scholarly journals Carbon Footprint of Thermal Energy Production from Poplar Short-Rotation Coppice Plantations

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Giulio Sperandio ◽  
Alessandro Suardi ◽  
Andrea Acampora ◽  
Vincenzo Civitarese
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Wood Biomass ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Biomass Plant ◽  
Forest Rotation

The use of agroforestry biomass represents a relevant aspect in the world debate on the issue of reducing climate-altering gases in the atmosphere. One of the possible sources of wood biomass production is represented by poplar SRC plantations. In the present work, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the entire supply chain of four different cutting shifts (2, 3, 4, and 5 years) have been evaluated according to the IPCC method. In relation to the rotation cycle, four biomass harvesting systems were considered with a different level of mechanization. It was considered that the biomass produced by the plantations was used in a biomass plant for heating a public building. The environmental impact of 1 GJ of heat energy produced by the various forest rotation plants was assessed considering the entire life cycle, from the field stage to the thermal energy production. The results were compared with the production of the same quantity of thermal energy using a diesel boiler. The comparison between the two systems has shown that the production and use of biomass to generate thermal energy can reduce the Global Warming Potential by more than 70% compared to the use of fossil fuels.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability of Heat Produced by Poplar Short-Rotation Coppice (SRC) Woody Biomass

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 878
Author(s):  
Giulio Sperandio ◽  
Alessandro Suardi ◽  
Andrea Acampora ◽  
Vincenzo Civitarese
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Forest Plants ◽  
Biomass Power Plant ◽  
Different Levels

As demonstrated for some time, the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can also take place using agroforestry biomass. Short-rotation coppice (SRC) is one of the sources of woody biomass production. In our work, the supply of woody biomass was considered by examining four different cutting shifts (2, 3, 4 and 5 years) and, for each, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) was evaluated according to the IPCC 2007 method. Regarding the rotation cycle, four biomass collection systems characterized by different levels of mechanization were analyzed and compared. In this study, it was assumed that the biomass produced by the SRC plantations was burned in a 350 kWt biomass power plant to heat a public building. The environmental impact generated by the production of 1 GJ of thermal energy was assessed for each of the forest plants examined, considering the entire life cycle, from the field phase to the energy production. The results were compared with those obtained to produce the same amount of thermal energy from a diesel boiler. Comparing the two systems analyzed, it was shown that the production and use of wood biomass to obtain thermal energy can lead to a reduction in the Global Warming Potential of over 70% compared to the use of fossil fuel.

Life cycle assessment of thermal energy production from short-rotation willow biomass in Southern Ontario, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 204 ◽  
pp. 343-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goretty M. Dias ◽  
Nathan W. Ayer ◽  
Kumudinie Kariyapperuma ◽  
Naresh Thevathasan ◽  
Andrew Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Short Rotation

scholarly journals Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas ◽  
Ola Eriksson ◽  
Thomas Olofsson
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study is to assess how the use of fossil and nuclear power in different renovation scenarios affects the environmental impacts of a multi-family dwelling in Sweden, and how changes in the electricity production with different energy carriers affect the environmental impact. In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Union has set an agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency in buildings. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 80% of Europe’s population will be living in buildings that already exist. This means it is important for the European Union to renovate buildings to improve energy efficiency. In this study, eight renovation scenarios, using six different Northern European electricity mixes, were analyzed using the standard of the European Committee for Standardization for life cycle assessment of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and improvement of the building envelope. The results show that while in some electricity mixes a reduction in the global warming potential can be achieved, it can be at the expense of an increase in radioactive waste production, and, in mixes with a high share of fossil fuels, the global warming potential of the scenarios increases with time, compared with that of the original building. It also shows that in most electricity mixes, scenarios that reduce the active heat demand of the building end up in reducing both the global warming potential and radioactive waste, making them less sensitive to changes in the energy system.

A Study on Methane Emissions and Its Mitigation Strategies in Present Scenario

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (02) ◽  
pp. 87-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virendra Kumar ◽  
Swati SachdevSanjeev Kumar ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Methane Emission ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Methane Generation

Methane is an important gas of earth's environment. It emits from various naturally as well as anthropogenic sources and responsible for maintaining earth's global temperature favorable for humans and other organisms to live. In recent years many activities of human development led to generation of a large volume of methane which has exhibited catastrophic effect on humans as well as animal lives on earth. Methane poses high global warming potential and has been found second most abounded gas in the environment responsible for global warming of earth after carbon dioxide which is well documented in gigantic body of literature. Methane emission is projected to reach 254 Gg/ year by the year 2025. The sources of methane generation are scattered in nature that includes marshes, paddy crops, landfills and natural anaerobic decomposition of the organic matter present in the environment and digestion in ruminants as well handling and use of fossil fuels. The versatile sources of methane generation are uncontrolled and tough to be tamed. However, its emissions and negative effects could be reduced by effectively and efficiently managing its sources of emission and utilizing generated volume for energy production. This study emphasize on the harmful as well as beneficial aspects of the methane, its utilization and strategies to control emission from various sources.

scholarly journals Ranking Renewable and Fossil Fuels on Global Warming Potential Using Respiratory Quotient Concept

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalyan Annamalai ◽  
Siva Sankar Thanapal ◽  
Devesh Ranjan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Respiratory Quotient ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
The Body ◽  
Solid Fuels ◽  
Exhaust Gas ◽  
Pure Carbon

