Economic Impact of Utilizing Woody Biomass to Manufacture High Value-Added Material Products: a Study of Cellulose Nanofiber and High Standard Chip-Dust Production in Maniwa, Japan

Abstract

This study estimated the economic effect of utilizing woody biomass as a raw material for high value-added (HVA) material products such as master batch of cellulose Nanofiber (CNF-MB) and high standard Chip-dust (HSD) in Maniwa, Japan. In order to analyze the economic effects, two scenarios were described and compared: the BAU scenario and the HVA scenario. The results show that utilizing woody biomass for manufacturing material products can increase the net benefits to businesses as well as stimulate the economic ripple effect and job creation in a local region such as Maniwa. Moreover, the effects of HVA products can be greater than those for the four kinds of existing products. These results could help clarify the effectiveness of utilizing woody biomass in material products as a method to promote woody biomass business and regional development.

Progress towards Sustainable Production: Environmental, Economic, and Social Assessments of the Cellulose Nanofiber Production Process

“…Table 1 shows the amount of logging residues needed for the manufacturing of 1 kg of dried CNF (1 dry kg) and the set as a basic unit for quantifying environmental, economic, and social impact in this study. Related information such as moisture content and yield rate was obtained from company executives and from Moon et al [9]. To produce 1 kg of CNFs, approximately 2.9 wet ton of logging residue is needed as a feedstock.…”

“…The reduction in total vehicle weight resulting from the use of CNFs can be linked with economic and environmental benefits, including increased fuel economy and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moon et al studied the economic effects of producing CNFs from logging residues [9]. They determined that the process of CNF production can have net benefits and create jobs in various sectors of industry.…”

The development of an advanced biorefinery to produce cellulosic sugars and bionanomaterials

“…Some industry representants have indicated the interest of using rejected fibers for nanocellulose isolation (Aguayo et al, 2018), which seems to be competitive as a starting material compared to agricultural subproducts (Table 12). Moon et al (2015) assessed possible alternatives of improving the valorization of side streams from the pulp and paper industry by proposing the use of an additional quantity of logging residues to co-produce CNF and fuels along with the pre-existing products (such as chips, bark, and chip dust). The authors estimated that the ratio of income/expenditure for CNF is as high as the ratio obtained for paper production considering a scenario in the Maniwa region (Japan).…”