Human society releases greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere while providing housing, heat, mobility and industrial production. Man-made greenhouse gas emissions are the main causes of climate change, coming mainly from burning fossil fuels and land-use changes. Sustainably managed forests play an important role in climate change mitigation with the prospect of sustainably providing essential materials and services as part of a low-carbon economy, both through the substitution of fossil-intensive fuels and material and through their potential to capture and store carbon in the long-term perspective.The overall aim of this thesis was to develop a methodology under a life cycle perspective to assess the climate impact of the sustainable use of forest biomass in bioenergy and material systems. To perform this kind of analysis a methodological framework is needed to accurately compare the different biological and technological systems with the aim to minimize the net carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and hence the climate impact. In such a comparison, the complete energy supply chains from natural resources to energy end-use services has to be considered and are defined as the system boundaries.The results show that increasing biomass production through more intensive forest management or the usage of more productive tree species combined with substitution of non-wood products and fuels can significantly reduce global warming. The biggest single factor causing radiative forcing reduction was using timber to produce wood material to replace energy-intensive construction materials such as concrete and steel. Another very significant factor was replacing fossil fuels with forest residues from forest thinning, harvest, wood processing, and post-use wood products. The fossil fuel that was replaced by forest biomass affected the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon-intensive coal being most beneficial to replace. Over the long term, an active and sustainable management of forests, including their use as a source for wood products and bioenergy allows the greatest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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| 5. |
- Haus, Sylvia, et al.
(author)
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Climate mitigation comparison of woody biomass systems with the inclusion of land-use in the reference fossil system
- 2014
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In: Biomass and Bioenergy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0961-9534 .- 1873-2909. ; 65, s. 136-144
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While issues of land-use have been considered in many direct analyses of biomass systems, little attention has heretofore been paid to land-use in reference fossil systems. Here we address this limitation by comparing forest biomass systems to reference fossil systems with explicit consideration of land-use in both systems. We estimate and compare the time profiles of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) of woody biomass systems and reference fossil systems. A life cycle perspective is used that includes all significant elements of both systems, including GHG emissions along the full material and energy chains. We consider the growth dynamics of forests under different management regimes, as well as energy and material substitution effects of harvested biomass. We determine the annual net emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 for each system over a 240-year period, and then calculate time profiles of cRF as a proxy measurement of climate change impact. The results show greatest potential for climate change mitigation when intensive forest management is applied in the woody biomass system. This methodological framework provides a tool to help determine optimal strategies for managing forests so as to minimize climate change impacts. The inclusion of land-use in the reference system improves the accuracy of quantitative projections of climate benefits of biomass-based systems. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Haus, Sylvia, et al.
(author)
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Greenhouse Gas Emission Comparison of Woody Biomass Systems with the Inclusion of Land-use in the Reference Fossil System
- 2013
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In: 21st European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, Copenhagen, June 3-7, 2013. - : ETA-Florence Renewable Energies. - 9788889407530 ; , s. 1794-1799
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While issues of land-use have been considered in many analyses of biomass systems, little attention has heretofore been paid to land-use in reference fossil systems. In this study we address this limitation by comparing forest biomass systems to reference fossil systems with explicit consideration of land-use in both systems. We estimate and compare the time profiles of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) of woody biomass systems and reference fossil systems. A life cycle perspective is used that includes all elements of both systems and all GHG emissions along the full material and energy chains. We consider the growth dynamics of forests under different management regimes, as well as energy and material substitution effects. We determine the annual net emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 for each system over a 240-year period. We then calculate time profiles of CRF as a proxy for climate change impacts. The results show greatest CRF reduction when fertilized forest management is applied in the woody biomass system. The results show the relevance of including land use options in both the biomass and the fossil system to accurately determine the climate impacts and benefits of forest management and product use.
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| 7. |
- Haus, Sylvia, et al.
(author)
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Lignocellulosic Ethanol in a Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Obligation System : A Case Study of Swedish Sawdust Based-Ethanol Production
- 2020
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In: Energies. - : MDPI. - 1996-1073. ; 13:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction obligation system has been implemented in the Swedish road transport sector to promote the use of biofuels. For transportation fuel suppliers to fulfil this obligation, the volume of biofuel required decreases with decreasing life cycle GHG emission for the biofuel, linking lower GHG emission to higher economic value. The aim of this study was to investigate how the economic competitiveness of a Swedish emerging lignocellulosic-based ethanol production system would be influenced by the reduction obligation. The life cycle GHG emission for sawdust-based ethanol was calculated by applying the method advocated in the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). The saving in GHG emissions, compared with fossil liquid transportation fuels, was 93% for a potential commercial production system in southern Sweden. This, in turn, will increase the competitiveness of sawdust-based ethanol compared to the mainly crop-based ethanol currently used in the Swedish biofuel system, which has an average GHG emission saving of 68%, and will allow for an almost 40% higher price of sawdust-based ethanol, compared to the current price of ethanol at point of import. In a future developed, large-scale market of advanced ethanol, today’s GHG emission reduction obligation system in Sweden seems to afford sufficient economic advantage to make lignocellulosic ethanol economically viable. However, in a short-term perspective, emerging lignocellulosic-based ethanol production systems are burdened with economic risks and therefore need additional economic incentives to make a market introduction possible.
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| 8. |
- Sathre, Roger, et al.
(author)
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Time Dynamics and Radiative Forcing of Forest Bioenergy Systems
- 2013
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In: Forest BioEnergy Production. - New York, NY : Springer. - 9781461483908 - 1461483905 - 9781461483915 ; , s. 185-206
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this chapter we explore the temporal dynamics of using forest bioenergy to mitigate climate change. We consider such issues as: growth dynamics of forests under different management regimes; the substitution effects of different bioenergy and biomaterial uses; temporary carbon storage in harvested biomass; the availability of different biomass fractions at different points of a wood product life cycle; and changes in carbon content of forest soils. We introduce the metric of radiative forcing, which quantifies the accumulating energy due to the global greenhouse effect, and we describe a method to estimate quantitatively and to compare the cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) of forest bioenergy systems and reference fossil energy systems. In three case studies, we describe the time dynamics and estimate the CRF profiles of various forest biomass systems.
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