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the greenhouse gases which cause global warming. The amount of fossil fuels consumed to meet the demands in the areas of power and transportation is projected to increase in the upcoming years. Depending on carbon content, each power plant fuel has its own potential to produce carbon dioxide. Similarly, the humans consume food containing carbohydrates (CH), fat, and protein which emit CO2 due to metabolism. The biology literature uses respiratory quotient (RQ), defined as the ratio of CO2 moles exhausted per mole of O2 consumed within the body, to estimate CO2 loading in the blood stream and CO2 in nasal exhaust. Here, we apply that principle in the field of combustion to relate the RQ to CO2 emitted in tons per GJ of energy released when a fuel is combusted. The RQ value of a fuel can be determined either from fuel chemical formulae (from ultimate analyses for most liquid and solid fuels of known composition) or from exhaust gas analyses. RQ ranges from 0.5 for methane (CH4) to 1 for pure carbon. Based on the results obtained, the lesser the value of “RQ” of a fuel, the lower its global warming potential. This methodology can be further extended for an “online instantaneous measurement of CO2” in automobiles based on actual fuel use irrespective of fuel composition.

Ocean Energy

2022 ◽  
pp. 173-207
Author(s):  
Umesh Agarwal ◽  
Naveen Jain ◽  
Manoj Kumawat
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Market Report ◽  
Energy Information

Until the middle of 20th century, there was a strong conviction that the next century would be the age of renewable and nuclear energy resources. However, at present, the whole world is dependent on fossil fuels to satisfy their energy need. Environmental pollution and global warming are the main issues associated with the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation. As per the report of US Energy Information IE Outlook 2016, coal, natural gas, and petroleum share nearly 67.2% of global electricity generation whereas renewable energy shares only 21.9%. This share is only one-fifth of the global electricity demand. According to the IEA 2016 Medium Term Renewable Energy Market Report, worldwide power production capacity of marine was only 539 MW in 2014, and to reach at a level of 640 MW, it will take 2021. The oceans cover about 70% of the Earth and acts as the largest thermal energy collector. A recent study reveals that global development capability of ocean energy is approximated to be 337 GW, and more than 885 TWH of electricity can be produced from this potential.

The End of Meat

World on Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 109-128
Author(s):  
Mark Rowlands
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Eating Meat ◽  
Very High

The edge required by renewable technologies is provided by a simplification of the energy supply train. This simplification consists in no longer eating animals. Animals have upside-down energy returned on energy invested values (EROIs), with up to 30 times as much energy having to be put into raising them as we get out of them through eating them or their products. At one time, when our fossil fuels sported extraordinarily high EROIs—100:1 in some cases—we could afford to take this sort of hit on our food-based energy supply. Now, however, we can no longer afford to do so. Moreover, the results of this grossly inefficient energy exchange are rising greenhouse gas emissions. By no longer eating meat, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 14%. Importantly, much of this reduction will be in methane and nitrous dioxide, which have very high global warming potential relative to carbon dioxide.

Epistemic and Methodological Challenges of Dynamic Environmental Assessment: A Case-Study with Energy Production from Solar Cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 572 ◽  
pp. 535-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrand Laratte ◽  
Bertrand Guillaume
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Rebound Effect ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evolution Of Technology

During the last decades, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been one of the most common approaches for environmental impact assessment. This methodology has become more and more complex in its representation of the real environmental impacts of products. However, it does not take into account temporal and cumulative aspects, and therefore appear not so suitable to observe potential rebound effect of new technologies. In this paper, we explore the limits of static LCA and understand how some dynamic LCA can be interpreted, by comparing the results of two environmental impacts assessments of energy production from solar cells. The global warming potential (GWP) of different technologies was accounted from the last 50 years. We show with this example how any temporal evolution of technology matters for environmental assessment (e.g. the global warming potential). Turning then to the future, we offer scenarios to see the evolution of greenhouse effect in long term regarding different mixes of technologies. This example opens new horizons for future research in the field of temporal LCA and its applications.

scholarly journals Energy Production Potential of Wood Biomass from SRC Plantations in Cadastral Area of Nové Zámky

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
Martin Hauptvogl ◽  
Tomáš Peszeki
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Wood Biomass ◽  
Short Rotation

Abstract The renewable energy sources play an important role in the discussions on the future energy generation. The European Union has set certain goals to increase the share of renewable energy sources and to reduce carbon emissions. The paper focuses on the evaluation of energy production from short rotation coppice (SRC) plantations in the cadastral area of Nové Zámky. The study area is located in south-western Slovakia. The energy production was evaluated based on GIS analysis of agricultural land suitable for establishment of short rotation coppice plantations. The high-quality arable land was excluded from the biomass production. The wood biomass should be produced on marginal, low-quality soils and contaminated or degraded land that is unsuitable for food production. There are only high and medium-quality soils classified in the qualitative groups 1–7 in the study area. The land potentially used for biomass production represents an area of 1,536 ha. If the whole area would be covered by short rotation coppice plantations, it would produce 4.8 kWh/day per person. Taking into consideration the overall losses of 33% in the process of the energy conversion, the potential power from the wood biomass production is 3.2 kWh/day per person. The plantations would provide 61 new jobs in the study area.

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