Bioenergy Carbon Neutral or Not? Elaine Oneil PhD Executive Director, CORRIM Alaska Wood Energy Conference Ketchikan, AK October 10, 2012 Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials A non-profit corporation formed by 17 research institutions to conduct cradle to grave environmental studies of wood products
Type Definition Example Inherent carbon neutrality Biomass carbon was only recently removed from atmosphere; returning it to the atmosphere merely closes cycle. All biomass is inherently carbon neutral. Carboncycle neutrality Life-cycle neutrality If uptake of carbon (in CO 2 ) by plants over given area and time is equal to emissions of biogenic carbon attributable to that area, biomass removed from area is carbon-cycle neutral. If emissions of all greenhouse gases from life cycle of product system are equal to transfers of CO 2 from atmosphere into that product system, product system is life-cycle neutral. Biomass harvested from regions where forest carbon stocks are stable is carbon-cycle neutral. Wood products that store atmospheric carbon in long-term and permanent storage equal to (or greater than) life-cycle emissions associated with products are (at least) life-cycle neutral. Offset neutrality Substitution neutrality Accounting neutrality If emissions of greenhouse gases are compensated for by using offsets representing removals that occur outside of product system, that product or product system is offset neutral. If emissions associated with life cycle of product are equal to (or less than) those associated with likely substitute products, that product or product system is (at least) substitution neutral. If emissions of biogenic CO 2 are assigned emissions factor of zero because net emissions of biogenic carbon are determined by calculating changes in stocks of stored carbon, biogenic CO 2 is accounting neutral. Airline travel by passengers who purchase offset credits equal to emissions associated with their travels is offset neutral. Forest-based biomass energy system whose life-cycle emissions are equal to (or less than) those associated with likely substitute systems is (at least) substitution neutral. U.S. government calculates transfers of biogenic carbon to atmosphere by calculating annual changes in stocks of carbon stored in forests and forest products; emissions of CO 2 from biomass combustion are not counted as emissions from energy sector nor are emissions from decay of dead trees in the forest counted as emissions in the forest sector. Source: NCASI (2011); used with permission in SAF Task Force Report
Society of American Foresters Climate Change and Biomass Energy Task Force Report
8 Annual Flux (Pg C/yr) 4 1960 2005 Source: adapted from Woods Hole Research Center
US forest growth, removals, and mortality by region, 1953-2006 SE PNW Source: Smith et al. 2009
Forests as carbon storage or fossil fuel offset which provides the largest Ocean benefit? $$$ $ Building products Fuels Long lived electricity Land Atmosphere Forests Short lived Liquid fuel Fossil Fuel Reserves
EPA Scientific Advisory Panel
US Life Cycle Assessment Tool
Bituminous Coal Power Plant Feedstocks Natural Gas Biomass Net Biomass (Emissions - Uptake) 0. 20. 40. 60. 80. 100. Percentage Emissions Relative to Bitiminous Coal Source: Lippke et al 2011
Specific Impacts - EISA 2007 Mandates renewable fuel targets by 2022 Sets GHG thresholds compared to a gasoline and diesel used in 2005 Must conduct a lifecycle analysis to determine whether or not renewable fuels meet the GHG thresholds
Pyrolysis Forest residuals, whole tree, or thinnings Liquid Fuels Research Pyrolysis Oil vs RFO Gasification Forest residuals or thinnings Ethanol vs Gasoline Bioconversion Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWC)
Biomass Feedstock Substitution at the Mill or Utility Impacts C-efficiency not energy independence Forest Residuals Boiler Heat for Drying Wood Lumber mill Mill Residuals Avoiding purchased electricity Forest Residuals or Pellets Cogen Lumber mill
Global Warming Potential (GWP) Biochem Ethanol vs gasoline More than 100% reduction in fossil emissions
Sustainable Carbon Mitigation & Increasing Energy Independence the bottom line Ø Claims that increasing forest carbon/acre contribute to sustainable carbon reductions fail to account for the reductions in the one way flow of fossil fuel emissions to the atmosphere Ø Sustainably managed forests are carbon neutral when removals are set no higher than growth (a balanced 2-way flow) Ø Highest carbon efficiency is in our mills Ø Lowest carbon efficiency sending residuals to utilities or pellets although good for long distance transport/sales Ø Transport fuels contribute to energy independence as well as carbon mitigation & should be valued higher Ø Domestic jobs and rural income Ø Reduced foreign debt
Biofuel LCI/LCA Research Support from: USFS-FPL DOE several donors, eight institutions/cooperators and 20+ authors For More Information www.corrim.org