Modelling to analyse the process and sustainability performance of forestry-based bioenergy systems

Abstract

This study develops a novel mathematical modelling framework for biomass combined heat and power systems (CHP) that links biomass and process characteristics to sustainability assessment of the life cycle. A total of twenty-nine indicators for the process (four-indicators), economic (five-indicators), environmental (eight-indicators) and social global (five-indicators) and local (seven-indicators) aspects have been analysed for sustainability. These are technological: biomass throughput, electricity and steam generations and CHP efficiency; economic: internal rate of return, capital, operating and feedstock costs and cost of production; environmental: global warming, fossil, land and water use, acidification, urban smog, eutrophication and ecotoxicity potentials; social (global): labour rights and decent work, health & safety, human rights, governance and community infrastructure; social (local): total forest land, direct/indirect jobs, gender equality and energy-water-sanitation access for communities, from biomass characteristics (carbon and hydrogen contents), energy demands and economic parameters. This paper applies the developed methodology to a case study in Mexico. From 12.47 kt/year forestry residue, 1 MWe is generated with an associated low-pressure steam generation of 50 kt/year, at the cost of production of $0.023/kWh. This makes the energy provision “affordable and clean” for marginalised/poor communities (the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG7). Bioenergy can curb > 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy use, 6 kt CO2 eq and 74 TJ annually. Bioenergy reduces other environmental impacts considerably, water consumption, acidification and eutrophication by 87–53%, and urban smog and ecotoxicity by 29–18%. Bioenergy can improve all five social themes in the Central American cluster countries. In addition to the SDG7, the forestry-based bioenergy system can also achieve the SDG6: "clean water and sanitation for all". Graphical abstract

Net-Zero Action Recommendations for Scope 3 Emission Mitigation Using Life Cycle Assessment

“…Furthermore, life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) allows triple bottom line sustainability analyses encompassing environmental (LCA), social (SLCA), and economic (life cycle costing, LCC) dimensions [11,30,31]. LCSA criteria embed life cycle thinking considering spatial and temporal scales.…”

“…Holistic, systemic LCSA approaches within and between the technosphere and the environment are much desirable. For a transformative reference frame for decision-makers, the global LCSA can be investigated and translated into regional, national, and sub-national boundaries so that a coherent approach can be adopted [9,11,30,31]. The digital frameworks can inform design decisions on systems configurations, flows, and LCSA performance tradeoffs [57,58].…”

“…Municipal solid wastes at the bottom of the list are a heterogeneous mixture of many constituents, metals, minerals, and organics, requiring an advanced separation and reaction system for valorisation [72,73]. Forestry, agricultural, and garden wastes are abundant and offer functional versatility [30]. Biorefineries offer feedstock processing flexibility, product versatility, process robustness, and, most importantly, circular bioeconomies to end fossil-based linear economies.…”

Forest Biomass in Bioenergy Production in the Changing Geopolitical Environment of the EU

“…Environmental arguments in favor of bioenergy in the researched economic sectors significantly influence potential synergies with other policy goals, while environmental conservation groups remain skeptical about promoting bioenergy. Martinez-Hernandez et al [43] emphasize that bioenergy can improve the functioning of societies in the Central American cluster countries, because it reduces environmental impact, water consumption, acidification and eutrophication by 87-53%, and urban smog and ecotoxicity by 29-18%.…”

Technical-economic evaluation to integrate a solar photovoltaic with biomass thermoelectric plants

“…In this sense, the environmental aspects of energy systems have gained priority and great prominence with the increase in society's environmental awareness, and as a result, renewable electric energy sources have been included in large numbers in energy research programs and government policies and costs, with emphasis on developed countries (Araújo & Thengane & Bandyopadhyay, 2020). In this scenario, the sugar-alcohol sector appears as an opportunity for electricity production from sugarcane bagasse, an agro-industrial residue, generated after crushing sugarcane stalks in diffusers and then used as biomass (Asada et Biomass plays an important role in the Brazilian energy matrix, mainly because it is a residue from ethanol production and because of its wide application in electricity generation, using all organic matter, whether of animal or vegetable origin, which can be used in energy production (Bonet-Ruiz et al, 2015;Jain et al, 2020;Martinez-Hernandez et al, 2022;Renewables 2022 Analysis and Forecast to 2027, 2022; Summary Report 2021 Reference Year 2020, 2021). Figure 1 shows the participation of different biomass usage routes in units of oil equivalent megatonne (Mtep) for energy production in Brazil (Summary Report 2021 Reference Year 2020, 2021).…”